Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa always wanted to question the stigma that said an educated woman should not, and will not join beauty pageants. She thought that beauty pageants can be the way to find her and be heard. So she found herself onstage for the first time, enthusiastic but with a hint of uncertainty. “What am I doing here,” she thought, as she sashayed in front of the entire nation. And the rest is just history.
A lot has been said about Kylie ever since the beauty was crowned. For all those who have been scratching head as to what Kylie had been doing all this while, well here you go. The reigning Miss International Kylie Verzosa was invited to talk about her advocacy at the 43rd Annual Convention of the Philippine Psychiatric Association (PPA). Kylie, with her speech proved yet again that the Miss International crown was just not fate, and in fact was a hard earned respect.
Speaking in front of the top mental health experts, psychiatrists and doctors from all over the Philippines, Kylie said, “Suicide is currently the number 2 cause of death for ages 14 to 29. I know how it feels, I have been there and have been through it. I want to let them know that there is hope; that they are not alone, that this is treatable and manageable. Please help me help them. I have a voice, they’ll listen to me.”
Kylie’s advocacy as the reigning queen has a subject and is specifically aimed at targeting youths at risk. The beauty queen came out openly about the topic right after she was crowned last October. At the end of the event, the PPA president mentioned that they are going to support Kylie in her advocacy and will help youth suffering from depression and other forms of mental illness.
Kylie Versoza, a 24 year old beauty queen and Filipino model, was crowned as the new titleholder of the Miss International pageant from among delegates who participated in the beauty contest from various countries from all over the world. She won the crown on the finale of the 56th edition of the beauty pageant which was held on October 27, 2016 at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
