Today we are catching up with Jacinta Cahill of Queensland, one of the 27 talented and inspiring women from all walks of life who are hoping to be crowned Miss Universe Australia 2022.
So Jacinta, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
I was born in Sydney and relocated to the Gold Coast with my family when I was younger, graduating from university in 2020 with a Bachelor of Business double majoring in Marketing and Event Management, receiving two academic excellence awards and placing me in the top 5% of the university.
I have also been very fortunate to obtain an academic excellence scholarship upon entry to university. Following the completion of my degree, I relocated to Brisbane to work in marketing and events.
This year has been an incredible year of change for me, and I have been exploring some exciting opportunities within the modelling and acting industries, which has been so much fun!
I would describe myself as compassionate, loving and strong-willed. I am a huge extrovert — I love socialising (and talking!). I thrive off social interactions and love spending time with my family and friends. My favourite thing to do is cook! You’ll find me spending a lot of my spare time cooking yummy meals and experimenting in the kitchen. If I’m not cooking, I’m out trying new restaurants. If I hadn’t pursued a marketing and events career, I definitely would have been a food critic, haha!
We all have motivations, mine usually revolving around good coffee, but what was your key motivation for entering Miss Universe Australia?
Am I still considered a coffee drinker if I only drink decaf? Haha!
My key motivation for entering Miss Universe Australia was to become a role model for young men and women by encouraging them to say yes to new opportunities and to ‘live your life for you. I am an advocate for living a life without fear of judgement.
In today’s society, it is easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others and turning down opportunities in fear of what others may think.
To realise your greatest potential, you have to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way! People may not like what you do, and people may not like how you do it, but those people are not living your life — you are!
As part of the program, you recently spent time in our hometown of the Gold Coast with the Village Roadshow team; what was the experience like?
It was incredible meeting the finalists from all over Australia and getting to know them beyond social media! I absolutely loved forming connections and creating life-long memories with so many like-minded women.
There are not many experiences that I can think of where you get to spend a week with 26 other girls who are all so different yet have so much in common — that’s what makes the program so valuable and unique!
The National Finalists trip was one of the best weeks of my life! It was so much fun! Being an adrenaline junkie and spending a lot of time at the theme parks over the years, I knew the Village Roadshow team wouldn’t let us down!
Sea World Resort soon became our home away from home; there was never a dull moment, from a 3-course dinner and show at Outback Spectacular to thrill rides at Movie World! Our days were jam-packed with adventure, education at Sea World and lots of slipping and sliding at Wet n Wild!
What would you say was the highlight of your trip?
Channelling my inner Katy Perry! You may be confused.. let me explain! One of the highlights of the trip was my official swim shoot. I walked into the hair and makeup at 4:30 am and was greeted with a mood board that detailed that I would be wearing a pink wig. I must admit, it was a little bit daunting.
However, the vision came to life! I had so much fun on set rocking the pink wig, blue eyeshadow and purple swimsuit — which is not something I do every day! It was awesome to get into character for my shoot, and I can’t wait to see the final images!
With everyone bringing their own unique and individual flair to the program, what is something that sets you apart from the other contestants?
That’s what makes this program so incredible – that every single one of the finalists truly do bring their own individual flair. Though everyone is unique and different, every single finalist is deserving!
I believe something that sets me apart from the other contestants is my confidence and ability to adapt as well as my high energy and bubbly personality!
I thrive off fast-paced, high-pressure environments, and thanks to my love of talking, I feel confident being thrown into the deep end and adapting to any situation that I am put in. Being adaptable enables me to handle challenges and changes with ease. As many would say, I could hold a conversation with a brick wall!
I often find myself, through my confidence and passion for talking and having meaningful conversations, which in turn leads to connections, which I believe is a strength of mine. I would consider myself quite a high-energy and bubbly individual, and I believe this signifies that I am friendly and approachable, allowing others to trust me.
Your next question comes from our current Miss Universe Australia, Daria Varlamova, in your opinion, what are the most important qualities that a Miss Universe Australia embodies?
Thank you for the fantastic question, Daria! In my opinion, the most important qualities that a Miss Universe Australia embodies are integrity, authenticity, transparency, open-mindedness and adaptability – just to name a few! I think it is incredibly important for Miss Universe Australia to have strong moral principles. Integrity is a significant quality to embody as it means being trustworthy and following through on commitments, being honest and taking accountability when required. A Miss Universe Australia should build trust with her audience, and I believe these qualities strongly enable that.
Now travel is back on the cards; where is your favourite place to travel to?
I have been very fortunate to have travelled to the United States twice, and it is by far my favourite place to travel to — I love it so much! There is so much to see and do across America, and I hope to go again very soon.
We have a couple of years to make up for!
What is something people may find interesting about you?
People may find it interesting that I can type 101 words per minute or that I dislike sushi, but I do have an interesting story — A couple of years ago, I was working in a retail store and was serving two ladies. It turns out these customers were movie producers/directors and asked if I would be interested in starring in an upcoming movie.
We exchanged details, and I ended up scoring a speaking role in a movie!
This takes me back to what I mentioned earlier, say YES to every opportunity that comes your way!
Tell us something you’re passionate about and why?
I am extremely passionate about both marketing and events and love the impact they both have on us as people every single day. I have had the pleasure in my career so far of creating events, including gender reveals, birthdays and weddings, and I thrive off the reward that comes with it!
Being a part of someone’s special day is so rewarding when hard work pays off, and the client gets the day they’ve always dreamed of; I am passionate about putting smiles on people’s faces, and this career enables me to do that.
I love how diverse events are, they can cater to everyone, and no event is ever the same. Not to mention, aside from personal milestones and occasions, events significantly help businesses grow, allow a platform for creativity and promote important causes. Events form connections, and this was reiterated over the last couple of years during the pandemic, where the thing people missed the most was the ability to gather with friends and family.