High achievers add beauty contest to CV

Nancy Yen, top left, and Talia Bennett, front centre. Photo / Getty Images

Beauty queens are often seen as bimbos.

But that stereotype will be put to the test tonight by two Miss Universe New Zealand contestants who indisputably possess both beauty and brains.

Talia Bennett, from Auckland's North Shore, is only 22 years old yet is already climbing the corporate ladder as a property valuer, specialising in the health and aged-care sector.

"A typical day for me involves inspecting properties, analysing trends and working on reports," Bennett says.

Nancy Yen, 23, is studying towards a PhD in biomedical engineering - after graduating from the University of Auckland with a first-class honours degree in engineering.

Yen spends her days studying the second stage of the childbirth process, with the aim of developing a way to prevent labour-induced trauma in women.

"Before, all I cared about was assignments and achieving high academically," she said. "I wanted to give myself a challenge."

Their day jobs are a world away today after a week of intense preparation for tonight's final at Wellington's Amora Hotel. Beauty lessons, dance classes and sessions with stylists were on the agenda, as was a visit to a rest home and lunch with the capital's Mayor, Celia Wade-Brown.

Yesterday, Yen also experienced her first spray tan.

"I probably wouldn't get it again," she said. "It doesn't feel very comfortable and it's very sticky."

Regardless, both Yen and Bennett said competing in the pageant had been a valuable experience and they could use the skills in their professional worlds.