Portraits: Laurinda Moulure, Miss Luxembourg 2016 contestant in Vielsalm: “Willpower is a powerful weapon”

Laurinda Moulure is 19 in July 2015. She comes from Vielsalm, “a small town in the north of Luxembourg, in the Ardennes”.

In June 2015, she graduates in bakery and pastry. In September, she plans to go straight on to a 7^th-year course in business management, hoping to open her own shop.

01Why Miss Luxembourg

The idea of taking part came from a committee member, Raphaël. Laurinda saw it as a chance to prove things to herself.

I saw it as a great opportunity to prove to the people around me that I could do it, and that willpower is a powerful weapon.

Laurinda, July 2015

She also hopes the social and human side of Miss Belgique will help her overcome her shyness. The experience introduces her to new people, to the fashion world, with its photos and catwalk shows, and to the media.

I know how lucky I am to take part. It’s every little girl’s dream, and today I’m living it.

Laurinda, July 2015

02Fitness, a school of willpower

About two months before her portrait, she took up fitness. The beginning was hard, she says.

At first it was really hard. You’re quickly tempted by everything around you and you want to let go, but little by little your mind toughens up and manages to resist those temptations. In the end you come out stronger, you really enjoy it and an iron determination guides you.

Laurinda, July 2015

03Helping others, later on

Her plans go beyond business. She would like to play an active part in charities fighting poverty: volunteering at the Resto du cœur (a food charity), serving soup to homeless people.

She also sees herself travelling with charities such as Îles de Paix, the Red Cross or Action Damien, and is thinking of training to help children in need in poor countries.

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