Beauty queen Sanjna Suri shares her experience

At the Miss Virtual Malaysia 2019 roadshow held at Sunway Pyramid in Petaling Jaya recently, beauty queen Sanjna Suri made an appearance at the Meet & Greet session with fans to share her experience to help young aspirers reach their dreams.

Sanjna, who was born in Ipoh and now resides in Kuala Lumpur, was crowned Miss Intercontinental Malaysia 2017 and represented Malaysia at the Miss Intercontinental 2017 in Egypt finishing with an impressive best-placed Top 10.

She went on to win Miss Supranational Malaysia 2018 and represented Malaysia at the Miss Supranational 2018 in Warsaw, Russia and made the top 16 finishing.

Can you give some insight of what to expect as a Miss Virtual Malaysia contestant and what would your advice be?
“Expect an experience of a lifetime. Pageantry will open your internal doors and allow yourself to flourish in all aspects of life; from looking your best, being in your ultimate fitness level, from opening up your horizons, and boosting your self-confidence.

“When joining a pageant, the highlight isn’t just the final night, but the entire journey approaching the finale. Here, preparation is key. As a Miss Virtual Malaysia contestant, one should already have some basic grasp and knowledge of self grooming, catwalk skills, and be able to communicate well even if she’s put on the spot. They should be able to always carry themselves with poise and elegance, look the part 24/7, and always remain confident and friendly to everyone, even their fellow competitors.

“The key is to know yourself well enough, highlight your positives, and flourish in a way where you stand out uniquely. Never try imitating anyone else, always try being the best version of yourself. They should also go on a healthy diet, work out and look the part, figure out their best styles on hair, makeup and others that make them stand out setting them apart from the other women throughout the competition.

“Preparation should be completed by time they enter the pageant. If and when they are selected, just enjoy the journey, be calm and composed throughout, and believe that they are ALREADY the queen that they are, awaiting the final night for the crown to be placed on them.

“Lastly, have a purpose. The girls should have a strong and valid reason as to why do they want to be the next Miss Virtual Malaysia? If the girl has a strong purpose and stays focus throughout the pageant even throughout hurdles, there is no reason why she wouldn’t deserve the title.”

How did your journey to stardom get started?
“It started with a dream; one I was made to believe that should remain as a dream. Being an overweight pharmacist to being able to venture into acting and pageantry, I worked hard day in and out to turn off all the voices who told me no, I’m being crazy. My purpose was simple, feeling fulfilled. I knew I could never sit still if I wasn’t content with myself. I secretly quit my job as a hospital pharmacist, learned to cook my meals daily and worked out almost every day.

“I joined pageants as a platform to be noticed and learned from every single of of them. I never allowed failure to stop me from dreaming, I knew it was about the journey and so I never gave up.

“One day I participated in a local pageant and I won a title. I worked hard, travelled to The Philippines a couple of times and trained with the best pageant school in the world. Although I did not win the international pageant, I was placed Top 10 out of over 70 countries. I leveraged on that title and started sending my portfolio out to producers and directors. 

“Anyway, long story short, I am currently actively acting, modelling and coaching in pageantry. To date, I have been to three international pageants including a Top 10 finish in Miss Intercontinental 2017, and Top 16 finish in Miss Supranational 2018. It is still a never-ending journey, but the key is to Never Give Up.”

How can you help to empower young women to achieve their dreams?
“By sharing my story and being a support system to others who are unsure about themselves. It is never easy to do it alone. Surround yourself with those who believe in you. Remember, failure does not mean you should give up, but it is a small hump in the journey towards your goals. You will learn and grow throughout this journey so always keep an open mind.

“Never ever allow the fear of failure to overcome your dreams. You only live once; so believe that you are special and you deserve to shine in any way that you seek deserving. With that believe, you will be able to soar high and unleashed your inner potential and chase your wildest dreams.”

Can you share your secrets on getting and staying fit and beautiful?
“There is no special secret really; eat real unprocessed food as much as you can and sweat it out often. Drink a lot of water for detox purposes, at least 3 litres a day. Meditation really helps to calm you down and to manage stress. This is important as stress can literally cause wrinkles and fine lines. Apart from that, always love yourself, stay positive and happy because the best beauty glow always radiates from within.”

What do you like doing in your free time?
“I absolutely enjoy surrounding myself with animals, especially my pet puppy Teddy Bear because he is the sweetest dog in the world. I enjoy binge-watching movies and TV series, especially psychological thrillers.

“Since my job allows me to go out and meet many different people, on my free time I prefer staying indoors with loved ones and having some quiet and alone time. I also enjoy going to the gym and spa as I always feel revitalised and ready for the next day.”