As big as Angelo Baraquio being crowned Miss America is to Hawai’i, the honor might be even more noteworthy to Filipinos. Representing her state, Baraquio was picked last Saturday over 50 other contestants in Atlantic City, N.J. to represent the
As big as Angelo Baraquio being crowned Miss America is to Hawai’i, the honor
might be even more noteworthy to Filipinos.
Representing her state,
Baraquio was picked last Saturday over 50 other contestants in Atlantic City,
N.J. to represent the nation as its female ideal. She captured the admiration
of the judges and the hearts of national television viewers with her exuberant
personality, intelligence and easy grace, including a hula performance.
Baraquio also gained attention as the first Asian-American Miss America.
Even though she said afterward that she doesn’t feel like a cultural pioneer
(“It doesn’t matter what you are. It matters who you are inside”), she stands
out now to her fellow Filipinos and other ethnic groups as a real-life example
of possibilities that can be realized regardless of race.
