Miss University Ireland Final 2011

I’ve often been asked about my journey to becoming a “titleholder”. I came across the United Nation pageant on facebook but it was not my first modelling competition/pageant. While I was in first year in law, I was selected as a finalist in Ucc’s Next Top Model 2009. For me, this was a huge confidence booster as I never in a million years thought I’d be selected - I actually had to double check when I received the message telling me I was a finalist because I thought it was someone messing with me! Unfortunately, I got eliminated after the first photo shoot (along with half of the eighteen contestants). 

Photo by Alexander Paton - UNTM 2009

The next competition was Diva Next Door in the summer of the same year but I was on holidays at the time I was entered into a poll on bebo and so could not campaign for votes. 

The final comp I entered before coming across the United Nation pageant system was Miss University Ireland, which I was contacted about by one of the organisers (again, on facebook) and asked if I would like to compete in. I put my name forward for Miss UCC but when it came to interview time on the phone, I had just arrived in Strasbourg and so could not participate.

This year, I had a free evening and so attended the 2011 Final of the competition in Dandelion nightclub on the 14^th of April. A school friend of mine, Sophie La Touche, was competing as the representative for Mallow College and I also knew a couple of the other finalists. I thought it was important to go along and support one of the competitions that helped me along the way and also to cheer on the contestants.

Congratulations to Holly Carpenter who won the title of Miss University 2011 on the night and will go on to compete in the Miss Ireland final. 

Until Next Time,

Sami Long

Miss United Nation Ireland 2010

Miss United Nation Europe 2010