West Hartford’s Blair Isufi to represent Albania on the international stage this fall.

By Melissa Cole

Blair Isufi immigrated to Connecticut from Albania when she was 2 years old.

Her family first settled in Hartford before moving to West Hartford for its school system. Blair graduated from Conard High School in 2016 and went on to earn her degree from Central Connecticut State University. Today, she works as a marketing and social media manager for a local coffee shop, models professionally – and most recently was crowned Miss Tourism Albania this past June.

Entering pageants as a young teenager was never about winning titles. For Blair, it was a way to build confidence. She describes herself in her early teen years as shy and soft-spoken.

“I was always interested in fashion, and I would watch pageants, and I always appreciated how strong and confident all the contestants were. And so I kind of saw it as like a push to myself. So I brought it up to my parents and they were all for it.”

Her first pageant was National American Miss Connecticut when she was 14 years old. It marked the beginning of a journey that would eventually lead to professional modeling. She first signed with a modeling agency in West Hartford and is now represented by Wilhelmina, working in both Los Angeles and New York City. Blair has modeled for brands including Alice + Olivia, Hawaiian Tropic, and Rag & Bone, among others.

Blair traveled to her home country of Albania in April to compete in the Miss Tourism Albania pageant. Over the course of eight weeks, she and 20 other contestants participated in runway shows, photo shoots, rounds of interviews, and even collaborations with local designers. She was delighted when some of her family surprised her by traveling to Albania for the June finale, where Blair was crowned Miss Tourism Albania.

The title earns her the opportunity to represent Albania at the Miss Tourism International pageant in Malaysia this November, which is extra exciting as it will be Blair’s first trip to Asia.

“I think the Miss Tourism pageant is going to bring all types of backgrounds and people, and I’m excited to learn about everyone and everything,” Blair said. “I can only imagine, at a bigger pageant, how much growth I’ll go through.”

Blair says the categories are similar to what we’re used to seeing in some of the more televised pageants, but there’s a little something extra in this one.

“The categories are similar – there’s swimsuit and evening gown – but the difference is we’ll have a national costume competition. Every country will represent its culture through a national costume or something unique to its own heritage.”

Speaking of her Albanian heritage, Blair says she’s especially excited to promote tourism there, one of the primary missions of the Miss Tourism pageant. She hopes the title will encourage more people to discover Albania’s beauty.

“It’s in the Balkans, so it’s very similar to Greece,” Blair said. “We have amazing beaches in the south, and the north has beautiful scenery.”

Blair also says the town where she is from, Fier, reminds her of West Hartford – a charming suburban area with a walkable downtown full of shops and restaurants. 

Another aspect of pageantry that Blair is especially passionate about is her nonprofit organization, Mendora, which focuses on mental health support and healing through art. She chose the name carefully, as it holds a two-fold special meaning. 

“It’s called Mendora,” Blair said. “I wanted something that tied back to my Albanian roots as well as my American upbringing. The name has meaning in both Albanian and English. ‘Mend’ means to heal, and ‘aura’ relates to your energy, which ties into the art aspect. In Albanian, ‘ment’ means mind and ‘dora’ means hand, so it’s like a helping hand for the mind. I just felt it was very fitting.”

Blair is still developing ideas for how Mendora will grow, particularly in the Greater Hartford area. She’s grateful that her pageant platform gives her the opportunity to raise awareness for a cause that’s near and dear to her heart. 

Again, Blair will represent Albania at the Miss Tourism International pageant this November in Malaysia. Until then, you can follow her journey on Instagram (@blair.isufi) as she prepares for the international competition, which she says is expected to be livestreamed.

“I accept this role with pride, gratitude, and a deep sense of responsibility. I look forward to representing Albania, sharing its beauty and culture, and honoring the trust that comes with this title” Blair shared on her Instagram post upon winning the title of Miss Tourism Albania in June.

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