SIBU: A second year Research Chemistry student of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) beat 14 other finalists to win the coveted Miss Grand Sarawak.
Bidayuh lass Julie Minele Senele won RM2,000, a ELite Estatik MediSpa service worth RM2,500, a crown and a sash.
She collected her prizes from Lanang MP Alice Lau in the glittering finale held on Saturday night.
The seventh in a family of 10 children, Julie, 20, was delighted with the win.
As the representative of Sarawak in the upcoming Miss Grand Malaysia competition in Miri on April 28, she has a heavy task to fulfil.
“I’m very honoured to hold this crown but the crown comes with full responsibility and challenges. I consider this pageant a platform for me to be a spokeperson for all women,” she said.
Julie also hoped to help strengthen the existing racial harmony in Sarawak.
She expected to win because “I know I have done my best in preparing for it.”
Meanwhile, first runner-up Lysandra Gabriel Storie wanted to do more by speaking out on issues that affected society.
Born in Sibu, Lysandra is an Applied Science graduate from Mara. She is currently giving private tuition to secondary school students.
She is RM1,000 richer due to the win besides the Medispa service worth RM1,500.
Lysandra also took home the Best Evening Gown title and the Miss Influencer Grateful Kids.
An occupational safety officer, Gan Jen Wen, 23, hoped that the pageant owner would consider her for the Miss Grand Malaysia (MGM) competition as only the top two qualify automatically.
“Since MGM will be in Sarawak, I hope the organiser will allow me to compete,” said Gan, who is of Baba Nyonya- Chinese mixed parentage, from Miri.
Miss Grand Sarawak organising chairman Haikal Ezrie said Sarawak wanted to do better at this year’s MGM than its fifth placing last year.
“The competition was held in Kuala Lumpur last year and one of our two girls took the fifth place. We hope the winner this time will be from Sarawak,” he said.
Since the inception of the pageant in 2017, Sabah has won it twice.
Haikal said Sarawak, like Sabah, had been given the right to send six girls to the MGM, which would see a total of 24 finalists from throughout the country.
“The selection for the other four finalists is done through voting by the 15 finalists themselves and the public. Voting is done through the MGM app,” he said.
On the rationale of choosing Miri as the venue for the MGM, he said it was because “Miri is one of the top tourism destinations in the country.”
