My Sister Ligia

Photo from Monica Iza Ligia Petit, who is from Venezuela, is eighteen years old. I have known her since she was four years old, and she is like my sister.

My Sister Ligia
A Beauty Contest Winner
Monica Iza from Venezuela
Ligia Petit, who is from Venezuela, is eighteen years old. I have known her since she was four years old, and she is like my sister. Ligia has always said that she wanted to participate in the Miss Venezuela beauty contest.
When she was 13, she and her family moved to Maracay, which is a little city near Caracas. She started to go to modeling classes, but three years later she had to stop going because she and her mother didn’t have enough money to pay for the classes. She was very sad, but she never stopped thinking about the Miss Venezuela contest. Every year she recorded every event and watched it over and over.

Photo from Monica Iza At that moment, everybody started to talk about Ligia, and she was a favorite for the event.

When she finished high school last year, she went alone to Caracas and found the Miss Venezuela Organization. She entered and registered for the first casting. In Venezuela it is very hard because they select only 28 and every year there are more than 500 applicants. Finally, Ligia was in this little group of 28 ladies. At that moment, everybody started to talk about Ligia, and she was a favorite for the event.
Then the most difficult part started. She had to move to Caracas She had three difficult months before she moved to a cousin’s house. Then she felt a little better, but it was still very hard. She was very busy every day. She had to go to the gym, go to the modeling class, practice the dance for the event, follow a very strict diet, and live without her family. It was very hard.
Finally the big day—the wonderful event—came. She was very happy and very nervous. She had to model in a swimming suit, with an elegant dress and a typical dress from Venezuela.
Well, she was the first finalist. Another girl was Miss Venezuela, and Ligia was the second. She was really beautiful that day. I could only see it on TV because I was in the U.S. that day, but I was very much in touch. Now she has to travel around the world representing Venezuela. Next October 24, she will travel to Bolivia to the Miss South America beauty contest. I hope that she has a good time. I appreciate Ligia a lot because she is a very nice, a very good person and she hasn’t had an easy life.

Follow-up to this article:
On October 24, 2000, Ligia Petit was announced the winner of the Miss South America beauty contest!