Miss Universe Singapore 2016: Nutan Rai

Nutan is a nurse specialising in diabetic retinopathy at the Singapore National Eye Centre.

Her father had wanted her to take up this career and made the choice for her, but she soon found herself falling in love with it and has stayed in the line since 2013.

She said: "I'm very happy that I will not need to rely on a helper to take care of my parents in the future."

Nutan took part in the Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant 2014 and is pursuing a degree in human resource management at Kaplan Singapore.

What is one cause you would champion if you become Miss Universe Singapore 2016?

I feel strongly about rape victims and orphans. I love children and my sister visited an orphanage in India once and recounted many tear-jerking stories she heard there.

What is your proudest achievement so far?

I used to despise the word "gym". But words cannot describe how I look forward to going now after seeing a huge difference in myself. I look much better and in shape now.

Which influential person would you like to meet?

(US supermodel-host) Tyra Banks. I am a big fan of hers and would like to find out how she is fearless, strong and classy at the same time.

What part of your job has given you great satisfaction?

I have been trying my best to learn Mandarin and Malay to converse with patients who can't speak English.

After a while, I can talk with elderly patients who come alone, and speak to them in Mandarin or Malay and they feel happy and so proud of me.

What has been your worst experience as a nurse?

I do deal with patients who are rude and not understanding at times. It's terrible when they take out their anger and frustration on us by shouting and scolding us in front of everyone. However, these incidents have made me stronger and helped me be more forgiving.

Watch the video and more at facebook.com/thenewpaper

Miss Universe Singapore 2016 will be crowned on Oct 16 at Grand Copthorne Waterfront. To buy a pair of tickets to the 7pm dinner and finale with performances, visit https://eventreg.asiaone.com/register/mus2016finale.

CREDITS:

Creative director: Yeoh Wee Teck

Photographer: Jonathan Choo, using the Canon 1D-X

Writer: Constance Goh

Page design: Ho Yan Hao, Kelvin Chan

Make-up: Cosmoprof Academy

Hair: Monsoon Group

Stylist: ZH Tan

Cover: Bikini by Silvian Imberg (www.silvianimberg.com)

Centrespread: Dress can be rented from Covetella (www.covetella.com)

All pages: Jewellery by Paqarina Jewellery (www.paqarinajewellery.com)