Miss Universe 2022 and Filipino-American R’Bonney Gabriel said that she is proud of her Filipino heritage shortly after she was crowned in the 71st edition of the pageant in New Orleans, United States.
“Filipinos love pageantry. To be half-Filipino, I feel like that helped me feel the energy in the crowd. The support is everything. I feel blessed. As the first Filipino-American Miss Universe, I can now be a voice, a larger voice for other girls and just show them that you need to embrace who you are. It’s so important. Embrace what makes you different,” Gabriel said in a post pageant briefing.
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Gabriel believes that her win could help the plight of Filipino-American communities in the U.S.
“I think this will make Filipinos even more proud to be a Filipino. Whenever you see someone similar to you, whether that’s a culture or somebody that is in the same sports as you or has the same interest as you, you get excited and you want to embrace more of who you are. So, I am so excited for Filipinos to be shown in that light and continue to celebrate that,” she explained.
The new Miss Universe said that winning the crown is the ‘best feeling’ in the world.
“The journey was not easy. I won Miss USA in October. I had three months to prepare. It was very challenging. There were ups and downs and times where I doubted myself but I always felt like I have a purpose,” she said.
“I always go back to my purpose as to why I am doing this. I realized that your purpose is something people can’t take away from you. No one can take away a strong foundation or core that you have. I always go back to that. It’s such an amazing feeling to be standing here now as Miss Universe,” the beauty queen explained.
Gabriel hopes that her journey could be an inspiration to others to follow their dreams.
“Your failure can actually be an opportunity to come back stronger. If not now, then when? That was on my swimsuit cape. That is my favorite saying that I was talking about. My father would always say that because now more than ever is the time to do things that you want to do, whatever that is,” she said.
