We go behind the scenes of the very talented and influential model, Stephanie Bridger. Stephanie is a National Finalist of Miss Multiverse Australia and part of the United Nations Association Australia. She talks to us about her life outside of modelling.
Stephanie, what drives you in life?
I have always been a firm believer in equality and the importance of having a voice and standing up for what is right. I believe no matter what race, religious background or gender we should treat people with respect, care and dignity that we all deserve.
Unfortunately, the world is not like this, and not everyone has the same view. I am incredibly fortunate in life, I am educated; attending private school and then university with studying a bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition majoring in Advanced physiology and pharmacology. I have come from a good family, I have a roof over my head, I have food to eat. I have people that love me and I have a long career ahead of me. Many people are not so fortunate so I decided to join the United Nations Association Australia. I joined the Young Professional Division so that I could promote the amazing work of the UN.
That is very noble. What is the United Nations Association Australia?
The Aim of the United Nations Association Australia is to ‘inform, inspire and engage all Australians regarding the work, goals and values of the UN, to create a safer, fairer and more sustainable world (UNAA, 2016). We work with the community, especially young professionals to educate them on the important issues that have an impact on today’s society. We do this by running events which create forums of discussion. There are different teams in the Young Professions Division and I am a part of the Advocacy team. Our aim is to try and change current governmental policies to better society.
What are some of the issues that you deal with in this role?
Human trafficking in Australia is the current issue that we as a team are writing a campaign for. Our aim with our current campaign is to change the modern slavery act so that victims of human trafficking have more rights and fairer treatment. I and the team of OZ Star Channel are currently creating an educational documentary about this issue to educate people in a more visual way of the issue.
What is Oz Star Channel?
The aim of Oz star channel is to entertain and educate individuals that have migrated from overseas on what is happening in Australian in a less mainstream way. I am also proud to say I am a presenter for OZ Star channel, which stands for what I believe in. Until this year I have never been a TV Presenter and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself so far and have met some incredibility talented people and covered some fantastic events through OZ Star.
You sound like your life is a very happy one, you are very fortunate indeed.
Most people know me as a bubbly, loud, honest, social and open minded person. I am an extroverted and confident individual that loves life, works hard and tries my hardest at any challenge thrown at me to the best of my ability. I wasn’t always like this though.
What do you mean? How did your life change?
As a youngster, I was quiet, introverted, lacked self-confidence and had very few friends. I was severely and continuously bullied I was controlled by social anxiety that for a long time consumed my life. It wasn’t until I went to Uninversity that I found a place to belong and where I was accepted.
Tell us about your life now that you have overcome your struggles.
Nowadays I am a model and Top Ten Finalists for Miss Multiverse Australia. I have a University Degree in Human Nutrition and run a high-end retail store. In addition, I love running a business and hopefully in the future I would like to run my own. I am confident in myself and who I am. Thankfully I no longer have the crippling social anxiety that used to consume my life. I am proud of myself and what I have achieved in life and I have learnt that with confidence you can do anything. I would never have dreamt, 5 years ago, that I would ever be at this point.