[JAPAN] Marika Sera - Miss World Japan 2019

This video introduces you to Ms. Marika Sera, "Miss World Japan 2019." Marika was born in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture, to Japanese mother and British Canadian father who works for UNICEF. Due to her father's job, the family lived in the Republic of Congo in Africa, Marika was there from three months to one year old. Congo's official language is French, so she is familiar with French, in addition to her fluency in English and Japanese. Marika is only child, and her family visited Marika's grandparents in Canada twice so far. Marika started to work as a fashion model at the age of 15 to help her parents because higher education in Japan is expensive. After graduating from high school, Marika enrolled at Keio University. She revealed that she had been accepted into this top university and faculty during an appearance on the variety show "Sunday Japon" in 2021. During that same appearance, Marika also disclosed that although she had failed the AO (Admissions Office) entrance exam, she subsequently passed through the general entrance examination process. It is impressive that she was able to bounce back and succeed in the general exam after failing the AO exam; her achievement has generated a significant buzz online, with many commenters praising her as "cool." Marika recounted that when she received her acceptance notification, she could hardly believe it and checked the results about three times just to be sure. From the very beginning, Marika had stated in interviews that she intended to attend only her first-choice university—and no other. She had also publicly declared that if she failed to gain admission, she was prepared to take a gap year to study and try again. As it turns out, her top choice was indeed Keio University, and she successfully secured her spot there. Marika explained that she was so particular about attending this specific institution because there were certain subjects she was eager to study there. During her university entrance exam preparation period, Marika would wake up at 5:00 AM; after school ended, she would head to a cram school and study until 11:00 PM. She also made effective use of every spare moment—for instance, by listening to English audio materials while commuting. However, she expressed concern that if sudden work commitments arose, her carefully planned study schedule would be disrupted, making it difficult for her to mentally switch gears and refocus on her studies. It is truly admirable that she was able to pass the general entrance exam for a university of this caliber while simultaneously balancing a professional career. Furthermore, during her appearance on "Sunday Japon," Marika shared her aspirations for the future: "I am delighted to be able to share such happy news on "Sunday Japon," and I feel incredibly blessed to have received so many congratulations from my fellow cast members. Starting April 2021, Marika said she intends to give her absolute best in both my university life and her professional work." In 2019, Marika (17) rose to instant fame and became a major talking point when she won the Grand Prix at the "Miss World Japan 2019" pageant, becoming the youngest winner in the competition's history. She was selected out of 8,415 candidates. Today, Marika graduated from Keio and focused on her work in the entertainment industry as a fashion model and TV talent. She hopes to follow her father's footsteps to work at some international organization in the future. Thanks for watching...; please give a massive thumbs up! My videos are sort of related to each other, so enjoy others as well. Peace out... to all the beautiful souls out there in the world. Cheers!