Miss SA is a community girl at heart

Published Mar 31, 2015

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THE WORLD that the Miss SA pageant opens for a simple girl from Eldorado Park is unfamiliar territory.

Liesl Laurie said that since winning the prestigious title on Sunday night, things have already changed drastically.

“The suite that I stayed in last night (Sunday) is nearly as big as my whole house,” she said.

Her humble nature was also evident in the way she celebrated her win.

“After winning the title and after all the formalities, I had a slumber party with my mother, my grandmother and my younger sister,” she said as her light-brown eyes lit up.

But if the 24-year-old beauty’s effortless charm is anything to go by, her reign will be anything but mundane or predictable.

Besides her statuesque figure and bouncy locks that frame her soft yet striking features and her captivating smile, Laurie is far from an empty vessel.

Her engaging demeanour and poise demand the attention of those in her presence as she speaks with insight and confidence.

Naturally, the BCom graduate plans to prove that she is not just a pretty face and is determined to make a difference during her reign. One of her areas of focus during her year as Miss SA would be to deal with the plethora of social ills facing Eldorado Park, which is notorious for drugs and poverty.

Laurie said the youth were some of the biggest victims of the social, and economic disparities in the area.

“One of the biggest problems in Eldorado Park is that the youth don’t believe in themselves, and sometimes they lack self-worth. I want to shine my light on the community and use this platform to bring hope and upliftment to all those who need it. People could also use my situation as a source of inspiration and work towards fulfilling their own dreams.”

These sentiments were echoed by Laurie’s mother, Karen. “Our community need this. They wanted it badly and they have been behind Liesl the whole way,” she said.

Laurie’s love for her community was reflected back to her yesterday when residents took to the streets to celebrate her win.

“They went crazy with excitement and I have received so many messages of congratulations and support from my community,” she said. “They have been a source of support since the very beginning.”

Laurie is no stranger to upliftment as she does inspirational talks for youngsters at her former schools, EW Hobbs Primary School and Silver Oaks Secondary School.

She also volunteers with her grandmother Lorraine at a feeding scheme in the area.

Despite all her charity work, Lorraine believes her granddaughter’s success is attributed to her ability to listen and to take advice from others. One of the main lessons she taught her granddaughter was “God first, family next, and then the community”.

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