THOMASIAN alumnae Nina Tay Lee and Kristi Celyn Banks recently joined the prestigious list of Thomasian beauty queens.
Last Sept. 8, interior design alumna Nina Tay Lee bagged the crown for Miss Chinatown Philippines at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With the pageant aiming to culti- vate the Chinese-Filipino identity in building bridges through these two nationalities, Lee bested 11 women to win the title, along with the Best in Swimwear and Best in Formalwear awards.
“Building bridges doesn’t only mean you’re building [a] bridge to another person, but it’s more of building bridges throughout the whole community together,” Lee told the Varsitarian.
The 25-year old Lee shared that this was her first pageant and she did not expect on winning or placing.
“What prompted me to join the pageant in the first place is all about representation and how I could more or less pay back what I owe to the people who have loved and cared for me all these years,” she said.
Lee, along with the other winners of Mr. and Ms. Chinatown, are expected to be the ambassa- dress of the Chinese-Filipino community while representing the youth with their respective advocacies.
“My advocacy is all about growing passion,” Lee stated. “I want [to help] people to hone their hobbies and interests so that in the future they’ll be able to cultivate passion-driven careers,”
Advocacies take the crown
Meanwhile, philosophy alumna Kristi Celyn Banks won the 2nd Princess honors in the Miss World Philippines 2019 pageant held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sep. 15.
The 25-year old who currently works as a legal assistant cited women empowerment as one of her main advocacies.
In cooperation with the local government of Mandaluyong city for the “Batang Ina” project, Banks aims to help teenage mothers with counsel- ing and education.
She added that this project helps young mothers who are unable to produce enough milk for their babies through milk banks, where other mothers are encouraged to donate their excess milk.
“We are able to make sure that the newborns are receiving the nutrients that they need,” she said.
Banks obtained her degree from the University in 2015 and also served as Central Student Coun- cil treasurer.
She also won the Miss Bluewater Day Spa special award alongside Michelle Dee, the current Miss World Philippines.
Patrisha Kamille Gutierrez, a speech language pathology graduate in 2017, landed in the Top 22 of the pageant.
Gutierrez high- lighted that joining the pageant gave her the chance to promote her advocacy, which is the rights and inclusion
of differently-abled children.
“I would still continue with this line of work, hopefully, with bigger projects because there is a great need for awareness and services for children with spe- cial needs especially in rural areas,” the 24-year old said.
Along with Banks and Gutierrez in the Top 22 were Kayesha Clauden Chua, who graduated with a hotel and restaurant management degree in 2013 and Louise Theunis, a masters in pharmacy student.
Patricia Ann Tan, who graduated with a fine arts degree in 2019 also fought for the coveted crown.
The first Miss World Philippines pageant was held in 2011.
