Maria Rahajeng | |
|---|---|
 Twin sisters Maria and Elizabeth Rahajeng appear for their "Unstoppable Collection" clothing line in 2018 | |
| Born | Maria Asteria Sastrayu Rahajeng (1991-10-04)4 October 1991 (age 33) |
| Alma mater | Pelita Harapan University |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Indonesia 2014 |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Black |
| Major competition(s) | Miss Indonesia 2014 (Winner) Miss World 2014 (Top 25) (Beauty With A Purpose) |
Maria Asteria Sastrayu Rahajeng, often calledMaria Rahajeng (born 4 October 1991) is an Indonesian beauty pageant titleholder who was the representative from West Sulawesi and crownedMiss Indonesia 2014 on 17 February 2014, by her predecessor, Vania Larissa.[1] As the winner of Miss Indonesia 2014, she represented Indonesia atMiss World 2014 in December 2014 in London.
Maria was born inBlora,Central Java, to Christophorus Harno and Maria Ekawati. She has a twin sister namedElizabeth Crysansia Sastrayu Rahajeng and a younger sister namedAgnes Rahajeng. She was raised inCalifornia.
Maria began her education at Redlands Kindergarten in California. She attended Smiley Elementary School and Newmarket Junior High School in California. She continued her education at SMP St. Yoseph in Denpasar, Bali; then SMA Negeri 1 in Denpasar Bali.
She attendedPelita Harapan University,Jakarta, majoring in Broadcasting Communication and graduated cum laude with a 3.7 GPA. During college, she was crowned Miss Pelita Harapan University 2009. In 2013 she participated at APECVoice of the Future inDenpasar,Bali.[2]
Maria participated in Miss Indonesia 2014 representingWest Sulawesi. She was crowned Miss Indonesia 2014 orMiss World Indonesia 2014 by the outgoing titleholderVania Larissa on 17 February 2014.[3] She managed to beat 33 other contestants from different provinces in Indonesia. During the contest, the head judgeLiliana Tanoesoedibjo asked what Maria would do if she won, she said:
"I will represent Indonesia with all my heart. We have diversity that needs to be promoted. It's difficult, but it must be done."
Maria representedIndonesia atMiss World 2014 where she competed to succeedMegan Young ofPhilippines. Maria placed in Top 10 Talent and she won the Beauty With a Purpose with Miss India, Miss Kenya, Miss Brazil and Miss Guyana. She made into the Top 25, but failed to make into the top 10.
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After her reign as Miss Indonesia 2014 ended, Maria became a television presenter. With her twin sister,Elizabeth Rahajeng, she was appointed as official correspondents forE! News Asia. They have their own show called "All Access Indonesia", a three-part segment that covers different topics such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle and travel.
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Maria Rahajeng" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Before being selected as a representative for Miss Indonesia, Maria was criticized with regards to her connection toWest Sulawesi since she was not from there. She was raised in California, United States andBali, and she had never set foot in West Sulawesi nor had any family or relatives from West Sulawesi.
Originally, Maria intended to represent Bali in Miss Indonesia. However, since a representative from Bali had been chosen, the Miss Indonesia committee suggested that Maria representWest Sulawesi, as a representative from West Sulawesi had yet to be chosen.
With regards to this matter, the governor of West Sulawesi, Anwar Adnan Saleh explained that before the competition, Maria had requested his permission to represent West Sulawesi via telephone. Anwar congratulated Maria for winning Miss Indonesia and hoped that Maria could visit West Sulawesi. Maria agreed to attend some events in West Sulawesi, including the West Sulawesi Cultural Carnival.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Miss Indonesia 2014 | Succeeded by |
| Miss Indonesia (2005―present) |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Appointed representatives (1982–1983) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Puteri Indonesia (2005) |
| |
| Miss Indonesia (2006–present) |
| |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
