Catriona Gray

“To see situations with a silver lining, and to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson.” In her winning answer to the final question of Miss Universe 2018, this, Catriona Gray said, was the most important lesson she had learned in her life, and also the lesson she would bring to the crown. Her answer clinched the title, making her the Philippines’ second Miss Universe winner in three years—one of only four Filipino winners in the pageant’s 70-year history. And because Filipinos love beauty pageants, Gray’s win also meant that she would be a star for years, perhaps even decades, to come.

Using the platform of her celebrity, Gray continues to advocate for women’s rights, children’s rights, and cultural promotion, particularly through partnerships with the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Gray has also been a significant patron of the nonprofit group Young Focus, which helps provide education to marginalised youths.

Apart from her civic engagements, Gray has remained a prominent media personality and is now nurturing her career as a recording artist as well.