Malaysian-born Sonia Sharma has been crowned Miss United Nations Ambassador 2014 in Jamaica.
The 24-year old Commerce graduate from the University of Manitoba, who was born in Penang and migrated with her mother to Winnipeg, Canada at the age of 13, beat out more than 80 other contestants to ascend the throne.
Her main obstacle during the pageant? Her height. At 163cm, Sonia was the shortest contestant this year.
“I kept reminding myself that great things come in small packages and good things did happen. I got to stand right next to the Governor-General of Jamaica during the photography sessions as I was too short to stand behind,” she told The Star Online‘s Winnie Yeoh.
“While my family was supportive, there were some people who told me that I should not enter because of my height. The only thing constantly on my mind was that I would be mocked if I didn’t win.”
Sonia grandmother, Shakuntla Devi Sharma, 71, wept tears of joy and pride at her eldest granddaughter’s achievement.
“Other than being a beauty queen, she’s also an accomplished cook after I taught her how to make Malaysian dishes.”
Follow Sonia’s community work as Miss United Nations Ambassador all year round via the title’s official Facebook page. An interview Sonia had on her win with CTV News Winnipeg can also be viewed here.
