By Abbey Cannan
Noosa’s own Monique Riley Schroeder has been crowned as Miss Universe Australia 2022.
The 27-year-old actress, model and executive assistant competed for the national title with 28 beauties from across the country, and will now prepare to represent Australia at the 71st Miss Universe pageant.
This year’s event, held on Friday 9 September at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast was the first live national final for Miss Universe Australia since 2019.
Monique Riley, who has a degree in creative industries from the Queensland University of Technology, said taking out the crown was a surreal moment.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet and I feel like the same person obviously but the opportunities that have already started presenting themselves are insane,” she said.
“It’s a crazy feeling and it’s not something I expected, but you just have to take everything as it comes. This week I’ll be on the Today Show.
“As the winner of Miss Universe Australia you get given an apartment in Melbourne for the year to live in, so I’ll be moving half my stuff there because a lot of our meetings and fittings happen there.
“I’ll be living between Melbourne and Sydney and my walking coach is in Queensland, so I’ll travel between the three states until January when we go overseas to represent Australia internationally.
“Very busy from here on in.”
Monique said taking part in Miss Universe Australia was one of the best experiences of her life.
“You get to meet so many incredible women along the way,” she said.
“The program as a whole is such an incredible program that allows people to really get out of their comfort zone and do stuff that you would never do if you hadn’t entered.
“People often have a certain idea about Miss Universe and just see it as a pageant, but everyone who runs this program has transformed it to so much more than that.”
Monique’s mum Tanya Taylor, who’s a part of the team at Select Noosa Real Estate, said she was so proud of her daughter.
“I’m extremely excited for her. All the hard work that she’s been putting in over the years has paid off,” Tanya said.
“She’s been working really hard since finishing uni. She moved to Sydney to try and secure acting jobs and get into that sort of world.
“Through hard work and determination she’s kicked a pretty major goal that will hopefully open up a lot of doors for her.”
Monique spent her early years as a student at Sunshine Beach State School and Good Shepherd Lutheran College.
“I spent Monday to Friday with Mum in Noosa and then on the weekends I would go to my Dad’s house on the farm,” Monique said.
“Growing up in Noosa was a very relaxed, chill lifestyle and I think that did help throughout the Miss Universe program too because I was used to being able to sit back and take everything as it comes.
“Transitioning through to the Miss Universe pageant, my photoshoot was on the beach, so I felt like I was back home in Noosa.
“My first official swimsuit photoshoot was taken on Gold Coast beach, and my first photoshoot on Saturday morning as Miss Universe Australia was in the sand, with no shoes on, in an insane dress, with the new crown.
“It was really cool how they intertwined it back into my first official photoshoot.”
Pageant Circle said Australia has won the Miss Universe pageant just twice with Kerry Anne Wells in 1972 and Jennifer Hawkins in 2004.
The Miss Universe Australia 2022 Top 5 included first runner-up Annalise Dalinis, second runner-up Ciara Grehan, third runner-up Hanni Rose Howe and fourth runner-up Alana Deutsher-Moore.
