Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray started her duties as the newly crowned queen on 8th January 2019 after her big shift to New York City. Day 1 of her US Media Tour was a huge success where she appeared in Good Morning America, Live with Kelly and Ryan and Celebrity Page TV. She received a lot of respect as she was welcomed by the prestigious hosts of famous talk shows in America that have a wide range of audience.
One the second day of her Miss Universe Media Tour, Catriona was seen wearing a simple but a very elegant blue knee-length dress along with her Miss Universe sash. She appeared on the Good Day Show where she was introduced to the audience as the fourth Filipina Miss Universe. After a warm welcome, she was then asked about her big move to New York City where she is currently residing in the Big Apple. It has been a tradition for all the Miss Universes to reside in that apartment during their reign.
Talking about her apartment, Catriona said, “The apartment is amazing like I can look out my kitchen and see Central Park!” She seemed really happy and excited as she continued, “So I feel like I am in a movie or something, you know! This is what you dream about.” When asked about how many places she searched before getting the apartment, Catriona explained that it is the ‘Miss Universe Apartment’ and that was where all the winners have lived along with Miss USA.
It seems like this mega beauty queen just realised that she is the new Miss Universe as she explained that after she was crowned, she left for the Philippines for a small charity event and was holed up for Christmas and New Year’s. “This is kind of my new appearance as Miss Universe and it feels real now!” She was then asked about the mother’s dream if she was inspired by that when she thought of the gown, Catriona said that she is pretty strong headed and she explored her options before giving her red gown a big nod.
Earlier the teenage girl who was uninterested in the pageant world changed her mind when she saw that beauty queen have a voice that is heard amongst the Filipino community something that she was very proud of when she explained it to the hosts. Catriona has never shied away from talking about the gruesome conditions in which the children of Tondo, Manila live, which was also the topic of her advocacy during the final question on the stage of Miss Universe before she received her title.
Being the messianic woman that Catriona is, she jumped into the chance to help out those unfortunate children by contributing her time, resources and her love to Young Focus Philippines, an organization which aims at providing quality education for free. One can easily see the number of efforts that she is putting in to create awareness about the difficulties that are brought forth by poverty and draw inspiration from her to do good for their respective communities.
When asked about what she was going to do next, Catriona said that after she wraps up the US Media Tour, she will be leaving for Indonesia. Since her roommate during the Miss Universe 2018 finale was Miss Universe Indonesia 2018 Sonia Fergina Citra, Catriona has received a lot of advice as to what to eat and where to go. Catriona also expresses her interest in catching up with the Indonesian beauty who was able to secure a position amongst the Top 20 during the grand finale.
Following her interview with Good Day New York, it was time for Catriona to talk with the host of the Build Series NYC. She told the host that it took her some time to realise that she is not only speaking to her Filipino people now, but she is also addressing a global audience. The host then said how it must have been for her to live in so many different countries and experience different cultures, to which she replied that she has learnt to have an open mind towards everything. Catriona also clearly said that she is a proud Filipino even though she was brought up in two different worlds.
Addressing the influence of social media in the world of beauty pageants, Catriona started by saying that she was overwhelmed when she gain three million followers on Instagram in just a week. She expressed her desire to use this wide audience to educate them, create awareness and draw people to different causes for the benefit of their respective communities and end up making a world a better place.
During the end of her interview with the Build Series NYC, Catriona answered some questions raised by the audience sitting in the studio. She addressed all the questions gracefully and one could see the passion in her eyes and the drive to do as much as she for different causes by using the platform that she has been given. It has only been a few weeks since the beginning of her reign and she is already making an impact by creating awareness. As Kerry Justice from the Build Series NYC said, “The woman does it all!”