It would be impossible to summarize the storied life of North End resident Danila DellaGuardia and do it justice.
In just 27 years, her eyes have witnessed war and bloodshed in her homeland of Eritrea. She has sought refuge in Sudan and lived through the unimagineable - the murder of her younger brother, Rico.
What is most impressive about DellaGuardia, however, is not her story, but her undeniable sense of optimism and eager spirit.
She carried that positive attitude into this year's Miss Eritrea competition, which took place in July in Burien. The nationwide-competition is in its second year.
Embracing diversity
DellaGuardia and her family arrived in America in 1983. After fleeing Eritrea during a long-tenured war with neighboring Ethiopia, her family found brief refuge in Sudan.
When she was 4, her mother, father and three brothers finally left Sudan and landed in Seattle. The family arrived as a part of the growing population of Eritrean people in the Northwest during the 1980s.
"I love Seattle and the people here," said DellaGuardia, who shares a dual heritage of Eritrean and Italian. Her mother, Belainesh Habtai, is fully Eritrean, while her father, Luigi, is of Italian decent.
"There are a lot of different cultures in Seattle, and everyone embraces the diversity openly," she said.
In recent years, the local Eritrean community has made major efforts both locally and nationally to reconnect those living in different parts of America. The Miss Eritrea competition is just one of those nationwide efforts.
Eritrean pride
DellaGuardia and her family are active in the local Eritrean community. A regular at the Eritrean Community Center in the Central Area, DellaGuardia has helped with countless fund-raisers and community events. She was both intrigued and excited, of course, when she heard about the Miss Eritrea competition.
"I heard about the competition and immediately told Danila," said Lenora Sneva, a longtime friend who doubles as DellaGuardia's manager. "She is a beautiful Eritrean woman, full of energy and charisma. I thought she'd be perfect to represent young Eritrean women."
"I have always wanted to be an actress," DellaGuardia claimed, so for her, the competition was a way of both gaining exposure and demonstrating Eritrean pride. "Lenora told me about the pageant and really encouraged me to try out."
Ingraham grad
DellaGuardia, a graduate of North Seattle's Ingraham High School, joined the pageant after feelings of apprehension: "I was nervous about the whole thing, but it turned out to be a liberating experience," she said.
Eventually, the pageant became natural for DellaGuardia, as it became her way of furthering her contributions to the community.
DellaGuardia was one of four young women in this year's competition from Seattle. With a platform that reflected her love and pride for Eritrea she entered the pageant.
"If I were elected, my goal would be to improve the sex education of the youth within the Eritrean community," she began, "and I would also attempt to decrease the amount of youth violence."
Committed to community
Although she did not receive the crown and title of Miss Eritrea 2006 - this year's winner, however, was a fellow Eritrean from Seattle - DellaGuardia has kept her goals and her passionate spirit alive. Continued fund-raising efforts and an active presence with the Eritrean Women's Association have kept her busy.
"They were there for me and my family when my brother was murdered," DellaGuardia said of her supportive community, "so I want to continue to be there for them."
DellaGuardia has also kept herself busy in a number of other ways. After spending four months in Australia visiting family, she is now a residential real-estate development assistant in Bellevue. She hopes to eventually obtain a real-estate license.
Loves the screen
Her heart also has her looking for opportunities as a screenwriter or other methods of employment in the film industry. "I would really love to act or direct films," said DellaGuardia, who starred in an independent film, "Darkness into the Light," at age 16, a film written entirely in her native language of Tigrinya.
As for the pageant, organizers of the Miss Eritrean competition aspire to eventually gain a place in the Miss Universe pageant within the next three to five years.
"Although I didn't win the crown, I truly hope the pageant achieves all the success it hopes for. It's a great organization for the Eritrean community, especially its younger women," DellaGuardia said.
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