Singapore quietly picked its representative for the Miss Universe 2015 pageant. At the F1 Amber Lounge Party, 22-year-old Lisa Marie White was announced as the winner.
According to Singapore's The New Paper, the freelance model beat over 50 other hopefuls. White was reportedly picked by a panel including the new Miss Universe Singapore national director and 2002 winner Nuraliza Osman, former Miss Universe Japan national director Ines Ligron and last year's winner Rathi Menon.
Mrs. Singapore second runner-up Mona Gil, 2005 winner Cheryl Tay and former models Hanis Hussey and Wendy Jacobs were also in the panel.
White is said to be an aspiring actress-host and a go-getter. Despite being rejected by casting calls and TV auditions, the 1.73-meter tall beauty was undeterred in trying out for Miss Universe Singapore 2015 - her first pageant experience.
"I've watched Miss Universe Singapore over the years... and I even watched Nuraliza (Osman) (get crowned) in 2002," White said, as quoted by AsiaOne.
"So it was like a dream for me to join, I never thought I had a chance of winning."
White admitted she was nervous prior to her unveiling last weekend. The catwalk was definitely "the scariest part," she said.
"It was so nerve-racking. I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me, but it was so exciting to be unveiled at such a high-profile public event."
A self-confessed nerd, the 22-year-old revealed her fascination with extraterrestrial beings, according to AsiaOne.
"I like watching documentaries about aliens. I'm fascinated by space and the potential of life outside earth."
According to the website, White is of Malay-Kiwi descent and calls a four-room HDB flat in Yishun her home. She lives with her mother, a speech and drama teacher; her father, a teachers mentor in Malaysia; and her two younger sisters.
Miss Universe Singapore 2015 Lisa Marie White studied visual merchandising at the Institute of Technical Education in College Central and is fluent in Malay and Singlish.
