Newly minted Miss Hong Kong Sabina Mendes has been dreaming of the tiara even before she knew that beauty was in her blood.
Born and raised in Macau, Mendes had been watching the show every year since she was six and can remember each year's winner.
"I did not know much about what Miss Hong Kong had to do though. I just saw them as princesses and wanted to be them," she said.
Unbeknownst to the little girl, however, her family members have been pageant queens.
Her mother, Micaela Mendes, was the first runner up in the 1990 Miss Macau pageant, while her first cousins once removed were the 1990 Miss Macau and first runner-up of the 1994 Miss Macau pageant.
"I did not know that they had been pageant winners until I was a teenager," she said.
Growing up, Mendes was an introverted child but loved performing. She started learning dancing at Mother Hong Kong Arts Centre at 11 and performed in the Tung Wah Charity Show with Nancy Sit and TVB Children Festival in 2010. It was there that she gained confidence and first thought about joining the entertainment sector.
"I hope this year, I get to go on the Tung Wah Charity Show again with her and dance."
However, as she grew up, reality bit and she knew she had to find a more practical path.
Studying the Alberta curriculum at the Macau International School, Mendes realized her interest in the mechanism behind the human body and disease treatment and went on to study a dual degree in human biology and biochemistry at the University of Toronto.
"I wanted to experience more and go somewhere else. I hadn't been to Canada until I went there for university. I just felt like I needed more experience elsewhere."
Like many overseas students, however, Mendes went back to Macau in March 2020 to continue remote learning at home.
"I did a whole year of remote learning online. I had to wake up at 3am," she recalled.
Seeing a window between finishing her undergraduate course and going on to medical school in Macau, her mother persuaded her to join the pageant this year.
"Miss Hong Kong was definitely on my bucket list. But I didn't know when I should take part. My mom spotted this right timing."
Her mother also helped her get in shape with a diet plan. "It was basically salad, boiled eggs, and for protein I picked salmon, chicken breast, shrimp and scallops."
Raising Mendes and her twin sister as a single parent, the mother and daughters share a close bond.
"She's my idol. I feel like she knows everything, and our relationship is more like friends, rather than mother and daughter. I share everything with her. I call her every day now, just to share how my day was.
"She thought I would at least get a title, but not the champion. So she was quite shocked, but very happy for me."
Joining the pageant gave her a chance to try many different things, said Mendes, but winning meant that her medical path is on hold. Her twin is continuing in medical school.
"Actually, if I had not won anything this year, I would be in school right now. But it is okay. I plan on going back later. It is never too late," she said. "But right now, the opportunity I have is something that maybe everyone wishes to have, so I'll definitely cherish it. I'll see where life takes me in this industry."
Despite her shelved medical dream, the 22-year-old hopes to channel her altruistic nature into doing charity and volunteer work, with a focus on diseases and the pandemic.
Realizing her childhood dream after 18 years, Mendes said: "I was never perfect. When I came to the interview, I was not as fit. I did not have much confidence and was not even ready for this whole pageant thing.
"Of course, I am not perfect now, but the thing is, you have got to believe in yourself and never give up on your dreams."
Her advice to aspiring queens? "Even when you hear many opinions from others - and there are going to be a lot - stay true to yourself, believe in yourself, and never give up on your dreams, because no matter what other people say, you control your own life.
"Do not let those voices manipulate you. Live your own life."
