Leaders Like Zilin Luo

Leaders Magazine recently sat down with Zilin Luo, Miss Universe China 2011, to hear about the time she has spent in New York and the goals that she has for her future. She is a Chinese fashion model who graduated from Ouhua College with a degree in Tourism Management. She has done work for brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, UPS and Qingdao Beer.

When asked how she hopes to change the perceptions of China Zilin Luo said, “I’m trying to do more charity work in person and ask more people to join us, to help them realize how important giving back is. This past June in Shanghai, I was host to a 1,000-person charity gala dinner to help raise money for women’s and children’s causes. During the beauty pageant in Brazil, I attended the Operation Smile event; I went to the hospital to visit the children prior to their operations to cheer them up. I also Tweet in Chinese about the value of respecting our elders.”

When discussing how she got to where she is today she said, “I used to be so shy  — I barely ever spoke in class. I attended a modeling competition just for fun and won first place in Shanghai. After that, I developed tremendous confidence, but it was still just onstage. I never considered myself attractive  — I wished to have white skin and thin lips when I was a child because that is the traditional beauty standard in China.”

After her crowing as Miss Universe China, Zilin Luo flew to New York for a one month training to prepare for the world final in Brazil, where she was chosen as the fourth runner up. In the future, she is hoping to create her own fashion jewelry brand and to work to help people around the world.