Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi took to social media to recall her pageant journey after she was crowned on Saturday, April 30 and described the achievement as her “second chance.”
“Yesterday, as I was walking on that beautiful stage, all I was thinking [about were] my mom and dad,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “The strength I got from them is indescribable. I’ve worked so hard for this, I’ve prepared. And I let God do the rest in knowing that whatever is meant for me will never pass me by.”
Cortesi said that the strength that her parents gave her was “indescribable,” and the Filipina-Italian beauty queen added that she has come a long way since arriving in the Philippines.
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“[I have] worked so hard for this, [I have] prepared. And I let God do the rest in knowing that whatever is meant for me will never pass me by,” she said.
She was named Miss Philippines Earth in 2018.
“[I have] grown so much since I came to the Philippines [five] years ago and I really promised myself that I would only join a pageant if ready to take the responsibility of a crown, and I am now. Yesterday, I’ve received my second chance and I am beyond honored and grateful to be able to represent my country in the [Miss Universe],” she said.
