October 4, 2024
SINGAPORE – Who: Public relations account executive Charlotte Chia was crowned Miss Universe Singapore (MUS) 2024 at Amber Lounge on Sept 22, beating 14 other finalists for the title.
The 26-year-old beauty queen, who was also named Miss Body Beautiful, will head to Mexico City to represent the nation at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant on Nov 16.
Apart from juggling full-time work and preparing to compete on the world stage, the bachelorette is also the communications director for the Singapore Women’s Association (SWA), a non-profit organisation focused on empowering women, children and seniors.
“I don’t think any weekend will top winning MUS. It was also the day of the Formula One finale and I caught the fireworks over dinner with my family and friends after the event.
I love spending my weekends with my maternal grandmother, who is 97. We have a very close bond. As my parents were working while I was growing up, my grandmother helped raise me.
We sometimes go out for lunch on Saturdays. Although she uses a wheelchair and her mobility is limited, we never have problems taking her out.
She loves xiao long bao, so we usually go to a Din Tai Fung restaurant. We visited the Singapore Garden Festival in August and will also go to Gardens by the Bay.
Being with my grandmother helped me realise the importance of elderly care and that is why I love spending time with seniors.
I also spend some of my Sundays with SWA volunteers. I’m involved with SWA’s Singapore VisionCare Programme, which conducts free eye screening sessions for the elderly.
We recently had a mobile eye screening at Sikh temple Khalsa Dharmak Sabha, where I taught new volunteers how to conduct the Snellen test using an eye chart to measure visual acuity.
Some of my Sundays are also spent at Ren Ci Community Hospital, when we have roving karaoke sessions. The Malay folk song Rasa Sayang and Teresa Teng’s The Moon Represents My Heart are perennial favourites.
With the Miss Universe competition around the corner, my weekends are even more packed. I’m currently working with a local fashion designer on what I’d like to wear for the national costume segment.
As time is really tight – we have to be in Mexico City on Oct 29 – I am taking a more hands-on approach to the design.
I also have other fittings to look into. It’s going to be a mad rush.”