By Bojana Milovanovic
for the Southeast European Times from Belgrade
Jelena MarkovicTwenty-year-old Jelena Markovic from Pozega will represent Serbia at the Miss World contest in Johannesburg in December. Markovic, who holds the Miss Serbia title, is a student at Belgrade Law School, but her ambition is to become a television journalist.
One can see Markovic is beautiful, and when it comes to her character, she leaves the impression of a well-raised, eloquent girl who knows what she wants out of life. She discussed her title, education and her country in an exclusive interview with SETimes correspondent Bojana Milovanovic.
SETimes: What advice would you give to the girls who want to apply for a future Miss Serbia contest?
Jelana Markovic: I would tell them that it feels very good to bear the title of most beautiful girl, but I would also tell them that it comes with a big obligation and demand an amount of seriousness and maturity and the ability to not be completely carried away by that passing moment.
I would recommend to young girls not to rush into it. At the age of 14 or 15, they should focus on finishing elementary school and enrolling in high school and should apply for the contest only after they have decided what they should do in their life and when they are ready to maturely handle some of the less nice things, some bad newspaper headlines. They should be aware that it is also part of this job.
SETimes: What are your obligations as Miss Serbia, and what do you hope to achieve while holding that title?
Markovic: Now the doors have opened for certain things I could only dream about before. I can even hope for a chance to try some things that had always [interested] me. I also have numerous obligations, my task is to appear on various shows and give interviews. Preparations for Miss World in Johannesburg will last about a month and I will be there in mid-November. Before all that, I am also to do a fashion book in New York.
SETimes: What is your opinion on the Serbian education system and what do you think should improve in that sector?
Markovic: I think that we, as a people, have many intelligent individuals, but unfortunately they are not stimulated enough to educate themselves. I know so many people from my environment who have great potential, but were not interested in getting a university degree. If more people could be educated at the state's expense and if the state provided financial incentive, free textbooks or facilitated studies in that financial sense, then I think there would be many more highly educated people than there are now.
SETimes: What is the best thing about Serbia?
Markovic: The best thing about Serbia is our intellectual potential and talented people. All other countries export things like coffee and sugar, while we export the best in sports and at universities. Many people in Serbia are very talented, but have not been able to express themselves here, as they had no one to finance their projects. I used to be a member of the Petnica research station and I met so many geniuses there. I know those people will achieve plenty in their fields of expertise, but I think they all just want to go abroad and find better conditions there.
SETimes: If you become Miss World, what will your obligations be and what do you hope to achieve with that title?
Markovic: That is something completely different from Miss Serbia, because each girl that attends preparations signs an exclusive contract in case she wins the coveted title, when she is obligated to live in London for one year. The girl who becomes Miss World also becomes the face of numerous campaigns of various agencies. She has to give up a lot, but it is all very good in financial terms. As far as my real chances are concerned, we will have to wait and see, since politics and many other things play a part in the Miss World contest.
SETimes: What are your plans for the future?
Markovic: I am interested in journalism. Over the last few days, I have been reading some newspaper articles about myself and I thought, "God forbid I should earn a living one day by spitting on other people." If I were in journalism, it would be something where I could voice my opinion, instead of having it affected by the opinion of a superior.
I would like to be a television journalist and have my own show, in which guests will discuss their different opinions -- without insults and arguments. I am also interested in acting and would like to try that as well. When this year passes and when I look back on the entire Miss selection process, I would like it to be a pleasant memory, rather than wondering why I needed all that.
Featured Source: Miss Serbia: up close and personal originally appeared on SETimes.com on 14 Sept 2009.
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for the Southeast European Times from Belgrade
Jelena Markovic
One can see Markovic is beautiful, and when it comes to her character, she leaves the impression of a well-raised, eloquent girl who knows what she wants out of life. She discussed her title, education and her country in an exclusive interview with SETimes correspondent Bojana Milovanovic.
SETimes: What advice would you give to the girls who want to apply for a future Miss Serbia contest?
Jelana Markovic: I would tell them that it feels very good to bear the title of most beautiful girl, but I would also tell them that it comes with a big obligation and demand an amount of seriousness and maturity and the ability to not be completely carried away by that passing moment.
I would recommend to young girls not to rush into it. At the age of 14 or 15, they should focus on finishing elementary school and enrolling in high school and should apply for the contest only after they have decided what they should do in their life and when they are ready to maturely handle some of the less nice things, some bad newspaper headlines. They should be aware that it is also part of this job.
SETimes: What are your obligations as Miss Serbia, and what do you hope to achieve while holding that title?
Markovic: Now the doors have opened for certain things I could only dream about before. I can even hope for a chance to try some things that had always [interested] me. I also have numerous obligations, my task is to appear on various shows and give interviews. Preparations for Miss World in Johannesburg will last about a month and I will be there in mid-November. Before all that, I am also to do a fashion book in New York.
SETimes: What is your opinion on the Serbian education system and what do you think should improve in that sector?
Markovic: I think that we, as a people, have many intelligent individuals, but unfortunately they are not stimulated enough to educate themselves. I know so many people from my environment who have great potential, but were not interested in getting a university degree. If more people could be educated at the state's expense and if the state provided financial incentive, free textbooks or facilitated studies in that financial sense, then I think there would be many more highly educated people than there are now.
SETimes: What is the best thing about Serbia?
Markovic: The best thing about Serbia is our intellectual potential and talented people. All other countries export things like coffee and sugar, while we export the best in sports and at universities. Many people in Serbia are very talented, but have not been able to express themselves here, as they had no one to finance their projects. I used to be a member of the Petnica research station and I met so many geniuses there. I know those people will achieve plenty in their fields of expertise, but I think they all just want to go abroad and find better conditions there.SETimes: If you become Miss World, what will your obligations be and what do you hope to achieve with that title?
Markovic: That is something completely different from Miss Serbia, because each girl that attends preparations signs an exclusive contract in case she wins the coveted title, when she is obligated to live in London for one year. The girl who becomes Miss World also becomes the face of numerous campaigns of various agencies. She has to give up a lot, but it is all very good in financial terms. As far as my real chances are concerned, we will have to wait and see, since politics and many other things play a part in the Miss World contest.
SETimes: What are your plans for the future?
Markovic: I am interested in journalism. Over the last few days, I have been reading some newspaper articles about myself and I thought, "God forbid I should earn a living one day by spitting on other people." If I were in journalism, it would be something where I could voice my opinion, instead of having it affected by the opinion of a superior.
I would like to be a television journalist and have my own show, in which guests will discuss their different opinions -- without insults and arguments. I am also interested in acting and would like to try that as well. When this year passes and when I look back on the entire Miss selection process, I would like it to be a pleasant memory, rather than wondering why I needed all that.
Featured Source: Miss Serbia: up close and personal originally appeared on SETimes.com on 14 Sept 2009.
