Adline Castelino, who represented India at 69th Miss Universe in Miami, finished up in the top five at the Miss Universe 2020 pageant held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on May 16.
Castelion was born to Karnataka-origin Manglorean Catholic parents in Kuwait. The 22-year old model moved to India at age of 15 to pursue her dreams and become a financially independent woman. She has reportedly done her secondary education from St Xavier's and has graduated from Mumbai's Wilson College of business administration.
She had been crowned Miss Diva Universe 2020 earlier this year, which made her eligible for the Miss Universe competition.
As a model, she has worked with leading talent agencies and is seen on runways, magazine covers, television and digital campaigns for major fashion and lifestyle brands. Castelion had also featured in some music videos in the past. She acted in the song “Mere Dil Vich” by Arjun Kanungo and “Tere Bina” by singer Shreyas Dharmadhikari and rapper Ndot in 2019.
Apart from modelling, Adline Castelino is also attached to a lot of social work, including advocating LGBT rights. She also works as a Goodwill Ambassador for Smile Train and is the face for the PCOS Free India Campaign, and collaborates with SNEHA, an organization that provides affordable healthcare to women. She is also an advocate for the rights of farmers to have sustainable livelihoods and works closely with Vikaas Sahyog Pratishtan to give back to deprived rural communities.
She also opened up about her speech impairment. Castelino said in an interview that, being a young girl in Kuwait with no exposure, she always looked up to the Miss Universe with so much admiration but never thought that someone like her, who had a speech defect and body marks could represent her country in such an esteemed platform.
She had many standout moments at the Miss Universe 2020. In one such moment during the final Question and Answer round, Adline was praised for her well-rounded response. She was asked: "Should countries lockdown due to COVID-19 despite the strain on their economies, or should they open their borders and risk a potential increase in infection rates?"
She answered: "Good evening universe. Well, coming from India and witnessing what India is experiencing right now, I have realised something very important that nothing is more important than the health of your loved ones. And you have to draw a balance between economy and health. And that can only be done when the government works with the people hand in hand and produces something that will work with the economy. Thank you."
She was also praised for her ethnic saree look, inspired by the national flower of India- Lotus, in the Miss Universe stage for a national costume competition.
Apart from Adline, Andrea Meza from Mexico, Julia Gama from Brazil, Kimberly Jimenez from the Dominican Republic and Janick Maceta from Peru made their way to the top five of the Miss Universe 2021 beauty pageant.
Miss Mexico Andrea Meza has been crowned Miss Universe for the year 2020, beating more than 70 contestants.
