MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ Karen Gallman was crowned Miss Intercontinental on Sunday after a fierce competition in the Philippine capital Manila that ended a little past midnight.
Gallman, 25, edged out more than 80 contestants from around the globe in the 47-year-old pageant, finishing ahead of Costa Rica and Slovak Republic. The Filipino-Australian beauty queen made history as the first Filipina to win the international pageant.
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Asked to define success, Gallman stressed in her final answer the importance of setting goals.
“For me, success is not just about winning in life but setting goals — smaller goals — and achieving your dreams and working hard for everything you want and always looking up to God and being thankful for everything. For me, that is success,” she said.
Gallman’s Miss Intercontinental journey was closely followed in the pageant-obsessed Philippines, which is still ecstatic after Catriona Gray won the Miss Universe crown and sash last month.
Social media was filled with cheers as the Philippines’ Miss Intercontinental bet went through each successive round and eventually won.
At the heart of Gallman's advocacy is improving education in the Philippines’ rural areas. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral