Navigating a world of silence and breaking barriers, Miss Samoa Association of Sign Language Interpreter, Miracle Afele wants to inspire those with disabilities.

She has already broken one major barrier by becoming the first young woman in Samoa with a disability to be part of the Miss Samoa 2023 pageant.

“Everyone has the right to compete in every event, doesn’t matter if I am a deaf lady, I can do anything and I can advise other women with disabilities that they can do the same or whatever they want,” said Ms. Afele. “I want to be like a lot of the women I have seen, they are really comfortable and women with disabilities can do the same. 

"If these women have the confidence to stand out then I can also do the same and every other little girl watching can also.” 

Ms. Afele is from Siusega and Tufutafoe-Savaii. Her father is Seuula and her mother is Perise and she has two sisters and three brothers. She was born in Samoa and moved to New Zealand in 1998.

“I grew up there and attended a special school for deaf students. I moved back to Samoa in 2010 where I attended Faatuatua Christian College and started working in 2015 by supporting students who are deaf at the Senese Inclusive Education,” she said. “I have had a lot of support from my family all through this journey and they are very happy that I am running in the Miss Samoa Pageant this year.

“I want to encourage other girls to participate just like me. I want to open a door for the deaf and women with disabilities. I want to advocate that as deaf women, we can do just about everything. Even if I can’t hear, I can use my eyes to see and get involved in every program.”

A strong advocate for people with disabilities, Ms. Afele has vowed to continue to work to stop discrimination and break barriers that those of her peers go through. 

She said that growing up, it was hard to communicate with her family, who didn’t know sign language at the time. Understanding what they were saying was always a challenge for her, and it was only later that her family was able to learn and do the sign language with her.