Andrea Rubio of Venezuela is Miss International 2023
Andrea Rubio of Venezuela has been crowned as the new Miss International titleholder!
The beauty queen emerged as the one who is most deserving of the crown against 69 other aspirants at the pageant's grand coronation night held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan on Oct. 26.
She will now take over the reign of Jasmin Selberg of Germany, who was crowned as the winner in December 2022.
Her victory comes as she displayed confidence and intellect during the nerve-wracking question and answer portion, in which she was asked about where she sees herself in terms of her career five years from now.
"In five years, I see myself as an independent woman who works with her communication skills. Being here in Miss International is going to allow me to get this platform, and to show all women they deserve what they dream," Andrea said.
"I've been working with the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) number five, in Equality of Genders and Empowerment of Girls. That's what I want to do to spread the message as Miss International," she continued.
Coming close to the crown are the first runner-up Sofía Osío from Colombia, second runner-up Camila Díaz from Peru, third runner-up Nicole Borromeo from the Philippines, and fourth runner-up Vanessa Hayes from Bolivia.
In the question and answer portion, Nicole, who wore her Majestic Magindara gown, was asked about what she has done to further the SDG initiative.
She emphasized her experience in volunteering for a non-profit organization to advocate for SDG #11 or "Sustainable Cities and Communities."
"As someone who experienced the wrath of natural disasters, home is everything. I have worked tirelessly with Habitat for Humanity under the SDG goal number 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities," Borromeo answered.
"It is through this volunteer work that I could see in the faces of the children how much they wanted to help, how much they wanted to be a part of the future. Because when it comes to sustainability, we must keep in mind that it’s not only for the next generation but to include them in the process," she added.
During finals night, the pageant also recognized other beauty queens for special awards. Angola's Teresa Sara won Best National Costume, Indonesia's Farhana Nariswari won Best Evening Gown, Zimbabwe's Charlotte Muziri won Miss Fitness, and New Zealand's Georgia Waddington won Miss Photogenic.