Miss Slovenia

Ziva Vadnov

Ziva comes from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is called "The Garden of Europe" because of its great biodiversity and many green forests that cover the country. Since the age of 5 she has loved to dance and now has her own show dance group called ‘DIESEL’, which has appeared on TV Shows in Europe. She started learning German at the age of 8 and then later English, French and Spanish. Ziva is now a senior at the University of Social Sciences, studying sociology and management, she intends to complete her studies next year and then travel to widen her knowledge. During her school breaks she works to enable her to have the money to travel once her studies are completed. Her other interests include: reading, cycling, skiing, swimming, athletics, roller blading, travel and dancing. Personal motto is: "Never be sorry if a specific decade in your life is finished, be happy that you lived it!"




Where did you grow up? Tell us a little about your home town/city, and family.
I grew up in a small village near the capital of Slovenia. Our house stands near the river Ljubljanica in the beautiful landscape, which is the natural habitat of many wild animals. Some of them live only in Slovenia in this particular place. I was born in a big family. I have two older brothers and an older sister, now they are all married. Since my early childhood my parents had taught me to love the nature and wild animals that live in it. At home we had dogs, guinea pigs, parrots and cats. I was never bored. I can say that my childhood was very happy.

What Jobs have you done? What was the most interesting/bizarre?
I started working at dog shows when I was 15 years old. I was always very interested in animals so at these dog shows I was translating texts from English to Slovene. In high school I began working as a waitress. My passion towards travelling started to develop and I needed money to realize my plans to visit many countries of the world and to get to know different cultures. With money that I have earned I have seen the whole of Latin America, Indonesia, Thailand, USA, Malaysia and almost the whole of Europe. The most interesting job I have ever done was certainly the job at the dog shelter, where I was walking abandoned dogs and cleaning their cages.

What are your career ambitions, how do you plan to realise them?
Some day I would like to be successful in my career. Now I am in my senior year at university, I study management and I speak five foreign languages. I would like to work with people, as I am interested in human interaction. My plans for the future are also to see the world and to discover different cultures.

What is the proudest moment of your life? (Not including winning your National Title)
In my primary school I was always very successful and I helped a lot to my schoolmates at maths and English lessons. At the end of primary school pupils have elected me for the most popular and helpful person in our school.

What was the funniest/most embarrassing moment of your life?
When I was a little girl, I like to cycle with my father. We were sitting on the same bicycle and one day I put my leg in first wheel so we fell down the hill. Fortunately nothing happened. My father fell on the bicycle and I on top of him. We laugh every time when we remember this moment.

How has your life changed since winning your National Title?
First of all I would like to say that nothing has changed deep inside me. I am still the same person as I was before. I am an optimist and I always look on the bright side of life. Changes come in shape of less free time, but I enjoy in every second of it. People in Slovenia recognise me on the street and they talk to me about my feelings.

Tell us about an interesting event you have attended, or a person that you have met.
It is difficult to write about one interesting event or person I have met, because as Miss Slovenia I met so many people who I admire and respect.

What would you like to do, if you became Miss World 2004?
If I became Miss World 2004 I would help all the women who suffer because of inequality. I would teach them to stand for their rights and the rights of their innocent children. I would be proud to continue this mission "Beauty with a Purpose" in order to help other people who are not as lucky as me to be healthy, live in peace and in normal conditions. I think these are the priorities, which should be given to everybody not concerning their sex, race or religion.

If you had a personal motto what would it be?
Never be sorry if a specific decade in your life is finished, be happy that you lived it!!

Give details of any charitable work undertaken?
In my childhood, especially in primary school I was collecting clothes, toys and school stuff for the Bosnian and Croat refugees and war orphans. As Miss Slovenia I have taken over with our license of Miss World in Slovenia the running of a big international humanitarian action at the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance, the collecting of financial means and promotion.

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