Dr Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, 37, Miss Universe Singapore 1999

After it was revealed that she was pursuing two master's degrees, Ms Cheryl Marie Cordeiro became known widely as "the beauty with brains" when she was crowned Miss Universe Singapore in 1999.

She obtained those degrees - one in English language from the National University of Singapore and another in Information Studies from Nanyang Technological University - in 2000 and 2001 respectively.

Now known as Dr Cordeiro, the 37-year-old graduated with a doctorate in general linguistics in 2009 from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where she is currently a research fellow.

The former Katong Convent girl has lived in the Scandinavian country for the last decade.

A child model who appeared in advertisements for brands such as Tangs, Metro and McDonald's, she ventured into acting after bagging her double masters.

In 2001, she acted in Brand New Towkay, a home-grown sitcom that aired on Channel 5, and had a small part in One Leg Kicking, a home-grown movie by director Eric Khoo.

But modelling and showbusiness were not her interests, says the Victoria Junior College alumna.

"I wanted to focus on my academic career as my passion lies in academia," she says in an e-mail interview.

So she left for Sweden in 2002 to do a PhD in linguistics "out of a sense of adventure and pure curiosity about Scandinavia".

In 2006, she married a Swedish marketing consultant, but the couple called it quits in 2011.

Mastering the Swedish language and adapting to the extreme temperatures there were among her biggest challenges, she says.

She now speaks fluent Swedish and is long used to the weather.

"Gothenburg is less hectic and more relaxed than Singapore, and the Swedish west coast is generally a beautiful place to be all year round," she says.

The avid blogger shares about life in Sweden on her blog, www.cmariec.com, which also includes her thoughts on runway trends, culinary adventures and travels.

Her favourite Swedish dish is home-made Swedish meatballs with brown sauce and lingonberry jam.

"It seems every family in Sweden has its own Swedish meatball recipe and will gladly share it with you if you ask."

Still, she misses Singapore fare such as char kway teow, chilli crab and kway chap.

To satisfy her cravings, she whips up her own versions of the dishes, such as using Swedish crabs in a recipe that she shares on her blog.

Reflecting on life as a beauty queen, she says: "One of the benefits of winning Miss Universe Singapore was that I got to travel, explore the world and build a network across nations and cultures."

She credits the pageant for honing her public speaking skills, which she puts to good use today as she travels frequently to hold seminars and lectures.

"Personal presentation and public speaking are two areas I have improved on through participating in the pageant," she says.

"As a young woman, after parading in a bikini in front of Donald Trump and male supermodel Marcus Schenkenberg, it really becomes difficult to be embarrassed about much else thereafter when on stage."

Trump and Schenkenberg, Sweden's highest-paid model, were two of the seven judges at the 1999 pageant held in Trinidad and Tobago.

"Many young ambitious women would want to have a pageant experience as an accomplishment on their CVs."

She cites American talk show queen Oprah Winfrey as an example of a beauty queen who went on to become a success story.

"Oprah Winfrey began her career by winning the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant in 1972," she says. "And she is one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the world today.

"In my circle of friends who are past winners, I find that former beauty queens very often carry on with their professional careers."

She cites Miss Universe 1999, Ms Mpule Kwelagobe from Botswana, as an example. She is now living in New York as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Youth and HIV/Aids.

There are also Miss Universe winners who are working as management consultants and medical doctors.

The pros far outweigh the cons and Dr Cordeiro has no regrets about joining the pageant.

"Definitely, I would do it all over again."

How has winning the pageant helped you?

I think anyone will benefit from participating in any international event of such a large scale.

You get to travel and see the world and you get endless opportunities to network across nations and cultures.

What is one common misconception people have of beauty queens?

Misconceptions about beauty queens occur when the purpose of beauty pageants remains undefined.

As a result, people think the women who enter beauty pageants lack ambition to be anything beyond looking good in swimwear.

If you take the purpose of a beauty pageant as pure entertainment, then I don't mind that.

However, in my circle of friends who are also past pageant winners, what I find consistent is that former beauty queens very often carry on with their careers.

This is especially so in Asia, where young, career-oriented women tend to participate in beauty pageants as a means of honing their skills in personal presentation.

What would you like to be remembered for?

For a book on transformative organisational theory I am currently researching. I have yet to write it.

What do you fear most about ageing?

I'm not one to worry about the ageing process because with age comes a certain wisdom that I appreciate. Life is an adventure and every day is a gift. The future is something I look forward to creating.

As a beauty queen, what is the best beauty tip you have to offer?

The best tip is to not follow trends. Create them.

I have a simple beauty regimen that includes mostly natural products. I use beeswax as lipgloss and aloe vera gel to eliminate problems such as dryness, sunburn and allergic reaction.

I also love Chanel No. 19.

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