Meet our featured beauty with brains Nina Parinas, an accountant and a model based in Sydney, Australia. Here is an interview with her.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Whenever I get asked to talk about myself, I tell people that I’m just a girl next door. I’m a travelling corporate Accountant during the week and a model at weekends. I have an Economics degree and ended up working in banks. As a 20-year-old fresh uni graduate, that would be the last place one would want to be. I later on decided to do a Master’s degree in Accounting while working. While doing my Masters, most of the prerequisite subjects were in Law, which I found very intriguing and interesting. I came close to shifting my Masters to a Law Degree, but finally I thought court gowns and wigs would cramp my style, so I decided to stick to Accounting. I guess grey suits aren’t so bad and at times I wear light grey just to make a fashion statement! In my free time, which is a rarity, I do a lot of volunteer work – emceeing and hosting community events, running chamber of commerce events to help small businesses, radio presenting and church work.
I came from an aviation family background. My dad and brother are both pilots. I’ve spent more of my childhood weekends flying than actually playing in a playground. I learned riding my bicycle on a hangar and runway – true story! We grew up in different places and I could speak 4 languages and two dialects. Growing up I had the best of both worlds – Asia and Europe – in our household. My Dad is Asian but Mum is Eurasian. My parents are like chalk and cheese but both are eccentric, smart & cultured.
I’ve lived most of my life in Australia and I would never live anywhere else. Having seen most of the world, Australia is the closest place to paradise. Not many would believe this but I’m very academic. Time permitting, I’m always enrolled in a course, even when I don’t have to be. My brain has got a separate career from my mind and is always running at a hundred miles an hour. It’s like having in-house entertainment! My hobbies are cycling, running, ice skating, skiing, sailing, board paddling and canoeing. I love music and am always singing, even though I can’t. This is why I’m an Accountant. When the weather gets warmer, I’m going to learn scuba diving with my brother who is not just a pilot but a scuba diving instructor as well. Let’s test the waters if I could sing better underwater.
2. Who inspired you the most?
My Dad was always my guardian angel. He never ceased to amaze me with how generous, patient, understanding, humble and smart he was. His empathy is the best thing about him. I am what I am now because of him. He shaped me more than both of us realise. His endless faith, belief and trust in me made me hardwired to do my best no matter what, no matter when. The trait that best gave me my life mantra is honesty. He taught me to be comfortable with who I am. To others, what they see is what they get – except the modelling shoots because I’m not really a fairy, fallen angel, princess, or hunter goddess!
He sacrificed so much to make sure we came first. He is my shoulder to lean on and an ear when I vent. My poor Dad, that Spanish blood in me miraculously becomes so alive when I “air my grievances”. I love you dad and just wished I’ve said it more.
3. What are your goals in life?
Life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned, so my goal is always to do my best in any circumstance that presents itself. To make life less complicated I use SMART goal setting (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) but even with that life is a roller-coaster of unexpected outcomes. What do I do? I just ride it.
Have I achieved my goals in life?
Pretty much, I have what I “need”, not “want”, and I’m content with that. I am always driven but I’m a very grounded and easy-going person. Every day and everyone is a privilege and I never take them for granted. My daytime profession helps set up people for life. I sometimes feel more like a psychologist or family counsellor after helping people sort out their issues and hopefully they can sleep better at night, even if sometimes the trade-off is me lying wide awake at night. As a model, I always go out and shoot hoping that I will touch someone’s life with the idea that there is hope, love and happiness. Once I was on a White Angel shoot in a freezing isolated forest and out of the blue a family came along a walking track and the little girl said to her mum “Mum look! Angels do exist”. That was the best compliment I ever had, despite being close to hyperthermia. The White Angel shoot nearly turned into Blue Angel!
4. What is Women Empowerment?
Women empowerment is not a fad, it’s a process. Empowered women aren’t perfect but they rise above the occasion after hurdles and disappointments. We take risks and work hard to achieve the optimum result. An empowered woman knows her strengths and weaknesses and isn’t afraid to embrace them.
From my daytime job’s (Accountant) point of view – women empowerment or equality means business and from my weekend job (modelling) – I’m sticking to the same view. Women’s full participation in all sectors builds stronger & sustainable economies and improves quality of life, not just for the women but those who depend on them – family, workplace, marketplace and community.
To be empowered means to be in control of your life, be aware of your capabilities and ready to take on your dreams and those who stand in the way. It is being determined, confident and fearless. It’s having faith and belief in yourself so that you may be able to empower other women and men, both young and old.
A key to being empowered is to soar high with eagles, not ducks. When you surround yourself with hard-working, successful, empowered women who can encourage you and be an example for you when times get tough, your thoughts and actions are geared towards something along those lines. I do engage with people who don’t hold the same values – we do not have a choice sometimes! However I always make constant conscious decisions about who I invite into my life.
Women Empowerment is not a fad or trending hashtag. Even in this modern world, there will always be sexism, racism, or many other discriminations that are labelled differently. There will always be a person who will make you feel less worthy than you are. Rather than protesting, stand up for yourself, because no one else will. An empowered woman will always hold her head high and sometimes I imagine myself with a tiara, just like on one of my shoots. We do not have to be victims anymore.
Feel free to contact her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nina_parinas/
Empowered Brave Women Building Futures 