SADÉ GREENWOOD
PRINCESS OF OUR HEARTS
[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]
Meet Sadé Greenwood – the fun, adventurous, bubbly, stubborn (her words, not ours!) and courageous young woman who has taken Sri Lanka by storm. Being a student of international relations, dutiful daughter, hilarious sister and loyal friend, Sadé wears many hats…
But her most recent crown is what has garnered our interest most.
Crowned Miss Sri Lanka for Miss World 2021, Greenwood is everything we’ve been looking for in a beauty queen. While her natural beauty is quite something to behold, this young lady is much more than her good looks.
Sadé is no stranger to the world of fashion and modelling, having been the face of Cotton Collection and other well-known local designer brands since the tender age of 14.
“Modelling felt like a different identity I adopted when I wasn’t in school. From a young age, I developed the ability to balance my personal and professional lives really well – I never felt different to those around me in school and nor did they feel I was different to them,” she affirms.
But this didn’t mean that she lost out on her childhood.
On the contrary, when asked about her memories, Sadé fondly recalls: “I’d say my childhood was adventurous. I used to travel everywhere with my grandparents in summer and really step out of my comfort zone with them. In short, I had a spectacular childhood!”
Travelling to unknown places is wonderful and that’s probably where her knowledge of international affairs comes from. This also gives her a better understanding of what needs to change in Sri Lanka and how important it is to have someone who’s proud of the country to promote the island at the Miss World 2021 competition.
“At the pageant, they would refer to us by our country names only. Looking back at the first time I was referred to as ‘Sri Lanka,’ the feeling was indescribable. At that moment, I remember thinking to myself that I was no longer ‘Sadé from Colombo but truly representing 22 million people of my country.”
So what does it mean to represent Sri Lanka?
She responds: “Representing Sri Lanka meant I’d adopted the identity of 22 million individuals. Since returning from Puerto Rico, I have made it my mission to travel around the country (up to the time I leave for the finals) so that I could immerse myself in the different cultures and heritage of our island.”
“So far, I’ve visited local communities in Mannar, Trincomalee and Dambulla, and have plans to travel to more places in my beautiful homeland,” Sadé reveals.
SOUVENIRS FROM PUERTO RICO
Q: Your most memorable mini-competition…
A: My head-to-head challenge was the most memorable mini-competition because I had the opportunity to speak about my grandfather whom I lost on the day of my crowning.
He was my greatest supporter and best friend – so when I was asked who my chief inspiration was, I didn’t hesitate to talk about my grandfather. He was my hero… and speaking so candidly about such a beautiful soul felt like I was paying tribute to his memory.
Q: The question you found hardest to answer…
A: Again, I think it was the question about who inspired me the most… because it was hard for me to keep it together as I answered.
Since his passing was so recent, talking about him was very painful. But looking back, I’m so glad I did speak – because I know he would’ve been so proud of me.
Q: Your pageant BFFs…
A: Well, this question is hard! I made friends with loads of amazing beauty queens in Puerto Rico and bonded deeply with most of the ‘red team’ members – because we spent so much time together during the course of a month.
Miss Norway, Miss Scotland and Miss Wales were three of my BFFs. All of us had very similar personalities and got along so well that it felt as if we had known each other for many years!