Celeste Cortesi backed by family, friends,
Faith in her Miss Universe journey The young and determined contestant hopes to cap her ‘uniquely beautiful’ journey with a crown.
Miss Universe celebrates what makes each queen “uniquely beautiful.” This includes being their best and most beautiful selves by proudly representing their roots and culture and supporting meaningful advocacies with hopes to impact the world. With this campaign, Miss Universe seeks to empower women from all over the world to exemplify their charitable hearts and reveal their better and stronger versions.
The Philippines’ bet, Celeste Cortesi, embodies a beautiful queen inside and out. The Filipino-Italian model and PLDT Home ambassador advocates for women’s education, alongside protecting and safeguarding the country’s indigenous people and culture.
A family woman, Cortesi has spoken about her love for her family, who has been extra supportive of her entire 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,” Cortesi told the press months before the Miss Universe pageant.
Cortesi, who represented Pasay City, was crowned Miss Universe Philippines last April succeeding Beatrice Luigi Gomez. She also bagged that night’s Miss Photogenic and Best in Swimsuit among her other special awards.
Following her win and as part of her journey to the bigger stage, Cortesi has since been exposed to more workshops and training sessions. She has also participated in more publicity events and charity works — big and small — that altogether primed her on her way to the Miss Universe crown.
Cortesi, however, admitted that her road to the big stage naturally came across challenges. But it’s the connections with her support group
— made much stronger courtesy of PLDT Home — that only shaped her to be more ready than ever.
“I connect with my mother in Italy through the many social platforms available. She is constantly updated with my daily activities and whereabouts,” the 25-year-old model said. “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.”
Cortesi is now in
New Orleans, Louisiana, making waves with her looks she has been posting on social media. She will be witness to 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 behindher, Cortesi looks to succeed India’s Harnaaz Sandhu and take home the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown.
“My life story is still being written. Every day is a new page on the scripts. I expect to make my story more inspiring,” she said.