Katarina Rodriguez has been in the spotlight for quite some time now, given her status as a beauty queen from the Philippines. The nation has also been very active this year when it comes to beauty pageants with two international crowns in its name, namely the titles of Miss Universe 2018 and Reina Hispanoamericana 2018.

26-year-old Katarina is currently the reigning Miss World Philippines 2018 and she represented the Philippines in Miss World 2018 held in Sanya, China. During her stay and her spectacular delegacy in the coveted beauty pageant, she was able to create a mark for herself amongst the 120 delegates competing for the Miss World title from all over the world. It is safe to say that she has been an inspirational figure and a role model for future beauty pageant aspirants.

Looking back on her amazing journey through the year, Katarina took to her official social media account to appreciate all the reasons the year 2018 was a huge success for her. She started her post by writing, “In 2018 I took one month travelling a bit of Egypt where I met people who have touched my life, teaching me things about myself I never would have known without meeting them.”

The Filipina beauty further added, “In 2018 I filmed a television show in Los Angeles, creating five unbreakable bonds with five incredible individuals,” referring to her participation in the show ‘The People’s Queen’. “I also danced under the stars in the middle of the California desert, eating skittles with two beautiful girls who happened to be two pieces to my unfinished puzzle of life. In 2018 I took a solo trip to New York City where I had planned on finding myself, only to have spent weeks getting lost in the city that never sleeps, in turn doing the opposite of what I had gone to do,” she continued.

Talking about the love for her country, Katarina said, “In 2018 I explored my country, both old & new places, falling in love with every bit of it. In 2018, I found the parts of me I thought I had lost in this paradise island called Siargao. I did this three times. In 2018 I became Miss World Philippines. In 2018 my big brown eyes saw for the very first time what this world is all about when I immersed myself in war-torn Marawi.”

Katarina also fondly remembers her journey in Miss World 2018 and wrote, “In 2018 I spent one month in China with over 120 extraordinary women. Ask me what women empowerment is, I can give you 120 examples.” She then continued by saying, “In 2018 I went on this insane roller coaster ride called life and learned many things, mainly about who I am as a person. This is the rhythm of life: low points, high points, and all those awkward in-betweens.”

Katarina finally ended her post by writing, “I’m a philosopher. Every day for the last year I’ve tried to understand people, places, everything & anything around me. I doubt I’ll ever fully get it. But one thing I do know, you need to feel all things, beautiful and painful, equally. It’s one thing to just live and it’s something else entirely great to constantly feel alive and to really just let yourself be a real human being. For every time my heart has been broken this year I’ve smiled 1,000 times more. Thank you 2018. Thank you to all the magical places I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Thank you to all the lessons learned and to all the successes. Thank you for all the new music. And thank you especially to all the sweet souls that have made me feel alive.”

Angelopedia wishes Katarina a very happy new year and even a more successful year ahead.