After the announcement of Miss World 2017 recently, on Sunday night, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters took away home the title of Miss Universe 2017. This is one of the top honors in any beauty pageant competition. In which, the first runner-up was Miss Colombia Laura González, second runner-up was Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett, and 89 other women in Las Vegas. But the 22-year-old stunt everyone as she constantly addressed women’s issues throughout the entire competition, and impressed judges with her gracious heart and vast intelligence on gender pay to self-defense.
That’s not all, apart from her glowing tiara and her charming smile, her fans were looking for certain answers as they wanted to know how has Miss South Africa became Miss Universe in a few seconds.
Demi-Leigh says, she was “hijacked and held at gunpoint” just a month after winning the Miss South Africa title. This harrowing experience led her to find a self-defense campaign called Unbreakable. The campaign is all about training women with knowledge and skills to empower themselves so that they too can defend themselves at such scenarios.
Here are six things you should know about Miss Universe 2017:
1. Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters earned her degree in Business Management at North West University.
2. Miss Universe’s biggest motivation comes from her half-sister who has a disability, she says, her sister’s situation makes her realize how special life is.
3. She is the first Miss Universe South Africa title holder to be born.
4. In her spare time, Demi-Leigh trains women for self-defense in various situations called the Unbreakable campaign. This initiative was taken by her getting inspired by the attempted hijacking she experienced earlier this year in Johannesburg. Hence, she plans to share these workshops and lend helping hand to as many women as she can.
5. In coming five years, she hopes to have a global platform, where she could help women around the world and develop their business skills.
6. She’s no stranger to leadership positions either, at the age of 17, she was the Junior Deputy Mayor of her city George, in the Western Cape.
7. She was the first girl in her school’s history to become President of the Student Council for both school and boarding house.
