In 1994, Deepmala Kharel Dhakal’s mother took part in the first Miss Nepal beauty contest. Now, thirty-two years later, Deepmala, who is Nepali and from Hong Kong, is getting ready to do the same.
The 23-year-old won the Miss Nepal Hong Kong International title earlier this month. Winning this event means she can compete in the national competition later this year.
Kharel Dhakal was born and grew up in Hong Kong. She has a strong educational background and got a job as an investment strategist at BlackRock after finishing school at the University of Hong Kong in 2024.
That year, she added to the Zubin Foundation’s Diversity List. This list includes talented people from the city’s ethnic minority groups who could serve on advisory and official groups.
“I want to carry the spirits of Hong Kong Nepalese, and not just their spirits. I want to showcase the Hong Kong Nepalese culture and ... values,” she said.
She said she hoped to raise awareness about the contributions the Nepalese community had made to Hong Kong.
Just under 30,000 people of Nepalese origin lived in Hong Kong as of 2021, according to the most recent census.
