Our young and determined Miss PLDT Home hopes to mark her ‘uniquely beautiful’ journey with a crown
Get ready to cheer on Celeste Cortesi as she represents the Philippines in the 2022 edition of the Miss Universe pageant. As the current Miss Universe Philippines and Miss PLDT Home, Celeste will be competing in the world’s most prestigious and highly anticipated pageant on January 15th at 9am (Philippine time).
Miss Universe celebrates the unique beauty of each queen, and encourages them to proudly represent their roots and culture, while also supporting meaningful advocacy efforts with the goal of making a positive impact on the world.
Celeste Cortesi, a Filipino-Italian model and PLDT Home ambassador, embodies this spirit with her advocacy for women’s education and her efforts to protect and preserve the indigenous people and culture of her country. As a family woman, Celeste has spoken about her deep love and care for her family, who have been extremely supportive of her throughout her beauty pageant journey.
“My mom always expressed her desire for me joining and becoming Miss Universe. She’s always been very supportive of me. She would always encourage and motivate me during challenging times in my competitions. She is my strength,” says Celeste. Let’s all support Celeste as she takes on this journey and makes the Philippines proud.
Celeste Cortesi, who represented Pasay City, was crowned Miss Universe Philippines last April, succeeding Beatrice Luigi Gomez. She also won that night’s Miss Photogenic and Best in Swimsuit among her other special awards. Since her win, Cortesi has undergone various workshops and training sessions to prepare for the Miss Universe pageant. She has also participated in numerous publicity events and charity works, both big and small, which have helped to prime her for the Miss Universe crown.
Despite the challenges she faced, Cortesi admits that her support group, made stronger by her partnership with PLDT Home, has helped shape her and make her more ready than ever for the big stage.
“I connect with my mother in Italy through the many social platforms available. She is constantly updated with my daily activities and whereabouts,” says 25-year-old model Celeste Cortesi. “We are so thankful for good internet connectivity because I can video-call my mother, my sister, and my best friend all the way from Italy with no interruptions. We get to catch up and see how much we’ve grown since the last time we saw each other physically.”
As she prepares for the Miss Universe pageant, Cortesi is currently in New Orleans, Louisiana, making waves with her stunning looks which she has been posting on social media. She will be part of another star-studded event, with Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo and Emmy award-winning TV personality Jeannie Mai Jenkins as hosts and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and entertainment host Zuri Hall as backstage commentators.
With family, friends, fellow queens, and the rest of Filipinos behind this young, determined queen, Cortesi looks to succeed India’s Harnaaz Sandhu and take home the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown. She has come prepared, but for now, she said, it all boils down to faith.
“My life story is still being written. Every day is a new page on the scripts. I expect to make my story more inspiring.”
