Ela Mino

Ela Mino Lilac Festival May 25, 2014

Rasela “Ela” Mino is a Canadian model from Calgary, who has won multiple beauty pageants, culminating with her winning the Miss Global 2014 competition.

She went on to become a successful lawyer in California.

Personal life

Mino before 2012 Lilac Parade

Mino was born in Calgary shortly after her mother, Bukurie Mino, arrived eight months pregnant in Canada as a refugee from Albania. She moved to Calgary with her family shortly after. Mino visited Albania when she was eight, and is a fluent speaker of Albanian and English. At the age of 10, she volunteered with the Centre for Newcomers, which helps immigrants to Canada, as well as various other charitable organizations. Mino was active in sports growing up, including soccer and hockey. She played soccer with the Calgary Rangers Soccer Club.

Pageantry and modeling

Mino at 2014 Lilac Parade

Ela Mino won the Miss Red Deer pageant for 2011 and the Miss Calgary pageant for 2012.  She entered the Miss Universe Canada 2012 competition, winning the special award of Miss Photogenic, with Sahar Biniaz becoming Miss Universe. Mino again competed in the Miss Universe Canada 2013 competition, where Riza Santos won the crown.

In 2014 Mino represented Canada in the Reinado Internacional del Café (Queen of Coffee) competition held every year in Manizales, Colombia. Priscilla Durand from Brazil won the contest.

Mino was a group leader in the Little Miss Calgary and Junior Miss Calgary competitions, helping younger girls in the pageant system.

Miss Global 2014

Mino at Lilac Parade 2014

In 2014 Mino won the right to represent Canada in the second annual Miss Global competition. While aboard the Crown Princess cruise ship, she was crowned Miss Global by her predecessor, Emily Kiss, who also represented Canada.  During her reign as Miss World, she promoted an anti-bullying agenda. She regularly spoke to students in schools on the topic. During the Miss Global 2015 pageant held in the Philippines, Mino crowned her successor, Jessica Peart, representing Australia.

Harper’s Bazaar

Mino appeared in a feature spread and on the cover of the January 2019 edition of Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam. Mino shared the cover with Barbara Vitorelli, who was Miss Global 2017, representing Brazil.

Legal career

Mino studied Law and Society at the University of Calgary, graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently attended USC Gould School of Law, graduating in 2018 with a Juris Doctor degree. While attending law school, Mino worked for The Walt Disney Company in the Corporate Legal group. She also interned at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in the Hardcore Gang Division.

She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2018, when she became an attorney. Shortly after, she joined a national law firm, working on complex civil litigation in state and federal court with a focus Commercial Litigation. In 2022 she became Corporate Counsel for an AI-driven product placement, influencer marketing, and licensing company.

Photo notes

All the photos on this page were taken by me at the Lilac Festival in Calgary. Mino appeared in 2012 and 2014, wearing her Miss Calgary 2012 sash, in the parade that kicks off the annual festival.

© 2024 Robert Thivierge