Miss Deaf SA finalist has big dreams
26-year-old Nikita Pillay says she wants to make it possible for the many young, deaf individuals to pursue their dreams and make the professional prospects available to them comparable to those available to hearing people.
MISS Deaf South Africa finalist Nikita Pillay hopes to win the Miss Deaf SA pageant so she can help make it possible for young deaf individuals to pursue their dreams.
The 26-year-old works with the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society, facilitating sign language classes. “I teach short-term SASL (South Africa Sign Language) classes for hearing people who are interested in learning the language at KZN Blind and Deaf Society.”
Pillay says she has always wanted to be a model but never thought she would get the chance. “I enjoy watching Miss Universe on television a lot, and when I was a teen, I always wanted to be a model. I never considered taking a chance and participating. After a while, I came upon a post with an advertisement asking for people to enter. It made me think back to my adolescence, when I aspired to be a model. I applied because I couldn’t give up on my dream.”
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The Durban resident says the journey to reaching the finals was a difficult one, “The process was really difficult, but having family and friends’ support was uplifting, and I was able to stay optimistic and believe in myself. When I made it to the finals, I was startled and overjoyed to learn that I had been selected for the final by Miss Deaf South Africa.”
Pillay says she wants to make it possible for the many young, deaf individuals to pursue their dreams and make the professional prospects available to them comparable to those available to hearing people. “I hope to assist hearing people in learning sign language so they may communicate with deaf people anywhere, including at work, and to make hearing and deaf people more cooperative throughout the world,” she said.
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Outside of pageantry, Pillay says she reads a lot of books to stay optimistic, inspired, and to believe in her own abilities. “I’ve always admired authors who underwent almost impossible journeys and emerged into situations they never could have imagined; they were fighters, believers, hard workers, capable, creators, helpful people and successful people,” she said.
Her main goal is to open doors and provide opportunities for deaf people. “I want to start my own café or open a deaf school, and provide new employment prospects for many young deaf people. I want to ensure that future generations of deaf people see us as role models and know they can achieve anything. I always take the route that will allow me to achieve my goals.”
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