Miss UPH Scholar 2008: A pageant for brains

Esther Samboh , Contributor , Jakarta | Sun, 05/11/2008 12:37 PM | Discover

To be crowned Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Indonesia, Puteri Indonesia, or as any other beauty queen, a contestant must fulfill three qualities: brain, beauty and behavior.

These three qualities are also required for a contestant to win the Miss UPH Scholar 2008 title, an intellectual pageant held by Pelita Harapan University (UPH).

The only difference, then, may be that instead of a pageantry organization, the Miss UPH Scholar is organized by the university and its Student Executive Body (BEM).

On the night of the grand final on April 29, female and male university students arrived dressed to the nines in ball gowns with full makeup and in formal suits and tuxedos. They came in pairs and walked together to the Grand Chapel of the "Global Campus".

These young women were not contestants of Miss UPH Scholar 2008. They were guests, and their attire drew comments from at least one fellow student.

"It looked like a red carpet event or passing through a street on which a wedding reception was being held. The guests themselves dressed up too much," said Abigail, a UPH student who didn't attend the pageant, but who had passed through campus when the event was being held.

"I went to a beauty salon that day to get a massage and was shocked at seeing it overrun by my classmates and other UPH girls getting their hair and makeup done," she added.

Luxury and extravagance was the atmosphere of the Miss UPH Scholar 2008 grand final as drawn by the BEM organizing committee which, along with all guests, seemed to have given their all in self-presentation.

It's no wonder, since the entry tickets declared: "No T-shirts and sandals allowed." Even so, a group of male students came dressed in rock *n' roll fashion with T-shirts, jeans and even sandals.

"They are still allowed to enter the auditorium, but they'll feel awkward because everybody is in formal dress. There will be a *costume gap' inside the auditorium, but if they don't mind the experience, they're highly welcome," said a committee member on the sidelines of the event.

But since the chapel's house lights were dimmed and all other lights were focused on the stage, these "rock star" guests probably weren't so bothered.

The 20 semifinalists of Miss UPH Scholar 2008 were as bright as the stage that night, parading across it as the emcee called out their names.

The event opened soon after with a UPH band, Endah n Rhesa, a guitar-bass duo that played rock-blues. UPH's own violist and pianist and leading pop band Element also shared the stage.

The 10 finalists were selected by a judging process that was closed to the audience. However, as the semifinalists had undergone a campaign and a quarantine period earlier, the audience guessed that they had been shortlisted through these two earlier processes.

A small incident occurred as 11 "finalists" appeared on stage - one of the participants had misheard her name among those being called to the stage.

A judging method common to pageants was used to eliminate five girls from the race - the interview, conducted by a jury of eminent individuals from both UPH and the country: public relations mogul Edward Depari, Miss Indonesia 2005 Imelda Fransisca, UPH dean Sheldorn Nord, UPH assistant rector Soedomo and UPH arts and sports director Stephen Metcalfe.

Subsequently, the same method was used to eliminate two more contestants to select three grand finalists.

Another "incident" occurred after two of the three grand finalists had been called, when one of the emcees shouted out the name of an eliminated finalist to rally the crowd in congratulating her effort.

Unfortunately, this finalist thought she had made it to the grand final and joined the two already on stage. The emcee who had caused the misunderstanding approached her, took her hand and, with a panicked expression, apologized for the mishap.

And then there were three, vying for the "crown". The winner and runner-up for the Miss UPH Scholar 2008 were selected, again by interview. But for the grand final, the contestants underwent blind interviews, donning headphones so they could not hear the others' responses.

Finally, at the end of this eventful final, Jemima Tumewu from the Communications Department was crown-ed Miss UPH Scholar 2008, and was granted a full scholarship for one semester for her achievements.

Miss UPH Scholar 2008 runner-up Karamela Christy, from the Management Department, is to receive a 75 percent scholarship for one semester.

A final award for Most Favorite Miss UPH went to Amanda Cininta of the English Department, who collected the largest number of SMS votes during the campaign period, as well as votes from guests and fellow contestants during the final.

UPH is a private university located in Karawaci, Tangerang, owned by Indonesian prominent business tycoon James Riady. The Miss UPH Scholar 2008 is the first such pageant organized by the university.

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