WINDHOEK- The 21-year-old local and international model, Ester Shifotoka, says modeling has shaped her into the woman she is today.

Whilst modeling for the past ten years on runways and at beauty pageants, Ester says it instilled passion in her and taught her leadership skills to explore the world from the perspective of a beauty queen.  “It has opened so many doors of success in my life, and most importantly it introduced me to the world,” says Ester, adding that modeling also gave her confidence and self-esteem. Returning from Seoul in South Korea, where she represented Namibia and participated in the World Miss University Peace Corps pageant last December, Ester was among the top 20 winners of the competition, winning the World Miss University Blockchain Technology Award, and the ambassador of World Peace for 2018/2019. 

Winning two accolades means a lot to her as it has broaden her perspective in modeling, and she showed her potential at an international level. “It gave me so much self-growth and exposure,” she says.  

“It was an amazing experience, snow and Asian traditions for the first time, meeting 51 finalists from all over the world and making friends with them, walking on a glass stage and meeting different people, my dream came true,” delights Ester. 
“Our society believes that you have to be tall to be a successful model. This is not true; there are opportunities for all young women who aspire to be models. I learned to believe in myself so strong that the world cannot help but believe in me too,” she says. With all the experiences and knowledges she gained abroad, Ester is looking forward to develop her girls club, Queen Ambassadors of Change, a group of 21 young girls between 12-15 years.  “I also look forward to more modeling competitions and studying further,” adds Ester, who is also studying Logistics and Supply Chain management at the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST). 

Her ambitions include becoming a greater logistician, to help her community where she can, invest as much time in research and development in the modeling industry, to empower young girls and educate the boy child to see beyond the act of Gender-Based Violence. Ester’s modeling journey started when she was 12 years old after her aunt registered her for her first beauty pageant at school. “I did not really know what beauty pageants are, but I loved how it made me feel. Nobody inspired me at that time; it was like a spark of fire coming from within me. My aunt coached me on a few things she knew about beauty pageants,” says Ester, adding that she gained so much confidence and has grown fond of the stage.  “From that day, I never looked back. As I grew I got inspired by how my family and friends felt about me, they are always so proud of me and that gave me so much courage too,” she says. 

So far, she has won more than 21 accolades in the modeling industry. These include winning Miss Oshikoto 2012, Miss Namibia School Sports Union Oshikoto 2012, Miss Ondangwa Trade Fair 2013, Miss High School North 2014. She also won Miss All Regions Namibia 2015, Miss NUST First Year 2016, Miss NUST 2017, Second Princess at Miss Mshasho 2016 and Miss Diamond Namibia last year.