Med Student Crowned Miss World

Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss, has been named Miss World, according to the organization's website. Strauss attributes her ability to study medicine at the University of the Free State to Nelson Mandela, whom she credits with having establish democracy in her home country. She is currently in her fourth year but according to CNN paused her medical studies to pursue the world title.

Strauss' favorite cause developed when she discovered that girls in South Africa were experiencing difficulty remaining in school during their menstrual cycles. She made it her mission to educate girls about the changes their bodies were undergoing, and also to help get them much-needed sanitary protection so that they could stay in school and follow their dreams.

"I was fortunate enough to have access to information and sympathetic help when I was a little girl with big dreams," Strauss explains in a the video, "But as an aspiring doctor, this should be the focus of my reign as Miss South Africa. That's a lot of dreams that can now come true by always keeping girls in school."

Sounds like accomplishing world peace really would be a possibility for Strauss, and that's a beautiful thing!

- Lauren Chiong, Good Day/Sacramento