Zhaneta Byberi is an Albanian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Albania 2014 and represented

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

at the

Miss Universe 2014 Miss Universe 2014 was the 63rd Miss Universe pageant, held at the FIU Arena in Florida, United States on January 25, 2015. This was the first time in the history of the competition that the pageant was not during the year the title was awarde ...

Early life

Political family oppression history

Zhaneta Byberi, daughter of Petrit Byberi and Aishe Kurmekaj, was born in Bajram Curri, Tropoja,

. Zhaneta was forced to leave Albania at the age of 4, due to numerous

conflicts Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

and random family labelings as 'dangerous' and ' anti-nationalistic', thus her family members being politically pursued and repressed would lead to the result of being sent to camps risking the life of her parents and her very self with the continuation of living in

at that period. It was not until in 1997 that the government collapsed which caused disorder and rebellion throughout the country. The government attempted to suppress the rebellion by military force but the attempt failed, due to long-term corruption of the armed forces.

Frequent movement

Zhaneta left the country with her mother (her father would follow a few months later), proceeding to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

where they would both seek

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another ent ...

and thus permission to reside in the country. After four years of settlement in

Leuven, Belgium Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

, they continued their route towards

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...

, England (after having settled for some time in other locations such as

Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban are ...

, and

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

) where they settled for over six years, after a number of years of frequent movement to various locations.

Settlement

Upon her return to

, Zhaneta commenced adjustment in her home country. Her native tongue, Albanian, having not been used since she left her birthplace, advanced rapidly. Zhaneta settled with her family in the capital of Albania,

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

. She is known to have always been a sharp-minded, bright child that could adapt within any situation, acquire knowledge and/or skill regarding different fields of knowledge by study, experience and self tuition within a brief amount of time.

Pageantry

Zhaneta is known to have shown interest in pageantry and in the

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

world at an early age. She initiated participation in minor pageants starting at the age of 8.

Miss Universe Albania 2012

Zhaneta's first participation in

Miss Albania Miss Universe Albania is a national beauty pageant in Albania. The pageant was founded as Miss Albania in 2002, until rebranding as Miss Universe Albania in 2006. Since 2021, winners of the competition have competed internationally in Miss Un ...

occurred back in 2012 where she, at the age of 16, despite the lack of proper preparation, managed to place in Top 10 and was also awarded 'Miss Photogenic 2012'.

Miss Universe Albania 2014

Zhaneta was crowned

Miss Universe Albania Miss Universe Albania is a national beauty pageant in Albania. The pageant was founded as Miss Albania in 2002, until rebranding as Miss Universe Albania in 2006. Since 2021, winners of the competition have competed internationally in Miss Uni ...

2014 at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet (Teatri i Operas dhe Baletit) in

Tirana, Albania Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, on October 8, 2014. Zhaneta has been listed as the Miss Universe Albania after withdrawing Fioralba Dizdari at

Miss Universe 2013 Miss Universe 2013 was the 62nd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow, Russia on November 9, 2013. At the end of the event, Olivia Culpo of the United States crowned Gabriela Isler of Venezuela as Miss Uni ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

Miss Universe 2014

Zhaneta participated in

, held on January 25 in Doral, Florida, USA, but failed to place among the semifinalist. Her journey to 'Miss Universe' consisted of everyday physical training, walking expertise progression, posture development and much more during the time range of three weeks up to the commencement of the opening night.

General references

References

External links

Official Facebook Fan Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byberi, Zhaneta Living people Albanian beauty pageant winners Miss Universe 2014 contestants 1995 births People from Tropojë