"I’m so grateful to have been selected as one of the finalists for the Miss USA Illinois 2012 pageant! It’s always been a dream of mine to participate in a beauty pageant like this, and now it’s finally coming true! But I know that this is just the beginning,” writes Zenobia Ravji on her website www.zenobiaravji.com The pageant on November 18, 19 and 20, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois "will require lots of training, long days, hard work and a great deal of commitment, which I am very much ready for,” she adds.
"I plan on using this amazing experience to network with some very talented people, to expand my world view and discover talents that I didn’t know I had. In the process, I look forward to taking advantage of the opportunity to work in front of the camera and before large crowds… And if I am blessed enough to win the Miss Illinois USA 2012 pageant, then I will have the once in a lifetime experience of representing the state of Illinois at the Miss USA Pageant 2012!” she exults.
Two years ago Ravji graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, with high honors in Economics, Spanish and Health Sciences. She also completed her masters degree through the University’s Civic Leadership Program, where she was selected for two fellowships. As a campus leader, Ravji was elected Illinois Student Senator by the student body and credits her university student leadership experience as the catalyst to her growth. Pleased that "The Champaign Room,” talk show that she co-hosted reached an audience of 200,000 people in the Urbana-Champaign area, Ravji hopes to become an aspiring broadcast journalist with her own talk show like her model Oprah Winfrey whose footsteps she would like to follow, "touching lives around the world and always carrying with me a message of hope.”
Zenobia Ravji with her grandfather Shavak Kasad
From her perspective, "life is full of many interesting and beautiful gifts. The only way to discover them is to go out with the expectation of expanding your mind and spirit!” Convinced that travel pushes her "out of her comfort zone” she has visited 20 countries and been exposed to different cultures, traditions, and languages. She is fluent in Spanish, Kiswahili, Gujarati, and English, studied Arabic in graduate school and is conversational in it. While studying Arabic, she learnt Avestan and is now in the process of teaching herself Italian and French. She is trained in belly dancing and also does salsa, bachata and merengue.
A firm believer that we are all connected, and by helping our fellow human beings, we help ourselves she has undertaken different kinds of non-profit and volunteer work: she was a group leader and fundraising chair for a student-run organization, International Impact pursuing projects like building a school in an Incan Village in Ecuador, environmental and sea turtle preservation in Costa Rica, and building bio-sand water filters in the Dominican Republic. As a trip leader for Frontiers International Health Society she traveled to Cuzco, Peru, to provide healthcare needs for developing communities. In 2009 she was conferred the Mother’s Association Humanitarian Award.
Born in Mombasa, Kenya, at the age of 12, she moved with her family to Chicago and attended Hinsdale Central High School, where she graduated with high honors. Besides her parents Dinaz and Ervad Jamshed Ravji, Zenobia draws her greatest inspiration from her grandfather, whom she admires for his perseverance and Ellen DeGeneres for her kindness and her affinity for using laughter to help people stay positive.
In response to Parsiana’s queries Ravji wrote: "My grandfather, Shavak Jamshedji Kasad represents the human being I strive to be. He was born and raised in Navsari and moved to Mombasa at age 17. He was the owner of several successful businesses, among them being Shermehkas, a hardware shop and the Black Lion, a plot of cottages rented out by tourists. All those who had the privilege to be connected to him remember him for his kindness, honesty, and pure heart. He continues to be an inspiration to me — to remember that I must believe and dedicate my life to something greater than myself.
"He instilled in me the values of patience, tolerance, faith in God, hard work, and forgiveness. When I first approached him with the news of being selected as a finalist for Miss Illinois USA, he encouraged and supported me in pursuing my dream and goal. Last month he passed away. I wish he was here to see me compete in November. However, I have a strong feeling he will be there in spirit.”
Her ultimate aim is to improve the lives of young people by placing a focus on education and inspiring them by her example. She believes in a spark that lies deep in the soul of every individual and considers it part of her mission to help others understand and feel the same seed of power within themselves.
Her success at the Miss Illinois pageant depends on sponsorship that she is able to garner to cover the costs of her attire, travel, hotel, production. Whilst she hopes to raise $ 10,300, she has managed 50 percent of the target so far. Sponsors have been assured of recognition in the Official State Program and statewide press coverage. For further details she can be contacted at P.O. Box 121, Westmont, Illinois 60559 or on e-mail: zenobia.ravji@gmail.com