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| PH’s Catriona Gray Named as Miss Universe 2018 |
A crowd favorite ever since the pre-competition, the 24-year-old model-musician wowed the audience and the selection committee in her performance during the swimsuit competition and the question and answer portion. Among the highlights of the pageant include Gray’s alluring red gown designed by Filipino designer Mak Tumang inspired by the Mayon Volcano, a favorite natural attraction in Bicol.
Asked about the most important lesson she learned in life, Gray shared about her experience working with a non-government organization (NGO) that advocated education for children in impoverished areas.
“I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila, and the life there is very poor and very sad, and I’ve always taught myself to look for the beauty in it, to look at the beauty of the faces of the children, and to be grateful. I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining, and to assess where I could give something, where I could provide as a spokesperson. If I could teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their faces,” Gray said in the pageant’s Q&A portion.
Gray, who hails from the province of Albay, bested 93 other candidates, including South Africa’s Tamaryn Green, who was named first runner-up, and Venezuela’s Sthefany Gutierrez, who was the second runner-up. Puerto Rico’s Kiara Ortega and Vietnam’s H’Hen Nie rounded up the Top 5.
“My heart is filled with so much gratitude. There were moments of doubt, where I felt overwhelmed, where I felt the pressure because so much is expected of a Filipino representative. But I would always look to the supporters, to my family and my team and there I would source my inspiration and strength,” Gray said during her first press conference as Miss Universe.