CDMX.- R’Bonney Gabriel, representative of the United States, was crowned the beauty queen of Miss Universe 2022.
The crown was ceded by the winner of the last edition, Harnaaz Sandhu, who was received with applause at the contest that took place this year in New Orleans.
R’Bonney, 28, beat out contestants Andreína Martínez, from the Dominican Republic, and Amanda Dudamel, from Venezuela.
To win the crown, all three finalists faced the same question: “How would you work to show that this organization (Miss Universe) is empowering and progressive?”
In his response, R’Bonney Gabriel spoke about the importance of investing in women and their talents, which convinced the jury.
“When we plant those people in our lives, we will transform them,” he said.
Born in Houston, Texas, R’Bonney Gabriel became the ninth woman to win the Miss Universe title for the United States, after Miriam Stevenson, Carol Ann Laverne, Linda Jeanne Bement, Sylvia Louise Hitchcock, Shawn Nichols Weatherly, Chelsi Mariam- Pearl Smith, Antoinette Mahealani, and Olivia Frances Culpo.
In the pageant’s history, the winner is the first U.S. representative of Filipino descent, as her father is a doctor of psychology who immigrated to the country when she was young.
She has a degree in Fashion and Apparel Design and created her own fashion label, R’Bonney Nola. She is also a member of Magpies & Peacocks, an organization and design house where she teaches sewing classes.
Compared to other editions, this year, the winner will be in charge of a social project in Thailand.
