Venturing forth: (From left) Pageant winners Lee, Vung, Yap, Ooi and Aaliyah Wunsch.
KOTA KINABALU: The “queen” has spoken and it appears that there is no role yet for a “king” during her reign.
Cassandra Yap, who was crowned Miss International Malaysia (MIM) 2023, has made it known that she is a career-minded person.
“I am so career- and goal-driven that I have never been in a relationship. I am not thinking about it at this point because there are many goals that I want to achieve first,” said Yap, 24.
The Johor-born freelancer said: “I do some modelling, content creation and pageantry, so it is a bit hard to schedule my time, but I am glad that my efforts paid off.”
Her remarks were in reference to her triumph after outshining 16 other finalists from all over the nation during the coronation night here on Sunday.
Yap won RM10,000, an education scholarship worth RM52,975, and other prizes.
She will be representing Malaysia in the international finale in Tokyo, which will be held in a fortnight.
Yap, who is no stranger to the pageantry and modelling industry, is hopeful about her participation at the pageant in Tokyo, as she believes that Malaysia’s diversity and multicultural background would give her an advantage.
Kimberly Vung, 28, of Sabah, finished second, and Christina Lee, also 28, of Perak, finished third.
Another finalist, Ashlyn Ooi, 26, whose overall marks and performance came very close to Yap’s score, was selected as the Miss International Malaysia 2024 winner.
MIM 2023 chairman Jenny Ngu said the “double crowning” was to better prepare contestants at the international level, among other reasons.
“This year, Cassandra will only have 11 days to prepare for the finals in Tokyo but Ashlyn will have a whole year ahead. We want to work our way to the top and get Malaysia to bring home the international trophy,” she said.
The competition in 2024 would select the 2025 representative, she added.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who launched the event, said the Miss International Malaysia pageant allows contestants to project the nation’s values, ideals and aspirations onto the global stage.
“We can elevate Malaysia’s image, showcasing not just our physical beauty but our values and our aspirations,” he added.
