Miss Denmark

Gitte Hanspal

Student: Copenhagen Business School, Masters Degree in Management of Innovation & Business Development.

Occupation:
I am currently working part-time as a student at IBM Software. My job is to assist the sales staff in different areas and on different projects, in order to relieve their workload.

Interests: I have great interest in my studies, otherwise I would never be able to accomplish what I have. Naturally I spend a lot of time at the university, reading books and articles. However, when I have some time off, I enjoy spending time with all the people I like and love. It makes me happy and that is when I really relax. I also enjoy dancing a lot – every morning when I get up, I put on music to get me started – It makes me smile.

Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life. Why?
My boyfriend. I think that two people can learn so much by being together. You are much more willing to see two sides of something when it is someone you love. We are two very different persons with very different personalities, but I think that is perfect as we can compensate for each other. Most of the time we are laughing and having fun together. With him I feel safe and able to be myself – and that is very important to me, to be able to keep my own identity. Of course it is important that you can adapt when you are together with another person. That is the whole challenge of it, but yet it is important to be proud of what you are. Being with him makes me really happy – especially because he supports me in everything that I do and because I know that he trusts me and my priorities. He is a good example of not being selfish when you love someone, even though it can be tempting.

What is the most interesting or unique thing that has ever happened to you (aside from winning your title) and/or what is the most interesting thing about you?
I was one year in London to complete my BA degree. I think that has been a very big challenge for me, to leave everything behind, going to a place all alone. Even though it is not so far away from Denmark, it is a very different country with a very different culture. I think the most interesting thing about London is so many different nationalities living together. It can really open one’s eyes, and it did for me. I got to know so many different people from different cultures. I think it is an experience we should all have to extend our horizons. It is difficult to mention one interesting thing about me. I think to be interesting is a combination of many factors. One is that I have a very mixed background, which makes me able to handle and understand different cultures. In my home I have been used to two parents from very different backgrounds and it has shown me that it is possible to care for and respect other religions and cultures than your own. Secondly, I am a real joker with a very vivacious spirit.

What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?
My career ambition is to be satisfied with what I do. I am currently studying and I intend to use that in combination with the real life to establish something on my own. After getting some experience in the field I would like to set up my own enterprise. The workload behind it is huge, however, as long as it makes me happy and satisfied with myself, I would not mind spending a lot of time and energy on it. I think in the end, by establishing something successful, I will be able to contribute a lot more. The key to helping and making other people happy is to be happy with yourself. I will keep trying until I reach my goal where I am satisfied.

Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.
I was raised on Sjælland, the island where Copenhagen is, but we have always moved a lot around Sjælland. My mum is Danish and my father is from India. I remember a very loving family with my mum, dad, my younger sister and brother. We as a family have always spent a lot of time together which is a very important aspect in my values and norms about a family. We went walking in the woods or we all went on our bicycles together, picnics, camping and travelling to India. Basically we do a lot of things together, and I think that is why my family is so important to me today. I enjoy sitting all together having a cup of tea after school or work, because it is something we have always done. From the beginning we were taught to respect others and, not least, ourselves. My mum always tells us that she loves us, no matter what, and that we make her very proud. However, I have had a very strict childhood compared to a lot of other Danish kids, but I think that is what has given me the discipline I have today. We were not allowed to go everywhere which has mostly to do with my dad’s Indian background. He has wanted to give us the same values that he has. My dad has always been the strict one telling us to study and become something, but at the same time he was loving. Whereas, my mum has been the most loving and giving mum one could imagine. But I think the combination of my parents has contributed to a lot of positive things. I have probably got a lot of “old-fashioned” values which are disappearing in the modern world, but I don’t think that is a negative thing at all. Besides, my parents have always emphasized that it is really important to study in order to be able to have an influence on things nonetheless, to get engaged in things that give you a feeling of satisfaction. I was told that the key to achieve this is to work very hard as nothing comes for free. That is probably why I got my first job in a bakery when I was 15 years old, and I have had student jobs ever since that job.

List any interesting or unsual jobs you may have had.
My language skills have given me the opportunity to work as an interpreter of Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi into Danish and vice versa. It feels nice to make a contribution by utilising my ethnic background. Sales assistant for Daimler Chrysler and Mercedes at various car shows in Denmark My first real job in the business world was at PBS Holding as a telemarketing assistant. Calling customers and helping them with any problems. I worked full-time for a year after completing secondary school. I think that matured me to complete my studies.

What is your most unusual talent?
My sense of humour – I am very good at entertaining. I always joke around and make other people smile. The fact that I always smile and laugh I would say is my “trademark” among my family and friends.

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