HBZVN: Cindy Marina, you have achieved success in many areas. At the age of 17, you became the youngest person to ever play for the Albanian national volleyball team. In 2019 received the title of Miss Universe Albania 2019, becoming the first American woman to win this beauty pageant. How would you rank the most significant events in your career that greatly influenced your development?
CINDY MARINA: I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to experience all of these things in my life so far as each one has taught me invaluable lessons and I feel that I have grown tremendously through each experience. I would say that volleyball would take first place in having the greatest influence in my development because it’s the one that I spent the greatest amount of years doing but also during my most formative years. I believe sports are one of the most beautiful and fulfilling things that people can try in their lives and it’s always been my mission and message to the youth to take part in sport as it is something that builds confidence and teaches you so much about yourself. On the other hand, winning Miss Universe Albania was definitely another huge turning point in my life and one that has influenced my life and career path entering adulthood. Miss Universe Albania opened so many doors for me and gave me the opportunity to explore different passions of mine, one of them being television, leading me into my now career which I am so grateful for.
HBZVN: What lessons and values did you inherit from your parents and how do they help you in your professional life?
CINDY MARINA: My parents immigrated from Albania to Italy in 1991 where they lived and worked for 10 years until deciding to make the move to the United states in 1998 when my mother was pregnant with me. My parents have always instilled in my brothers and I the importance of hard work, integrity, and dreaming big as they had come to America with nothing and had to work extremely hard and long to create a life for themselves and our family here.
I would say that these traits are something I have always admired in my parents and have inherited in not only my professional life but also into my everyday life because I truly believe that when you work hard and dream big, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. This mindset has really served me in my professional life as I began my career in television 3 years ago with no prior experience.
I had always thought about the idea of working as a television host and liked the idea of trying it but came into this field not knowing fully what to expect. I received my diploma from the University of Southern California in 2020 in International Relations with a focus in Global Business which was so rewarding, but not having studied journalism prior to entering this professional field, I was having to learn as I went along and go based on my natural instinct.
When looking back, I think this made me stronger and more eager to learn and excel in this field knowing that I had to adapt along the way. This mindset of hard work really served me well when I began this job because I knew that I would have to study two times more than others to make sure that when I showed up on set or on the field at the Serie A match days, I felt beyond prepared which would allow me to feel comfortable and enjoy the moment.
HBZVN: How did you prepare to participate in the Miss Universe 2019 pageant and what memories do you have from this event?
CINDY MARINA: When I joined the Miss Universe Albania pageant in the summer of 2019, I went in with the mindset that I was just going for an experience, with no expectations, and just to have fun. Once I was there competing in the weeks leading up to the pageant, my competitive nature kicked in and I thought to myself, “well if I’m here, what’s stopping me from winning it all?”.
I think 11 years playing high level volleyball has given me this mindset of being a fierce competitor and always giving my all in any challenge that I face. This is exactly what happened and I ended up winning and being crowned Miss Universe Albania 2019. It was a beautiful experience and one that taught me a lot about myself.
I had no previous history of pageantry and had never even thought about competing in a pageant before Miss Universe Albania, so when I was crowned and began my preparations for the Miss Universe Competition that was coming up in November of 2019, I knew that I had to take my preparations very seriously and learn as much as I could in those short five months leading up to the pageant. I began training my walk, thinking about and designing my gowns, and most importantly I worked with two former Miss USA’s to work on my interview and question and answer as that is the most important part of the scoring.
The lead up to leaving for Miss Universe was hectic as I was doing all of my training and preparing for the big day but once I arrived at Miss Universe, I felt confident and ready to represent my country in the best way that I could. I enjoyed the experience very much and met so many wonderful ladies at the pageant many of whom I am still in contact with today and consider friends.
I placed 11th at Miss Universe which was a historic finish for Albania being only the 4th time we had ever placed. I felt so proud when they called “Albania” knowing that I was not only representing myself, but my country and all Albanians worldwide who would get to see our flag raised on one of the biggest stages in the world.
HBZVN: Your modeling career began at the age of 14. Who helped you then? You also became interested in volleyball early, and this passion brought sporting achievements. Did you ever have to choose between sports or the podium?
CINDY MARINA: The first job I ever did modeling was for the brand Ema Savahl, a famous Miami based designer. I remember flying from California to Miami to shoot the “Botanica” campaign and I was so nervous, excited, and overjoyed that I was going to be modeling, something I had always admired from afar until this point.
The designer of Ema Savahl, Ema Koja, hand picked me for this project and really gave me my first opportunity to model but since then has always uplifted me and I work closely with the brand even today because I love Ema, her designs, and what her brand stands for. I recently walked in their Miami Swim Week show last July and opened the show for them at the SLS Miami which was truly spectacular.
On the other hand, my interest in volleyball began around the age of 9 because my mom actually played professionally in Italy and Albania and she was the one who suggested I try it out. I am a very athletic person and growing up I played almost every sport possible including soccer, figure skating, rock climbing, horseback riding, swimming, dance, and so many others but once I tried volleyball for the first time, I truly fell in love with the sport and never looked back.
My mom was a huge role model for me and guided me along my journey through this sport and I’m so lucky to have had her because she taught me a lot about what it means to be a serious athlete and how much work and dedication it takes. I have experienced some amazing moments with volleyball, earning a full scholarship to the best universities in the world, Duke University and the University of Southern California, and for this I am so grateful to the sport. I was also the youngest player to ever start for the Albanian National Volleyball team and without a doubt volleyball has given me the chance to compete at the highest levels and experience the beautiful feeling of being a champion.
For eleven years straight, I was extremely dedicated to volleyball so there were never moments when I had to choose between modeling and volleyball because volleyball was always my biggest commitment and passion during these years, so that came before anything else.
HBZVN: You are wonderful as a TV presenter for Serie A football matches in Albania and Kosovo. Why football and not your favorite volleyball?
CINDY MARINA: Thank you, it has been a beautiful journey and a big honor being chosen as image and the official TV presenter for Serie A in Albania and Kosovo. Serie A is one of the most beloved and historic leagues in Europe and to be reporting live from so many different stadiums in Italy like the historic San Siro, Allianz Stadium in Torino, Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and many many more has been a dream come true and once in a lifetime experience.
When you ask why work in football and not volleyball, in fact, I did not necessarily choose this in the beginning, but in a way it chose me. I began working and doing pitch side reporting for Serie A in 2020, and I had just graduated from college at USC. I was not planning on moving my whole life to Europe but I was offered this amazing job and I thought to myself, “If not now then when?”, so I took a leap of faith and that’s how I began my career in television and Serie A.
HBZVN: What goals and plans do you have for the future in the fields of volleyball, modeling and television?
CINDY MARINA: I am the type of person who is always looking to evolve, grow, and learn so I always seek out new projects to push myself and my horizons. I have a very exciting project coming up in Asia that I can hardly wait for but I can’t reveal too much yet. What I can say is that I love to challenge myself and I will be exploring a new field very soon.
Model: Cindy Marina @cindymarinaa.
Photography: Nima Benati @nimabenati.
Makeup: Henri Gjata @henrigjata_mua.
Hair: @sezerhairstyle.
Outfits and styling: @ari_the_brand.
Photography assistant: @massimofusardi.
Lighting assistant: @patrickinvernici.
Management: @say__media.
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
