It was one goal at a time for this Kandy lamissi

Miss Sri Lanka, Aruni Rajapakse shares her moment of glory before taking wing to Mexico for the Miss Universe pageant

First she bagged the title 'the Reebonn Miss Beautiful Skin,' then 'Veet Miss Smoothest', then 'Miss Talent' followed by 'Miss Personality'. And the list went on leading up to the final and most important, the 'Miss Sri Lanka' title.

Twenty three-year-old Aruni Rajapakse was in tears at her winning moment -those tears spoke a million words of the happiness and great joy she felt at having been chosen to be her country's ambassador at the prestigious Miss Universe 2007 pageant.

With barely a week before she takes wing to Mexico to represent Sri Lanka at the upcoming Miss Universe Pageant, the tall and slender beauty, 5 7' in height, spoke of her feelings and aspirations on winning the Miss Sri Lanka crown.

Youngest in a family of three, with an older brother and a sister, this young Kandyan beauty describes herself as a sensitive person with a lot of endurance. It is this facet of her personality that has helped her reach her goals, she says.

Since childhood, she had a passion for modelling - the path which she chose to slowly tread to reach her present position. Having won the 'Capri Queen 2005' and 'Udarata Menike 2004', Aruni's exposure to those in the field of fashion and designing during her two year modelling career further fuelled her desire to take part in an international pageant.

A student of Swarnamali Balika, Kandy, Aruni was an active participant in several drug prevention activities during her schooldays, organising awareness campaigns in remote areas for which her school had won an All Island Award in 2002.

After her G.C E Advanced Level examination in the Arts stream, Aruni joined the Kandy Technical College to do a secretarial course. However, her love for fashion and designing led her to get involved in organizing fashion shows in Kandy which led to modelling. With her talent for dancing, she has also taken part in a stage drama, a teledrama and some commercials.

"After having gained the experience needed, this time I thought of participating in the Miss Sri Lanka contest," she says adding that given her Kandyan family background, although her father, a retired Police Inspector, was not very happy about it, her mother and sister were able to convince him to let her go ahead.

"Now my entire family is very happy that I won this title and that I have got the opportunity to represent my country at an international pageant," she says smiling.

The Miss Sri Lanka pageant itself was a remarkable experience, according to Aruni."The time I spent with the other contestants was a great experience as I learnt a lot from them.”

Aruni says that she had been targeting four or five mini titles from the beginning and that she was particularly happy to have won the Miss Personality and the Miss Talent titles. "Winning the Miss Personality title made me realize that I would stand a chance of becoming Miss Sri Lanka," Aruni adds.

She is deeply conscious of the responsibilities and commitment that go with the title. "The idea that I should do my best and make my country proud in whatever way possible is always at the back of my head," she explains.

She had just 20 days after winning the Miss Sri Lanka crown to get herself prepared for the big day before she leaves to Mexico on April 28. "But from the beginning of the Miss Sri Lanka pageant we were guided to face the international pageant and prepared as to how we should face the Miss Universe pageant."

Aruni believes she should concentrate on promoting Sri Lanka's national identity, Lankan culture and values. "Rather than telling them verbally, may be from the way I behave, I would try to create a strong impression about our country among the other contestants. I want to make them feel the essence of our country- to make them understand that Sri Lanka is a country with lot of potential," she says.

In the future, Aruni is hoping to use her title to serve the community by doing a lot of charity work, especially in her home town.