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FOCUS # 13
Jacqueline Fernandez
 Miss Sri Lanka Universe 2006

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From a country unpopular in beauty pageants comes an unexpected contradiction. Big on impact, chic, sassy and very much a woman of today, she shared us her vision for her motherland. She exudes a rather Victorian air, a sophistication that had caught our attention. What delegates like her have to give but can't be bought is called class, good education and an all-out genuineness. We saw why "Jackie" is the one who could pull Sri Lanka out of its shell. The promise that she carries should go with a warning label.

The life of Jackie reads like a fairy tale with modern-day twists. She did most of her schooling in a tiny little desert island in the Middle East called Bahrain as her native land had broken out into an ethnic conflict and was faced with economic collapse. The "baby of the family," she owes an amazing childhood to the two most important people in her life, her parents Elroy and Kim Fernandez. She has a sister named Geraldine, the eldest and two brothers namely Warren and Ryan. "Luckily I didn't get spoilt like most children who are the youngest and tend to get what they want. My parents have shaped me to be a more dynamic, attentive and conscious person, being exposed to mistakes my siblings made and always challenging myself to learn through their failures and prove my capabilities to them." Her father worked two full time jobs, a day job as a manager of a duty free shop and a night job as a DJ. "So you can imagine the significance of music in our family," she confessed. Her mother is the editor of 'Gulf Daily News' - a leading newspaper in Bahrain.

As a child, it's always been a dream of hers to do something great for her country. She felt that joining the Miss Sri Lanka beauty contest would advance her humanitarian goals in life. Jackie was crowned Miss Sri Lanka 2006 in a glittering event that took place at the Galle Face Hotel. Chathurika Fernando and Irosha Kurera emerged first and second runners up respectively. Jackie also took home the Miss Glowing Skin, Miss Witty, Clearest Skin and Miss Personality awards.    

Jackie depended on herself to learn and self-train. She managed to excel in all her fields of endeavor which includes athletics, drama and much, much more. "I used to buy belly dancing and salsa videos and copy the instructor and when it came to athletics, I would use the road outside our house and when the coast was clear, I'd run up and down it so as to train myself for track meets." As she is a naturally very sociable person who's interested in culture and language, she joined the Berlitz language school to learn new languages such as Spanish and to improve on her knack for speaking Arabic and French. "I have also started horse-riding as it was a life-long dream of mine to do but didn't have the financial nor time support for it when I was a child but with just four months of training down the line I've already won my first dressage competition! As you can see, my motto is simple, life is too short, live it and live it well!"

Jackie is one of the most recognizable names and faces in her country. Her inherent charm & delightful looks have taken her to the top as a popular model, choreographer, talent co-coordinator and TV personality by the age of 16 while juggling the duty and responsibilities that came with sports house captain and head girl of her school, the Sacred Heart School of Bahrain. Obviously an achiever, she went on to pursue a degree in media and communications in Sydney Australia. She did so well and was awarded with a full scholarship to the University of Sydney. 

"Being independent and accomplished was imperative to me and I always demanded the best of myself. Perfectionism is my strongest asset." Jackie is currently employed as an anchorwoman for the leading business program in her country- 'Lanka Business report' and has delivered on-the-spot news on Tsunami hit areas. She also writes a weekly column for the top newspaper 'Daily mirror' where she targets the youth to become more socially aware by introducing them to the burning issues of their society. "I also run my own non-profit organization that looks at empowering underprivileged children and women in Sri Lanka and will eventually branch out into environmental awareness campaigns and animal rights.

 

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