candidatas a miss universe australia 2023. final: 1 sep.

Mary Lopez

Mary’s current profession as a nurse was inspired after surviving an unexpected near death seizure at the age of 16. Mary works on an acute mental health ward and specialises in Electroconvulsive therapy. Her mission is to make a greater impact beyond her ward by delivering workshops and seminars on the importance of mental health. Her aim is to educate and empower young women to become mental health leaders within their communities. She is incredibly dedicated to reducing the prevalence of suicide in Australia.

Mia Dalkos

Mia was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. She currently works for the Department of Education and also owns a small business called, Mia’s Hire Boutique. She is extremely passionate about wellness and self care. Her business provides a platform for her to encourage and empower women to feel confident in their bodies by giving them an opportunity to feel great by looking great! 

Mia takes great pride in my Greek heritage. Her grandparents are her biggest role models. All four came to Australia with nothing and built amazing lives, which she benefits from today. They are the strongest and most honourable people she knows and inspire her to be the best person she can possibly be!

Moraya Wilson

Moraya is 21 years old and from Melbourne. After following the Miss Universe Australia program for several years, and experiencing some recent family hardships, Moraya decided to enter the program, with the motivation to use her platform as an avenue to advocate for Youth Mental Health. Which is a cause that aligns with her values to support those with mental illness. 

Moraya has been fortunate in her life to have had a wide array of experiences. Working as a model has enabled her to travel and live in multiple Australian cities. In doing so she has connected and developed relationships with many people in the fashion industry. Her aim is to continue networking and meeting empowered individuals throughout the Miss Universe Australia program! 

Moraya’s competitive and hard working nature was heightened throughout her youth as a high performance athlete. She would train and compete overseas in Snowsports during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, then return home to Australia to train and race as a 400m and 800m track athlete. Moraya is now an Athletics, Cross Country and Snowsports coach at a High school in Melbourne. She is also in the final year of completing a Bachelor of Business Marketing degree. To complement her degree, she has been working towards launching her own clothing business later this year, called ‘Bee and Bare Clothing’. The first range she has designed is inspired by the 90s tennis fashion of Europe and the US.

Natasha Huisman

Natasha is completing an apprenticeship in Electrotechnology. She mentions that as an apprentice comes many challenges, however some of the reasons she enjoys her career of choice is that she is always learning, gaining practical skills and knowledge to problem solve and she is able to encourage women who also have a desire to work in a trade. 

Natasha is always spending her spare time keeping active and healthy, whether that’s going to the gym, playing netball, basketball or running.

Sabrina D'odorico.

Sabrina’s goal is to have a successful career both in modelling and nutrition/dietetics. A fun fact about Sabrina is that she is bilingual, she can speak Spanish. Sabrina's biggest achievement would be the women that she has grown into today. Thanks to her mum, she has grown up in a household that has entrenched in her the importance of maintaining values as a woman every day. 

Sabrina is very big on confidence and women empowerment and would like to use her platform to advocate this, to be a role model for women to truly value themselves.

Sene Maluwapi

Sené is a promising First Nations and Pasifika model, a proud Malu Kiwai woman of the Samu and Gaidai Clans. With her four years of experience in the modelling industry, she uses her modelling career to extend the acknowledgment of First Nations people in creative spaces. The up-and-coming model is a passionate advocate for Indigenous representation in the Australian Fashion Industry. Sené is also passionate about protecting her island home of Boigu in Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands) from the impacts of climate change and is an active supporter of the 'Our Islands Our Home' campaign.

In Sené’s words; ‘I’m so proud to be a First Nations and Pasifika woman representing my culture on an iconic platform like Miss Universe Australia. As the world slowly starts to embrace inclusion, I believe I am right on time. My voice and presence is an important and under-represented story that I am proud to carry and share - for little me, for the little girls that see themselves in me and for anyone else who hasn’t seen themselves reflected/mirrored in society.”

Somaya O'Donnell

Somaya's dream goal is to represent Australia as an actress/model on national scale, this has been her dream since she was a little girl as the feeling of bringing a story to life, encapsulating a character and making people laugh is what sets her soul on fire! Somaya says her biggest achievement to date would be buying her first home and graduating from WAAPA. 

An interesting fact about Somaya is that she has had a breast reduction in 2021 to reduce her chances of Breast Cancer, as it is hereditary in her family and is also something she is very passionate about raising awareness for. Someone Somaya looks up to is Angelina Jolie as she says she not only achieved a successful career in acting but also used her platform for better and helped organisations and people around the world.

Tash Knox

Tash is twenty-one years old, loves arranging flower bouquets, and once hiked through the Himalayas! She has always felt an unwavering desire to make a positive impact on others growing up, which is why she is currently pursuing a tertiary degree in psychology with dreams of becoming a clinical psychologist. Being able to help others has been a lifelong passion, and Tash couldn’t be more excited to turn that dream into reality. 

Tash is also an openly queer woman! Through the incredible platform provided by Miss Universe Australia, she is honoured to be able to use her voice to advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. The amazing partners and friends she has met through this beautiful community have shown her that every person deserves to feel loved, accepted, and celebrated for who they truly are, and hopes to continue to send that message to everyone she meets. Tash cannot wait to see where this journey takes her, and what she’ll all achieve.

Vimbayi Hakutangwi

Vim loves a challenge and believe that we shouldn't limit ourselves to just one path; we should push boundaries and pave our own way. That is why she is currently pursuing a career in the navy as a Clearance Diver, one of the most physically demanding positions within the Australian Defence Force. Her cultural identity is incredibly important and as a proud trilingual Zimbabwean-Australian, she has always strived for success no matter the adversity. Vim hopes to use the platform as an opportunity to start important conversations and advocate for more women to occupy leadership roles within their communities.

Vitoria Camporeale

At the age of twenty-three Vitoria has completed two bachelors’ degrees and is now working in law and volunteering at legal centres where she provides legal aid to minority groups, asylum seekers and women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Vitoria has been inspired by their stories to pursue her dream of becoming a published author where she would be able to use her craft of writing to touch the lives of many people around the world. She believes creative education should be taught to young people, particularly disadvantaged students, whose voices are not being heard due to external influences. Vitoria would use her platform as Miss Universe Australia to encourage disadvantaged and minority groups to find their own authentic voices through safe and creative spaces.

Introducing our brand new Miss Universe Australia Official Crown by Stelios Jewellers

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