Ornella wins a title and lesson in patience
Crowning moment: Ornella at the Miss Universe Sri Lanka pageant last month. Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
‘If you want to get to the rainbow you have to be willing to put up with the rain’ – Dorothy Barton.
Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2018 Ornella Gunesekere lives by this quote. Taking a chance, the 26-year-old applied for the local Miss Universe contest this year and says being crowned Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2018 is “a dream realised after 8 years.” One thing she learnt through her journey to the crown is that patience is indeed a virtue that she is blessed to have.
Interestingly winning the title of Miss Universe Sri Lanka at last week’s glittering pageant is not her proudest moment. It is living a life today that she was told she couldn’t ever have again. Facing paralysis in her legs when she was 20 years old due to a congenital condition that surfaced after a fall while playing basketball when she was 13 and told to be careful and cautious, Ornella persevered and pushed herself to overcome the physical drawbacks, wearing a brace for the rest of her schooldays. “Being someone who was athletic and so full of energy, I was going to live my life to the fullest.”
Currently working as a director at ‘The Party Station’ Ornella grew up as the middle child and only girl in her family. Starting off her schooling at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya, she moved to Lyceum International, Nugegoda and later gained a diploma in tourism and hospitality management in the US.
Ornella: Living her dream. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Earning the nickname of ‘Pageant Veteran’, Ornella believes that her knowledge and experience gained through the various competitions she has taken part in since she was 18, will provide her a competitive edge amongst the 94 other competitors participating in the Miss Universe contest to be held in Thailand in December. “I had to learn how to be confident even when I wasn’t,” she says when talking about what she learnt from competing in numerous pageants. From Miss Supranational, Miss Grand to Miss International Sri Lanka, Ornella has been through it all.
“A true Miss Universe needs to be someone who is able to mesh with all walks of life, all religions, all cultures, all languages and all backgrounds,” she says.
“To be surrounded by other women with the same goals and the same energy- that prepares you in a very special way because it opens your mind to how you win in other ways; by making friends.” Having competed in Thailand before, this will be her 15th visit there and she calls the country her second home! She has quite a fan base there and is eager to have their support during the competition.
The new Miss Sri Lanka wishes to use the platform she has been given to focus on changing how education is handled in Sri Lanka, particularly the younger generation on sex education, hygiene and nutrition, changing the cultural constraints on matters that are too ‘taboo’ to be spoken about.
“Be open to change, be open to growth. Understand that there are different perspectives. Change doesn’t mean we let go of our culture, it’s our ability to hold our good values and adapt to a globalised community,” is her message to Sri Lanka.