May 18, 2021

Sarawak’s Queen of Hearts – Francisca Luhong James

Beauty is not in the face,Beauty is a light in the heart ~ Khalil Gibran

After a long time of preparing for the most coveted beauty pageant, in the midst of the pandemic, Miss Universe Malaysia 2020 Francisca Luhong James certainly rocked the Miss Universe Stage. And we are extremely proud of our Sarawakian sweetheart for doing her best in representing the country and unique Sarawak culture on the world stage, while exuding poise, passion and elegance throughout the entire pageant. Well done, Francisca.

Not only did she learn and grow so much during the pageant, Francisca also made new friends and met so many people from different corners of the globe along her journey to the finals. In fact, her roomie Nguyen Tran Khanh Van (Miss Universe Vietnam 2020) became best friends during the show.

A platform to learn from other women

While Miss Universe is often regarded as the most esteemed title in the pageantry world, it is by no means just a beauty contest. It is a platform for women to build friendships and learn from one another.

In line with the organisation’s slogan “run by women, for women”, this beauty pageant is where confident and beautiful women from all parts of the world are gathered in one place. Through meeting women from different corners of the globe, the delegates were able to embrace new cultures, languages and all forms of different causes that eventually make the pageant participants feel more ‘empowered’ and ‘self-confident’ at the end of the day.

And truly enough, the 69th Miss Universe Competition served as an avenue of sisterhood for Francisca. As a women empowerment advocator herself under her movement Women Rise, Francisca believes in uplifting and supporting women, as they are our own sisters.

Throughout the entire pageant, Francisca showed her spirit of determination with a gist of humility. It served as an avenue where she learned from remarkable women such as Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow, Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi, Former Miss Indian World Cheyenne Eete Kippenberger and her very own roommate Van.

A one-of-a-kind pageant

It is also important to note that the 69th Miss Universe is not like how the show has always been in the previous years.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the show was brought forth to 2021. The pandemic has disrupted the flow and extended her preparation time to the world stage. But given the circumstances, Francisca kept her spirits high and navigated the journey towards and throughout the Miss Universe 2020 well.

This might be the end of Miss Universe 2020, but it is only the beginning for Francisca. And she will always be our Miss Universe Malaysia 2020. So, let’s cheer her on and support her in every step of the way!