Miss Universe Croatia 2018 will organize its grand finale on 21st April 2018 where one out of the twenty finalists will be crowned as the successor of Miss Universe Croatia 2017 Shanaelle Petty.

Before the finale, the contestant Danijela Galekovic finds time to share her experience and thoughts on her journey to Miss Universe Croatia 2018.

Below is her full Interview –

Q. How does it feel to be a delegate of Miss Universe Croatia 2018?  

- Being a Miss Universe Croatia is really one of my dreams, and I feel honored to be given an opportunity to represent myself in the pageant. I will give my best during the preparations for the pageant and during the pageant. If I was to become a Miss Universe Croatia 2018 I would have been given an amazing platform to show the world what an amazing country Croatia is. It would also give me a platform to fulfill all of my dreams and the dreams of many other people who are desperately waiting for someone to help them in their hard life situations. All of these reasons above make me feel extremely blessed, proud and happy to be a delegate of Miss Universe Croatia 2018.

Q.  What is the best lesson you’ve learnt in your journey as the delegate of Miss Universe Croatia 2018?

- So far, I have learnt that whatever it is in life that you want to accomplish, you must always work hard for it. You must also always remain humble and no matter how big your success is, you must always be kind to people. Have an open mind and be willing to really hear what people are saying, but never forget who you are, and don’t let anyone change the essence of your being. 

Q. What is the one thing that keeps you going and inspires you to be the best version of yourself?

- I think that every person has a gift for something, whether it is sport, arts, studying, etc. I always encourage people around me to not be scared of their dreams, and not to resist in pursuing them. Once you accomplish one of your goals, the feeling you get is non describing, it is beyond amazing. That exact feeling is what keeps me going every day, and pushes me even on the days when I feel like giving up. The journey towards the best version of yourself is the best journey you can  be on in your lifetime.

Q. We would love to know more about your advocacy and what drove you to choose it?

- I would love to raise awareness of HIV, violence and obesity. I choose HIV awareness, because even though it is not the number 1 problem in my country, it is a big global problem, and I think that every girl that competes in her country’s Miss Universe pageant should think globally. HIV can be prevented so easily, but still there are so many who suffer from it, and I think the education is the key element here. The more people we teach how to stop HIV from spreading, the less ill people we will have, I believe. Next, I choose violence, because so many people suffer from violence, at schools, at home, at work. I want to let people know that they are not alone, that they are not in any way guilty for the violence they suffer from, and that the only way to run from it is to speak up. Everyone is worthy of love and dignity! Last, but not least, is obesity. Obesity is a raising problem in our society, with so many delicious and unhealthy foods available to us at almost every corner. I think that all habits are made at an early age, and that is why we need to educate parents on how to implement healthy habits into theirs and theirs children's lives. In that way, those children will grow up with healthy mindset about food and exercise, because they have learnt it from an early age. Also, we need to educate and help already obese children and grown ups on how to slowly but surely change their unhealthy habits into more healthy habits.

Q. How would you like to represent yourself at the national stage at Miss Universe Croatia 2018?

 - I will do my best to represent myself in the best possible way, and I hope that the judges and everyone else will capture who I truly am, and that is confident, kind, humble and hard working person. The best plan I have for the performance at the national stage at Miss Universe Croatia 2018 is to be myself. I have been preparing for this pageant ever since I went to a casting, I have been working out every single day and eating healthy even before I knew have I passed the casting or not.

Q. Who is your ideal, and what values of theirs do you wish you could inculcate in your own life, and teach the next generation?

- My idols are definitely my parents. They are both so hard working and full of love and patience. I try every day to inculcate their values into my life. From them I have inherited the love for animals and nature, admiration for small things, humbleness, kindness, willingness to always help others and hard working ethic. I would love to teach all the generations these values, because the more people we teach these values, the prettier the world will be. 

Q. If you could be invisible for a day, how would you like to spend it?

 - If I could be invisible for a day, I would spend it around people who bully and therorize other people, because in that way I would probably realize what drives them to act in that way. By understanding that, maybe I could talk to them afterwards and resolve their inner problems, and they would finally start dealing with themselves instead of taking it out on other people. I believe that no one is born evil or with hatred, but people become that way because of their surroundings or perhaps some terrible events that occured to them during the lifetime.

Q. Would you like to share your most special childhood memory with us?

 -  There are 2 most special childhood memories of mine which I remember. First one is standing on my balcony with my parents and grandparents and watching those big colorful gas balloons taking off from the fields next from our house. They usually took off right before the sunset, and it was just magical. This event took place once a year, and I was always looking forward to it.  The second memory is driving with my dad to a town near our hometown, on a beautiful spring day, passing by all the beautiful fields filled with sunflowers and flourished trees, and stopping by for our favourite ice creams on the way.

Q. What or who empowers you to be yourself and work hard every day?

 - Well, my parents empower me to be myself and work hard everyday. They thought me from an early age how important it is to have a good working ethic and to accomplish something in your life, because no one can ever take your knowledge away from you. What also keeps me going is an idea of where I want to be in a couple of years, and I know that I have to work hard now to enjoy my results later. Also, I always remember to be myself, because that is what makes me special, otherwise we would all just be clones of one another and the world would be so boring.

Q. What is the one thing you can label as your guilty pleasure?

- Without a doubt, my biggest guilty pleasures are all kinds of delicious foods like cakes, hamburgers, fries, pizzas, chocolates, etc. I can say that I am a big food lover. I definitely have a very good self control to not to overindulge in these, because I want to obtain my health and a healthy weight, but every now and then I treat myself with these for all the hard work I put into. 

Q. We’re sure that this competition is another milestone in your life. What is that one thing that you ultimately want to achieve?

- My ultimate life goal is to become a successful business woman. My ideal life path would be to become a Miss Universe Croatia 2018 (and ultimately Miss Universe 2018) and a successful model, and one day start my own business and provide new working positions. With my profit , I would like to start new non-profit organizations or help existing ones, and in that way make a positive change in this world. If I would win Miss Universe Croatia 2018, I would have an amazing platform to bring this wishes to reality right away.

Q. If you are granted 3 wishes right now, what would you ask for?

- If I was granted 3 wishes right now, I would ask for all the wars and violence that is happening all around the world to stop, I would ask for all the hunger to stop because there is definitely too much food in the world today to still have people who are starving to death, and lastly, I would ask for all the illnesses to disappear. 

Q. Lastly, is there any message that you would like to give to your fans of Angelopedia?

- I would like to take a moment to thank them for their support and interest for our lives. It really means a lot for us contestants to know that there are people who cheer for us, and it really gives us an extra boost of confidence and courage to persuade our dreams. Thank you all!