Get to know Adline Castelino, the Indian Miss Universe contestant born in Kuwait

Mexican beauty queen and a software engineering degree holder Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe on Sunday, besting contestants from 74 other countries. Pictures of her in her beautiful red gown have been splashed all over the world. However, one other contestant has been making headlines as well.

Adline Castelino has been the centre of curiosity after coming in fourth at the beauty pageant at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Castelino, 22, was congratulated by Miss Diva Universe India on its official Twitter page. “India places 3rd Runner Up at @MissUniverse! Our hearts are filled with immense pride for our LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2020, @AdlineCastelino who has done such an exceptional job at the Miss Universe Pageant! We couldn’t have asked for a better representative than you,” the post read. Here’s everything to know about the young star...

Castelino was born to Mangalorean Catholic parents Alphonse and Meera Castellino in Kuwait City on May 21, 1998. Her family is originally from Udupi in Karnataka.

While in Kuwait, Castelino was a student at the Indian Central School and moved to Mumbai when she was 15 for high school. She eventually did her higher studies there and graduated from Wilson College with a degree in Business Administration.

So, how many languages might this global citizen know? According to reports, Castelino is fluent in English, Hindi, Kannada and Konkani.

Castelino worked hard at her dreams of being a beauty queen and underwent pageant training at an academy in Mumbai. In February 2020, Castelino was crowned the winner of LIVA Miss Diva Universe, which would lead her to represent the country for the Miss Universe pageant. While doing interviews in Mangalore after her 2020 win, she told the media: “It feels surreal to come back home as not just my parents’ daughter but the city’s hope and pride. It’s truly a dream come true. My future plans include travelling to a lot of places and meeting people from different cultures to understand the depth of each culture and thereby form a guideline of how best to represent the culture of our country at the Miss Universe pageant.”

Apart from walking the ramp, the young star is also involved in social work and initiatives. Castelino has worked with welfare organisation ‘Vikas Sahayog Pratishthan’ (VSP), which provides “financial, technical and institutional support to the rural poor, landless or marginal farmers, distressed farmers and women through strategically designed interventions.”

Castelino also helped did her part during the COVID-19 lockdown in India 2020, reportedly providing food, face masks and other essentials to Desire Society, which helps children infected with HIV. For Christmas the same year, she spread cheer among the children by being their ‘Secret Santa’, distributing gifts and spending time them. “For Christmas, I thought it would be really nice if I spent it with the children. I wanted to initially do it on Children’s Day but unfortunately, we were not able to do it. We are very happy that Christmas went really well. Meeting those girls, they have the energy, they are full of dreams and ambition for themselves and their family. It was so heartwarming to see them being so positive in these difficult times,” she told E Times at the time.

Other initiatives she has campaigned for include the Child Help Foundation, leadership programmes for women, and awareness about polycystic ovary syndrome.