"While many girls dream of competing in pageants, that was never my dream. I never aimed to win a beauty title. From a young age, my heart was set on changing the world — even if it meant transforming just one life for the better."
At 17, modeling agencies started to notice me and offered lucrative contracts. But realizing that the fashion industry today often focuses more on undressing girls than dressing them, I chose to walk away from it all. Instead, I enrolled at a university to study International Relations and also completed a college degree in hairdressing. I began working in a beauty salon. Many people at the time couldn’t understand why I would turn down such promising opportunities. They said, "With morals like yours, you’ll never go far — you’ll just fade into the background." But I believed my destiny was in God's hands, and I prayed that His will—not mine—would be fulfilled in my life.
One day, a woman named Nataliya Vorona came into the salon where I worked. She had beautiful, long hair — and though I had never met her before, I immediately liked her. While I was cutting her hair, we chatted a little. At one point, Nataliya asked me why I wasn’t pursuing a career in modeling. I told her it went against my moral values. Some time later, she called me and invited me to take part in a national beauty pageant. At first, I nearly turned it down. But then she said something that made me stop and think. “I could find many girls who are beautiful on the outside,” she told me, “but in you, I saw not only outward beauty — I saw something deeper.”
"I want you to be the one I show at the competition," she told me. The moment she said that, I felt something special — something destined. I prayed and made the decision to participate in the contest. But, like many others in our country, I had strong doubts about beauty pageants. I had heard that often the winners were the daughters of oligarchs. I prayed for God’s will to be done, because I have always believed and known that God—the Creator of all—is far more powerful and influential than the richest person on earth.
And so, I arrived for the competition preparation. Almost all the contestants were professional models — some of them had even walked the famous runways of Milan and Paris
And, of course, compared to them, I stood out — because I had never before needed to learn how to walk the runway. That’s when the toughest days of my competition preparation began.
At every rehearsal, the organizers and judges were present, and there were serious doubts about whether I could handle the runway program — especially since we were preparing for a live broadcast on one of the country’s highest-rated TV channels. On top of that, everyone was getting ready to welcome a very special guest in Ukraine: Julia Morley, the owner of the Miss World pageant, who was also set to be one of the judges. I felt completely deflated—not just in the eyes of others, but in my own eyes as well.
And then came that very crisis moment. I went into my room, closed the door behind me, lay down on the floor, and just cried — asking God why everything was so hard. But in that very moment, I felt that even though I was at my lowest before everyone, I was loved and valued by Him — the Creator of the entire universe, the Designer with impeccable taste. He made me. At that moment, I stopped caring about what people thought of me because I was already valued. So I got up, wiped away my tears, went upstairs, and asked one of the contestants, Olya, to teach me how to walk the runway. To my great surprise, she agreed. Many say that in competitions, there’s no real support and everyone tries to sabotage each other. But in my case, it was completely different.
And then the final night of the competition arrived. Everyone was very nervous. I didn’t even know if I would make it to the semifinals. Then suddenly, during the first walk — when all the contestants were dressed alike — Julia Morley, as I was told afterward, turned to the other judges and asked, "Who is that girl wearing number 23? She radiates light. She’s different."
In the end, the judges’ votes were evenly split, and the deciding vote came from the Miss World chairwoman herself — who chose me. When my name was announced, I didn’t fully grasp what was happening, but I was overwhelmed with awe at what God had done in my life.
« Beauty is born in the heart, reflected in the eyes, and lives in actions »
«Красота рождается в сердце, отражается в глазах и живет в поступках »
The morning after my victory, my phone was ringing nonstop — calls from TV stations, radio, newspapers… Everyone wanted to know how I live and hear my opinion on various topics. At that moment, I realized just how radically my life had changed, and the immense responsibility God had placed on my shoulders. Now, every word I say has the power to influence the lives of thousands of young boys and girls. After the win, I moved from my hometown of Uzhhorod to Kyiv. Most of my time is now spent traveling, as I take part in many charitable youth projects not only in Ukraine but also abroad. I thank God for all He has done in my life!
I share my story in detail, along with behind-the-scenes moments, in my book:
Learn more about what I do today
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