candidatas a miss universe ireland 2018. final: 02 agosto.

megan o'malley.

#MUI2018 Contestant @megan0malley 
☘️ Megan wrote and performed in her first original play in January 2018. It was called HOME and dealt with the eighth amendment and sexual consent. It has not been, however, an easy road for Megan to feel comfortable on stage. She spent years feeling ashamed of her appearance. Megan tried modelling, but constantly faced contempt for her size – a UK 10. One company even refused to pay her because of her measurements, even after the photos were released online and received positive responses. But she is dedicated to her craft and once lived in a room with no windows so she could pursue acting and modelling. After self reflection, Megan now sees herself as confident and beautiful. She wants to share her story and help other women overcome their embarrassment. #empowerwomen 

grainne gallanagh.

#MUI2018 Contestant @ggallanagh
☘️After graduating with honours and a bachelor of science, Grainne went into nursing. She enjoys working with others and helping those in need. Her colleagues nominated her to go on BBC’s Great British Menu where she tasted food and gave special thanks to all the medical staff on the front line. Female health and empowerment is particularly important to Grainne. She believes in using her voice and potential Miss Universe Ireland platform to raise awareness about women’s health. She hopes to open her own health clinic one day that will establish new community standards for modern medicine and help. Grainne loves that Miss Universe is not just about a single definition of beauty and believes in utilising the platform to promote female health. 
#empowerwomen 

aisling

#MUI2018 Contestant @aislingg__x
☘️Aisling is a Physiotherapist who loves her job. She gets to meet a variety of different people and help them become healthier and more active in their daily lives. She lived in the Netherlands to learn more about her chosen career, and herself. She plans to open her own practice. Aisling was sacred to learn that Ireland is set to become one of the most obese countries in the European Union. She believes that a significant amount of false information is shared, particularly on social media, with the public about health, 
exercise, and nutrition. She wants to use her own education to instruct and train others. She views exercise itself as a form of medication and wants to make health information easier for people to understand. Aisling is also concerned by the high suicide rates in Ireland and hopes to work with Pieta House @pieta.house to help provide treatments. #empowerwomen

aishah akorede.

#MUI2018 Contestant @aishah17_x
☘️Aishah’s path to the Miss Universe Ireland competition was not an easy one, but she has overcoming bullying and low self-esteem to become a Juice Plus Brand Ambassador and have a YouTube channel. Aishah is a bit of a daredevil, in a cautious way. She once went paintballing with only a protective helmet, but hid most of the game to avoid being hit. She loves anime and cannot understand the stigma against females liking it. Inspired by her scientist mother who relied on her own inner strength and courage to succeed, Aishah dreams of becoming a barrister and work with organisations like Soroptimist Ireland to empower other women and help them reach their full potential. She wants to end bullying once and for all.#empowerwomen

elana archer.

Contestant @elanaarcher
☘️Elana co-founded Tough Glove Boxing, which focuses on helping people get fit while learning self-defence. She is concerned that the rise of social media leads to false perceptions, which in turn generates anxiety, depression, and poor body positivity. She hopes to use her company and her influence in the health/fitness industry to help other women be happy and confident in their own bodies. While she wants people to take social media less seriously, she recognizes its power and thus promotes healthy body images on her accounts. She also uses it to share her own bravery like when she picked a trip location at random by pointing her finger on a map. Elana wants to work with Jigsaw the National Centre for Youth Mental Health to help young people reduce the strain of mental health struggles. The Irish Cancer Society and Simon Communities Ireland are also dear to her heart. #empowerwomen

maria cremin.

#MUI2018 Contestant @mariacremin
☘️Maria is studying Law and English at National University of Ireland, Galway and hopes to become a primary school teacher. When people first look at her, they see a “girly girl.” Maria agrees. In fact, one of her fondest childhood memories is the Christmas when she received a treasure box filled with princess dresses, high-
heeled shoes, jewelry, and a silver tiara. She loved wearing the tiara for every occasion. But she is also a country girl. She grew up helping her father rear lambs and horseback riding throughout the countryside. She now volunteers with Liskennett Equine Therapy, which combines her two loves – children and horses. The center provides equine therapy for children and adults with autism and Down Syndrome. Maria also loves to travel. She received a scholarship from University College Cork to study Chinese in Shanghai. She hopes to fill her passport with many more stamps. 
[ltr]#empowerwomen[/ltr]

aoife ruttledge.

☘️Aoife is currently a student studying International Commerce through French and works as a model. She dreams of using her degree to become an entrepreneur in the fashion industry. Working as a model, Aoife had to beat Koumpounophobia – fear of buttons! She may have disliked buttons, but public speaking does not phase her at all. She participated in several English and Irish debates and speaking events while in school. She enjoys the challenge of understanding an audience and finding a way to communicate and engage with them. As an aspiring business woman, Aoife fights for gender equality and for the empowerment of women in business. When a friend asked if she was worried if the bikini portion of the Miss Universe competition would impact her future, Aoife became even more determined to prove that being body positive should not hold a woman back, particularly in a male dominant industry.#empowerwomen

rebekah shirley.

#MUI2018 Contestant @rebekahshirley95
☘️Rebekah dreams of being an international representative of Ireland through modeling and televison production. She loves our “small, but mighty” country and wants to show the world how her inner determination is a reflection of our country’s strength. Rebekah used to struggle with her confidence. Now, she wants to show others that the most important thing is to believe in yourself and work for your own self improvement, not because of someone else. Children’s charities are what Rebekah is most passionate about, as she worked as an ambassador for Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice. She hopes to continue working with children to help them feel empowered and confident. In particular, she wants to be an advocate for children’s cancer charities to help children have the best quality of life. #empowerwomen

christina nicole alcazar.

#MUI2018 Contestant @christinanicolealcazar
☘️Christina loves to sing and hopes to become a professional singer, model, or journalist. In September, she will head to college to study journalism and news media. Although she tends to shy away from new things, she tries to overcome her fears and push herself to try new experiences and opportunities. As a model and spokesperson, Christina hopes to be an ambassador for anti-bullying and mental health. She wants to travel to schools to speak to youth and share her own experiences quelling personal insecurities.#empowerwomen 

emma roarty.

#MUI2018 Contestant @emmaroarty 
☘️ Emma describes herself as friendly, adventurous, and caring. She is certainly adventurous; she went skydiving, jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet! She also travelled to Australia by herself just to see the other side of the world. Her goal is to become an international reporter; a career with 
which her adventurous side will help her flourish. Emma was a shy child, but no more! She is ready to show people that it is possible to gain confidence and achieve your goals. Mental health is close to her heart. Emma hopes to work with the charities Pieta House @pieta.house and Samaritans as they have directly helped people she knows. #empowerwomen

chloe o'loughlin.

#MUI2018 Contestant @chloexloughlin
☘️Chloe has high ambitions. The computer science student and competitive horse rider hopes to be the CEO of a technology company one day. Chloe is used to the leadership roles. She was a member of her student council and 1st in the Punchestown Show Jumping Competition. In addition to being confident and hardworking, Chloe is a caring individual. After Harolds Cross Hospice assisted her grandfather as he battled cancer, she came up with a way to raise money for the charity. She turned her house into a Haunted House for Halloween, complete with music, blow-ups, people in costumes, and a person watching over a mystic ball! #empowerwomen 

lauren cowley.

#MUI2018 Contestant @laurencowley12
☘️ Lauren is passionate about nutrition and disease management. She has a postgraduate certificate in Food Nutrition and Health, which she hopes to use one day as a Dietician. Lauren wants to assist people in creating healthy, nutritious diets, particularly when managing diseases in hospitals. Her final year project, as an undergraduate, was to organize a community event that promoted healthy eating strategies. The event targeted parents of primary school children to instil good habits early in life. She was asked by the Irish Country Women’s Association to give a speech on her community event and the importance of health, food, and nutrition. With the growing popularity of social media, Lauren wants to combat negative comparisons and show girls what makes them unique makes them beautiful. #empowerwomen 

megan bullard.

#MUI2018 Contestant ☘️Megan is studying fashion in her first year of college. She is very proud to be attending a well-known art school because she struggles with dyslexia and had high anxiety during exams. Having experienced bullying because of her own learning disability and helping a family member with development issues, Megan is dedicated to assisting children with special needs. She was involved in the St Benildus College’s Integration through Sports Day. As a role model in fashion and a brand ambassador on social media, Megan hopes to use her influence to start the conversation about special needs, program integration, and body and mental health positivity. She wants a diverse community to represent Ireland and show the world what the country can offer. #empowerwomen

sophie wilkins.

#MUI2018 Contestant @sophieewilkins
☘️Sophie is a psychiatric nurse. She currently works in the only Irish facility that specializes in Huntington’s Disease. Her work causes her to be passionate about mental health for all ages and shines a light on the special needs for people with mental illnesses. She knows it can take determination, and she is no stranger to hard work herself. In 2014, Sophie was in a car accident that left her with serious neck, back, and shoulder injuries that made it so she was unable to work for two years. She had to attend physical therapy twice a week to recover, but she finally is healthy, returned to work, returned to the gym, and returned to fully embracing herself. She is also a supporter of Irish Kidney Association, which helped her grandfather when he had a kidney transplant.#empowerwomen