Editor,

Re : "Elsa Iradukunda crowned Miss Rwanda 2017” (The New Times February 26)

It is a common saying that "beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.”

Congratulations to Elsa Iradukunda, the beauty who was in the eyes of the expert panel of judges very many spectators in the audience, the most beautiful woman among the fifteen finalists of the Miss Rwanda 2017 beauty contest.

It takes immense courage and determination to stand up in front of such a large audience and face cameras and questions in a bid to win the coveted crown.

And so, in a way, all the fifteen finalists are winners.

Kudos to the Mahatma Gandhi University of Rwanda for making history at the Miss Rwanda 2017 beauty contest and rewarding all the fifteen finalists with full scholarships for under graduate study as reported in your article.

The University has shown that it is not winning or losing that is important, but the participation.

Accordingly, all fifteen will have the opportunity of furthering their education in a premier educational institution in the country.

Clarence Fernandes