Fil-Am Ki'ilani Arruda is Miss Teen USA 2020
Fil-Am Ki’ilani Arruda joins the list of Pinays making a name for themselves in the global scene after winning the Miss Teen USA 2020.
Arruda was hailed the 37th Miss Teen USA during the pageant’s grand coronation night held on November 7 in Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
Arruda represented Hawaii and bested 50 candidates, including first runner-up Miss Oregon Shayla Montgomery and second runner-up Miss Georgia Shayla Jackson.
#MissTeenUSA 2020 is....Hawaii!!! #MissTeenUSA is LIVE from @visitgraceland on the Official Miss USA Facebook Page. https://t.co/SooOI1wUm3 pic.twitter.com/xFwNlGGdUV
— Miss Teen USA (@MissTeenUSA) November 8, 2020
During the pageant’s Q&A portion, Arruda was asked, “What has experiencing a global pandemic taught you about life?”
The 19-year-old beauty queen answered, “Well, of course this global pandemic is very unprecedented and has taught me a lot about life. For me, it has especially taught me how to appreciate my family. I got to spend so much time with my family, my little sister, my little brother. I love them dearly, and I know that soon, in spring, I will be going into college, and I won’t have those precious moments to share with them. So really, it’s just to cherish those moments. And it’s so honorable I get to represent my home of Hawaii, so just being at home is so wonderful.”
Arruda is the successor of Miss Teen USA 2019 Kaliegh Garris and the second candidate with Filipino origin to seize the throne after Miss Teen USA 1998 Vanessa Minillo-Lachey.
She is also Hawaii’s second candidate to win the crown, following Kelly Hu in 1985.
A self-proclaimed “island girl,” Arruda was raised in the island of Kauai by her American father and Filipino mother.
Ki’ilani Arruda’s long-awaited victory
Arruda’s participation in Miss Teen USA this year was not her first attempt at the national title.
In an Instagram post dated November 20, 2018, the teen beauty queen shared that she is “beyond humbled” to be crowned Miss Kauai Teen USA 2019.
Her journey to the national stage was cut short when she was defeated by Miss Hawaii Teen 2019 Leimakamae Freitas at the regional round. Freitas won, while Arruda was first runner-up.
Like a true iron-willed queen, Arruda made a remarkable comeback in February this year as the recently crowned Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2020.
Her story is akin to that of her idol Catriona Gray, who ranked third runner-up in Miss World in 2016 prior to claiming the titles Binibining Pilipinas and Miss Universe 2018.
Arruda revealed looking up to her as a “role model” during a virtual presscon because "I am a half-Filipino myself and her reign was so amazing.”
Soon-to-be doctor
Arruda is a freshman at the University of Puget Sound, taking up a pre-med degree in molecular and cellular biology with minor in Spanish.
She took up secondary education at the Island School in Hawaii where Arruda graduated with 4.0 GPA and multiple awards over the course of her studies, according to Miss Hawaii Teen USA’s website,
She competed in volleyball, swimming, and track and will continue living an active lifestyle as a swimmer of her university.
A licensed behavior technician and a doting sister to her younger brother with autism, Arruda aims to live out her life as Miss Teens USA 2020 advocating for autism awareness.
Banner image from Miss Teen USA.