PRETTY GIRL

Jelena Pejic

AGE: 22 | HEIGHT: 5'10" | HOMETOWN: KITCHENER, ON

Jelena Pejic is a 22 year old Communication studies student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. She aspires to work in the public relations field and hopefully own her own PR agency. Born in Sarajevo Bosnia, she had moved to Serbia at the age of 5 when the war started. In 1997 she came to Canada with her family.

The misfortune of moving and having to adapt to different situations and surroundings have made her a chameleon. Jelena believes that the most successful people are not the ones that posses most knowledge, but the ones that adapt best to different situations. This does not mean that a person should not be self defined. Jelena has participated in many pageants and had the fortune of winning a few titles.

In 2004 she was the official Miss Serbia and Montenegro which allowed her to compete in the 2004 Miss World pageant. She also competed in Miss Tourism Queen International 2005 that took place in China, and Miss Peace 2005 In Turkey; a title that she won and one that she was very proud of. She spent 2004-2007 traveling the world and having an opportunity to learn from, appreciate and embrace other cultures. With the title of Miss Serbia and Montenegro she participated in many fundraisers and charity events but the one she is most proud of is auctioning her crown and giving the money to the Children’s Village in Serbia. It helped improve the lives of children without parents and special needs.

Jelena sees herself as a strong, enduring, and caring person and believes that there is a bigger plan even at the toughest of times. She owes her family a great deal for encouraging her to be true to herself and supporting her on the journey to reach her dreams.

Questionnaire

Are you currently a student?
If yes, where? Wilfrid Laurier University
Area of study: Communication Studies

Are you currently employed?
If yes, what is your occupation?
GUESS: Sales Associate

Have you completed secondary school?
If yes, where?
Kitchener grades 9-11, Arandjelovac Serbia grade 12

Have you completed university/college?
If yes, where?

Have you completed any technical/professional school?
If yes, where?
What subject?

Languages spoken Fluently (please include your native language if English is not your native language)
Native language: Serbian
Other: English

List any special training you have had (music, art, drama, dance, etc).
I went to an arts high school, so I was enrolled in dance and drama classes, I have also danced for two years in a traditional Serbian dancing group Gavrilo Prinicp.

In what sports, if any, have you participated and how long have you participated in each sport?
I have played volley-ball and basket- ball all throughout junior high and high school. I was quite good at all sports that I tried playing; the only thing that did not agree with me was field hockey. Maybe it was the height thing, at 5’ 10” I found it quite awkward and difficult.

Please list any schools and universities (public/private/graduate/trade or technical) you have or are attending, as well as the area of study, graduation date and any degree or certification you received.
Wilson Avenue Public Schoo:l 1999
Sunnyside Public School: 1999-2001
Eastwood Collegiate High Schoo:l 2001- 2004
Gimnazija Milos Savkovic Arandjelovac: graduate
I have studied at Megatrend University of Applied Sciences; Business and Management for a year in Belgrade, Serbia; afterwards I moved back to Canada to pursue an education in Communication studies at Wilfrid Laurier. I am in my second year now, and hoping to graduate in 2012.

What charity/charities have you supported with your time and/or resources over past two years?
Within the past two years my family and I have supported a young woman attending university in Kosovo. She is perusing an education in literature and due to poor living conditions, war and lack of funds and opportunities it was quite difficult for her to get a higher education. We have made sure that she can accomplish this goal. With coworkers I’ve contributed to Habitat for Humanity, and more recently I am engaged in many activities with the GTA’s MUC Top 12 amazing young women, in hopes of raising funds for Sick Kids Hospital and SOS Children’s Village in Toronto.

What would be your "dream job" in life?
My dream job would be a job that would allow me to be creative, and where going to work would be a happy and exciting experience. It would also be a job that would grant me enough free time to travel and spend good quality time with my family.

Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life? Why?
It is difficult for me to determine who that person is. During the time that I have spent travelling I would always meet someone that would contribute their presence and influence me in one way or another. Awareness of the world around me has given me direction and has influenced my life the most.

What is the proudest personal accomplishment (other than being in this or any other beauty pageant competition?)
Being able to see and climb The Great Wall of China. Other non physical accomplishments are being able to rise above difficulties and transferring negativity into something productive.

What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?
My career ambition is to one day own a PR and production company. I am enrolled in a program at Wilfrid Laurier that is helping me gain knowledge about the world of media and forms of communication. My experience in the pageant industry has influenced me in wanting to have my own beauty pageant that will work on promoting beauty and education.

Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.
My childhood was not quite a childhood, since I had to grow up before my time. When I was 5 years old the war in Bosnia (where I was born) started. My family had to leave the home we knew and seek refuge elsewhere. We went to Serbia and stayed there for 5 years in a refugee camp. I may not have had everything that a typical child in Canada at the time might have had, but I did have a nurturing, loving family whose primary goal was to provide a better life for my brother and I. Things at the time seemed normal because that was reality, that was the life we had to live, only now almost 20 years later I see how abnormal and unjust that situation was, especially for children.

List any interesting or unusual jobs you may have had.
I don’t think that I’ve had a job that was very unusual. There is though however an interesting fact about one of the first jobs I’ve ever had. I’ve worked at a concession stand in a movie theatre, and every day after I finished my shift I would smell like butter and popcorn which disgusted me. I thought I would never want to taste popcorn again; funny thing is years later it became my favourite snack.

List any volunteering you have done.
I have volunteered all throughout my high school years at the St. George Serbian church and community center in Waterloo; helping to organize fundraisers, dance festivities and “ Serbian Day” which happens every year labour day weekend. While living in Serbia I worked with many non profit organizations such as Red Cross and SOS Children’s Village.

Where is the most interesting place you have been?
Living alone in Belgrade, Serbia when I was only 17 has taught me about responsibility, independence and self realization. It was also the city where beautiful and interesting things have happened to me. It was not the most exotic place that I have spent time in, but the experiences I had there definitely made it interesting.

What makes you unique and different from the other contestants?
There isn’t a contestant that is not unique in their own way. Our beliefs, experiences and goals are what make us unique. One of the things that may separate me from the other contestants is my pageant experience.

What is your philosophy of/in life?
Analyze, Adapt, Accomplish

What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?
As I stated above I hope to be successful in the PR industry. I would also like to contribute in raising awareness and funds for issues affecting my community. Aside from career ambitions I hope to have a happy, healthy family.

Is there anything you would like to tell us about yourself? Something unique that has happened to you? Some interesting thing about you?
I wish that someone who knows me very well could answer this question for me.
I think that one thing that is interesting about me is that I believe that problems are there to be solved. My father has always shared this philosophy with me: nothing in life is impossible, it can be difficult to accomplish but not impossible. Growing up with this in mind has helped me maintain a positive energy and motivated me to succeed.

source: (Thank you and credits to
http://www.beautiesofcanada.com/
and all sources for the information and pictures)