Model determined to use pageantry to empower youth
As a Miss Gauteng Exclusive 2025 Finalist, Burnham is turning the runway into a platform for youth empowerment, mental health advocacy, and dignity-driven education.
Rubina Burnham is swiftly rising to the glamorous platforms of South African pageantry with elegance and purpose.
The Miss Gauteng Exclusive 2025 finalist brings bold advocacy and compassion to the runway, using her platform to spark transformation in Alexandra and beyond.
To Burnham, modelling is not about glitz and glamour; it is a stage for self-expression. “Modelling is about giving individuals a platform to express themselves and show the world who they are. It is about starting where you are and, through time and effort, building yourself to be the man or woman you want to be,” she explained.
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Since she got into the modelling scene in 2023, she has set her eyes far beyond winning crowns and sashes; she has set her focus on driving real change in the society, forging partnerships with organisations to transform the lives of young people. Her partnership with Families South Africa is already poised to tackle the issue of poor mental health among Alexandra’s youth. She also views modelling as a channel to illuminate pressing societal issues. She believes that when it is time to speak as a model, someone is always listening. This belief fuels her commitment to advocacy, especially for children.
“I advocate for child-centred support for dignity in education, helping kids get the needs they deserve so they can feel confident, stay in school… The whole purpose of my advocacy is to give support and bring out their confidence while they are still young.”
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Burnham joined the Sipho Sethu Arts Project (SSAP) in 2023. She did not do as well a she expected in the Mr and Miss SSAP pageant, and although she was disappointed, she was more proud to have made it into the top six. “I didn’t just aim for the crown, I wanted the experience more, which was more valuable to me. ”Just a year later, she took on the Mr and Miss Royal Elegance Pageant, and earned the Brand Ambassador title.
Today, she stands as a Miss Gauteng Exclusive 2025 finalist, and she believes what makes a good model is confidence, elegance, good communication, as well as kindness and humanity; all the qualities she demonstrated throughout her journey.
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