DUBAI: Lujane Yacoub has been planning her gap year for a while, but things have gotten more interesting than she could have anticipated. Yacoub was crowned Miss Universe Bahrain 2023 at the age of 19 and is heading to the grand stage in El Salvador on Nov. 18. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle The Miss Universe qualifying pageant is a young event in Bahrain — it only started in 2021, but it is already making waves. For Yacoub, the win has come with a whirlwind of change. “I’ve been busy with training and travel. I’ve just spent a month in the Philippines with my Miss Universe team Josh Yugen and Yugen PR, working on everything from gown fittings, pageant walk training, question-and-answer training, photo shoots and getting to know my pageant sisters, Miss Universe Egypt and Miss Universe Pakistan. Right now, I’m in El Salvador for the big competition,” she told Arab News in an email interview. Dubai-based company Yugen Group owns franchise rights for Miss Universe Bahrain, Miss Universe Pakistan and Miss Universe Egypt. The Miss Universe competition, now in its 72nd year, will reveal its winner on Nov. 18. It is a huge responsibility going on the world stage, said Yacoub. “I am no longer speaking for myself, but for the entire GCC on this global stage. It’s forced me to look at many important issues and see where Bahrain stands on things, as a collective. It’s the honor of a lifetime for me because I love my country so profoundly.” She may have been the youngest contestant in the Miss Universe Bahrain competition this year, but this was not her first run at the title. Yacoub came in first runner up in 2022 and the experience was an eye-opener about what the platform offers. “My Instagram numbers shot up virtually overnight. So, the question is, what do you do with a bigger audience? My mission this year is three-fold. As someone who struggled with a learning disability in school and found my confidence through the arts, I found creative ways to help myself and ultimately graduated with honors. I now volunteer as a children’s art teacher for the Bahrain Trust Foundation, because many young artists struggle with linear thinking subjects in school, like mathematics, the way I did. I want to catch them early and give them those early wins too. “Also, with my bigger platform, I have the Hero Project where I interview people who are making a difference in the world, through their charities and causes. Finally, I am Bahrain’s first Smile Train ambassador. They are the world’s largest cleft lip and palate organisation and they are changing lives every day. I want to continue raising awareness for Smile Train in Bahrain.” For next year, Yacoub has plans for university in the UK. But for now, she is focused. “After the competition, I’m looking forward to returning to Bahrain and continuing my advocacy work. I’ve been asked to speak at schools in Bahrain about my experience as Miss Universe Bahrain and I’m excited about that … I’ve also got a couple of movie roles lined up to film this year, which is amazing because I plan on studying acting and film in college. “Everything you do in life shapes your future, so I’m looking forward to seeing how things unfold,” she concluded. Yes, it is shaping up to be an interesting gap year.