WHEN Sandra Lim Shue Hui competed in Miss Global 2022, she knew it would not be the last time she represented Malaysia. After all, she is no stranger to beauty pageants or modelling competitions as it was where she got her start.
The 23-year-old, who hails from Selangor, rose to fame after getting scouted for modelling, representing Malaysia at the Miss Model of the World in China.
She then became an actress, starring in movies such as Happy Dragons, Modern Dynasty 2: War of Others and the TV series The Heir to the Throne. Most recently, she was crowned the country’s 2024 Miss Universe Malaysia, receiving the title after triumphing over 15 other finalists.
While her success is similar to her predecessors, her tenacity to go above and beyond sets her apart.
“After competing in Miss Global back in 2022, I remember people asking ‘Why do you still want to join Miss Universe Malaysia?’ since I (have) already competed in Miss Global.
“But to me, it is about the purpose behind it. I still wanted to do a lot more after Miss Global, such as giving back to our community and engaging with charities,” said Lim during an exclusive interview with theSun.
She is aware of the possibilities that the platform provides as it allows her to help and connect with far more people than she can on her own.
Guiding light
Some may find this sentiment to be cliched as many other contestants have echoed this remark. However, for Lim, this passion for helping others comes from a personal place. Before competing in pageants, the actress was a former professional athlete, training in martial arts and as a track and field athlete.
She won her first gold medal at 13 after joining a national wushu competition. Despite having to stop sports due to a severe injury, Lim remains grateful for her athletic days as it gave her a sense of fulfilment and purpose.
“Before sports, I was quiet and shy. I would not dare to talk to anyone. I was also in a dark place, struggling to find meaning in life. So, I did not have the urge to study.
“Things changed when I found my passion and was given the opportunity to pursue it. So, I felt I could do that for other people as well. If I could change a person’s life, I would love to do that.”
Hence, Lim dedicates herself to social work, particularly in supporting education for underprivileged children. Since winning the pageant, she has been actively contributing to the Shelter Home for Children orphanage.
The former athlete provides free English and Mathematics tuition lessons to the children. She also regularly conducts fun activities, helping them to explore and grow their potential beyond education. She has been working on an upcoming project with Shelter Home to promote a safe space for the children to grow up in.
When she is not devoting her time to the orphanage, she pursues other local community causes, such as aiding to provide free medical and healthcare to those in need and participating in charity runs.
Action star in making
This passion for life translates into her acting career too. As an actress, Lim enjoys pushing her boundaries, tackling more intense and physically demanding roles. She cites her most recent movie Money Games as her favourite as it allowed her to perform her own action stunts.
“It is my first main role and I am doing the action, handling all the fight scenes. And the funny thing is I was filming the movie two days before the pageant week. So, I was quite worried I would get injured because the scene was intense.
“My team wanted to find a stunt woman for me. But the director preferred me as he thought I fought better. Plus, I did not want anyone else to portray what I can do because I wanted to do it on my own,” noted the self-confessed introvert.
Unfortunately, she did injure herself on the last day while filming her final scene, hitting her head and bleeding two days before the Miss Universe Malaysia pageant.
Training to win
Regardless, Lim has no regrets as it all worked in her favour. These days, she has been prepping to represent Malaysia for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Mexico this coming November.
“We have less than two months to prepare. We have been focused on bringing everyone together – the sponsors, designers and everything. We are starting from scratch.”
Despite the short time, she is ready to give it her all and make history, which is how she hopes to end the year.
“We have never won or even placed in the top 20 or 30. So, I aim to win although we only have less than two months. I really want to make it happen and make history for Malaysia as I am a strong believer in creating success and miracles,” declared Lim enthusiastically.
As for her plans after Miss Universe, she hopes to further grow in her acting career, taking on more action roles.
“I will continue filming my first ever Malay movie after Miss Universe. I am excited about it as I will be doing the action scenes myself. And after that, I will be doing a roadshow for my upcoming Chinese New Year movie.
“But in general, I hope to do more movies. If there is any chance, I would like to also pursue opportunities in Hollywood.”
