COVER STORY: OLGA ALAVA

AN ECUADORIAN BEAUTY THAT CONQUERED THE EARTH
By Raphael Porciuncula

If it were a track and field relay contest, Ecuador made a rush and a burst of fire and energy at the 3rd bend, clutching honors along the way as it snatched the Miss International 2011 title and capped the event with another title as Olga Mercedes Alava Vargas was crowned Miss Earth 2011.

It seemed everything was providential to this beauty from Ecuador. She was 4th in the Miss Ecuador beauty pageant. The title or the first rank Claudia Schiess went to represent the country to the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, while the second in rank Veronica Vargas competed in Miss World 2011 and the third in Rank Fernanda Cornejo competed at the Miss International Beauty Pageant 2011 where she was crowned as the winner. Olga, was handpicked by the Diosas Escuela de Misses to represent her country in the 2011 Reina Hispanoamericana because the title holder was still representing the country at the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. Her star started to shine that time as she placed second runner-up.

Above picture: Olga (second from right) with the Top 3 winners of Miss Ecuador 2011

Bottom pictures - Left: Olga (second from left) during the Miss Hispanoamericana 2011 pageant where she ended up as 2nd runner-up; Right: Olga as Miss Ecuador Earth 2011.

Olga’s participation to the Miss Earth Beauty pageant was still not guaranteed but Jose Hidalgo the director of the official licensee for the Miss Earth Ecuador chose her to represent the country and now it has become history, Olga Mercedes Alava Vargas became the Miss Earth 2011 crowned by Nicole Faria of India in a pageant of glitz and glam held at the University the Philippines Theater last December 3, 2011.

Miss Earth 2010 Nicole Faria crowning Olga Alava as the new Miss Earth 2011.

What could have tilted the favour to this candidate of Ecuador to win the crown when majority of pageant fans pointed towards Miss Czech Republic as the new Miss Earth? If you had watched the pageant, one can already become aware of the answer. We saw a Miss Ecuador who glided and was vivacious onstage. We saw a Miss Ecuador who was enjoying the pageant and was interacting with the audience. We saw Miss Ecuador owning the stage.

Above pictures: From left to right - Olga's reaction when she was called into the Top 16 semi-finalists; During the Top 16 swimsuit competition and during the Top 8 long gown competition. Bottom pictures - Left: During the Top 4 finalists interview; Right: Olga as the new Miss Earth 2011.

Although many pundits believe that Miss Brazil gave a much better answer than her or even Venezuela, this girl who was born in Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador had other pluses in her sleeve. She is a songwriter, fashion model cum designer and a TV personality. She had a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and speaks Spanish, English and Mandarin. Mandarin? Yes, she has lived in China for a year. Therefore it is not a surprise that with her multicultural upbringing, Miss Ecuador was well-loved by her co-contestants.

Olga is not just the typical beauty queen that we always see. This 5’8”, 35”-24”-36” almost perfect-shaped beauty grew up with a simple but happy childhood. She values her family as they have stood the test of times. They have remained united and strong and that she equates her family to that of the earth. Like the family, it maintains us and the people we love. She said that without Mother Earth, families and people would not be alive and hence, it is our responsibility to protect and preserve it. She knows the fight against the great environmental problems and hence it is part of her advocacies. Olga advocated for preserving and protecting the forests through reforestation. For her, in order to reach out to a greater number of people, we must use education to teach them of the need to preserve the forests. It is imperative to teach the children and the teenagers about these things as they are the ones that will inherit the future.

Close to Olga’s heart concerning environmental protection are the jungles of the Amazon, Galapagos Islands and the National Park Yasuni – her country’s contribution to the biodiversity of the Mother Earth. As such, she said, she will promote her country as complement to the world and complete with a sustainable development that the future generation will enjoy and cherish. True to her zodiac sign Aquarius, Olga is an optimist and futuristic person. She always sees that better things yet to come. She loves to swim and this is a reflection of her idealism of the new life that the future promises. However, she says even though she is an optimist, she is always grounded in reality and that because of her creativity and imaginativeness, she makes things happen to a more positive outcome.

The Miss Earth Organization looks to a very fruitful and positive year with a new queen like OLGA MERCEDES ALAVA VARGAS.