Beauty Queen Overcomes Challenges and Becomes First Miss Haiti in 22 Years

When the contestants of the Miss Universe pageant parade past the judges on August 23 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, one beauty in particular will stand out because Sarodj Bertin is the first Miss Haiti to compete in 22 years. But she's a standout for other reasons, as well.

At age nine, she witnessed her mother's murder, she later grew up to become a lawyer like her mom and she is working to help Haiti rebuild in the wake of its devastating earthquake. Her mother Mireille Durocher Bertin was a human rights advocate and social leader who was about to enter the presidential elections in 1995 when she was murdered. It was a traumatic event that let Bertin to also become an attorney.

Sarodj Bertin, 24, was crowned Miss Haiti after Magali Febles, former director of Miss Puerto Rico, organized a modest Miss Haiti contest as a way to promote the beauty of the Haitian people. Bertin, who speaks four languages, lost her luggage on the way to Las Vegas, along with all her pageant gowns, shoes, accessories, but fellow contestants and supporters have loaned her replacement items.

"It is a privilege and an honor. I need to let the world know about my country. I want to change what people think about Haiti. Yes, we have poverty, we are in the middle of a crisis, but we also have so many beautiful things to share," says Bertin.

Photo by Lylia Stevenson via Facebook.