When we publish these 10 questions, Iliya is already on his way to the Philippines to represent the Netherlands at the Mister International pageant.
This edition will be one to remember, as it’s the first one since the corona pandemic and the first one without one of it’s founders, Mister Alan Sim, who past away just a week before the start of the pageant.
Iliya has had a busy preparation, but he took some time to answer these 10 questions.
Who is Iliya Shahedi?
I am Iliya Shahedi, 23 years old from the Netherlands. I work as a fulltime banker. What I do in my free time is going to the gym and enjoying life with my friends and family.
When and why did you enter the world of beauty pageants?
I’ve entered the pageants world in 2019. My first pageant was Misters of the Netherlands where I was placed in the top 8 at the finals. After that I applied for Mister International Netherlands in 2022 which I’ve won. I’ve entered this to become more self confident. I wanted to learn more and grow in the pageant and modelling world. I was already training for many years and I am also a competitive person in a good way.
How are you preparing for the international competition?
I’m going to the gym almost every day and dieting to stay in shape and come with the best shape. I think I just have to be my self in the international competition. I am also looking at other pageants to get some inspiration. I did some photoshoots to get more good content for social media so that people and the competition can see and I will practice more catwalk.
Why are you the next Mister International?
I’m the next Mister International because next to being a good, friendly and good looking person I also want to spread positive messages in the world for example believing in yourself, always staying positive and knowing that you can do anything in life as long as you put effort in and believe in yourself. I can have a positive impact on the world.
Who is your role model (in the pageant world), and what have you learned from this person?
My role model is Zyzz. This is a person who unfortunately passed away. He was someone that showed the world that if you put effort in, believe in yourself and only listen to yourself and not to other opinions you can get everywhere you want in life.
What motivates you most in your life, and why?
What motivates me the most is setting goals and moving towards my goals to become a better person in life and spreading positivity and inspiration to share my message.
What will you tell the other contestants of Mister International, that they did not know about the Netherlands?
I will tell them that Netherlands is one of the smallest countries in the world but has a lot. It’s a multicultural country with a large population for a country as small as this. The weather is good. The air is fresh. People are friendly and helpful mostly honest. Also the work-life balance is great compared to a lot of other countries.
What will you miss most when you are in the Philipines, and how are you going to deal with that?
What I will miss the most is my family. I will have contact with them every day.
What message do you have for young people all over the world?
My message for young people all over the world is to think about what you want in life. Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years and what do you need to do or need to learn to achieve this goal. What I also want to say is that your life is a book where you can decide all the chapters and everything in it. Don’t let anything negative be in your book. In your journey, respect people, treat people like how you want to be treated.
What about Iliya in 10 years?
I’ll see my self in 10 years with my own family, my own house and own business.
Thank you so much for taken the time in your busy schedule and also a big thanks to Lyron your national director!
photo-credits:
Photography: Sano Wahyudi
Visagie: Lyron Martina
Coordinator: Marc Kok
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