NAME:  

Mark Joseph A. Sore Module 2 – Activity 2

PROGRAM:  MM Engineering Management - 1
PROFESSOR:  Dr. Benilda N. Villenas DATE: March 5, 2022

Activity #2

Cite an example of a global leader who wields/wielded a significant influence in global

decision making and how they used such influence in creating a better world.

Discussion to fit 5 pages (12 pt. arial, double-spaced, with in-text citations, and a

reference list on an 8 ½ x 11 bond paper).

Silver Lining

She is the darling of the crowd during the Miss Universe 2018 event. She

confidently carries the “LUZVIMINDA,” for the national costume competition. She is on

fire while wearing her “Mayon Volcano inspired” evening gown. She wowed the crowd

on how she does the lava walk during the swimsuit competition as she turned the world

into slow motion. When Steve Harvey asked, “What is the most important lesson you’ve

learned in your life, and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?”, she

answered “I work a lot in the slums of Tondo Manila and the life there is very it’s poor.

And it’s very sad and I’ve always taught myself to look for the beauty in it. To look in the

beauty in the faces of the children and to be grateful. And I would bring this aspect as a

Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining and to assess where I could give

something where I could provide something as a spokesperson. And this I think if I

could also teach people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where

negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their face.

1
Thank you!”. The lady who captured the crowd at Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand that

night and eventually won the competition is Miss Catriona Magnayon-Gray.

According to Rappler.com (2018), Catriona was born in Cairns, Australia to an

Australian father and Filipina mother then moved to the Philippines in her late teens.

She worked primarily as a model, appearing in various commercials and magazines,

before entering the pageant world. Before becoming Miss Universe 2018, Catriona also

reigned as Miss World Philippines 2016, and competed in the Miss World pageant,

finishing in the Top 5. Aside from being a commercial model, Catriona is also a singer

and songwriter, and even holds a master’s certificate in music theory from the Berklee

College of Music in Boston. She released her first single, “We’re in this together” in late

November, in partnership with the organization she supports, Young Focus Philippines.

Catriona’s fierceness may stem from her martial arts training in her youth. She started

training in Choi Kwang Do when she was 8 years old and earned her black belt when

she was 12. Her winning gown, by designer Mak Tumang, was inspired by the Mayon

Volcano in her hometown, Albay. Her now-iconic earcuff by Tessera is a tribute to the 3

stars and sun in the Philippine flag. According to Catriona in the post-pageant press

conference, the color of her gown is extra-significant, because her mother previously

dreamed that she joined and won the competition wearing a red dress.

She said, “No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart!”. Catriona Gray

has always led by example and is a role model not just to Filipinas but women across

the globe. The winner of Miss Universe 2018 was lauded for her amazing work amid the

2
global pandemic and was awarded ‘Women of Influence’ by the Cosmopolitan

Philippines for her humanitarian work. The diva who has always used her platform to

help vulnerable communities, after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus made sure to

reach out to the people who needed the utmost attention in such circumstances. With

the help of ‘Young Focus’, a non-profit organization that she’s been working with, she

helped serve the families in Tondo that lacked necessities of survival after the global

lockdown. In association with the NGO, she launched the #NoWorkNoRice campaign, a

fundraiser meant to supply families with 15 kilograms of rice along with other food every

10 days until the lockdown ended. She received love and support from her fellow

citizens and was able to raise a total of P5 million to provide over 100,000 kilograms of

rice to feed thousands of families. She has many ongoing initiatives for the betterment

of society. In collaboration with the Bayanihan Musikahan, she aims to promote their

‘Mask4AllPH’ campaign, an initiative to provide free masks to poor families. Her second

campaign with Young Focus called ‘Quality Education for All’ has been initiating

fundraisers to put up two computer centers for students in Smokey Mountain, Tondo to

continue studying without any hindrance. Catriona who is also the ambassador of the

National Commission for Culture and the Arts launched ‘Kultura 101 with Cat’ that aims

to educate the younger generation about Filipino heritage, arts, and culture.

When asked about her response to President Duterte's statement that the

presidency is not a job for women, Gray said “I don’t think your capacity to be a leader

is determined by your gender”. Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray said that one’s

3
capacity for leadership is not determined by gender but by character and skills. She is

indeed a woman for woman-empowerment.

Personally, I have been following her every small step of humanitarian works

since her Miss World Philippines days. She is not only a beauty, not just a beauty with a

brain, not only confidently beautiful, but a beauty with a purpose. She is using her

platform not just to show her beauty, talent, and grace but to influence every little girl in

the world that no one can stop you from dreaming a crown, and to be a crowned woman

with a burning torch to illuminate the lives of many. In her answer to the Miss World

2016 pageant she said, “I think first, it takes bravery. To be a Miss World is to carry a

burning torch. It is like action carried out by one to illuminate the lives of many. And I

would dedicate my whole self, my love for the arts, and my voice to trying to uplift,

empower, and educate people. And it would be my greatest honor and duty to hold this

torch high enough so that all the world could feel and see its light.”

A woman of style, drive, fierceness, bravery, and kindness. So many positive

adjectives to describe Miss Catriona Gray. She is being a beauty queen made her a

leader. The greatest characteristic of a leader is to be able to influence the lives of

many. When crowned with multiple titles, and finally getting on top as Miss Universe,

she inspired and influenced many aspiring beauty queens to be a modern and

phenomenal woman. She set standard of beauty, confidence, and advocacies on the

stage that is dominated by the most influential beautiful woman across the world. I am

excited to see another influential leader-beauty queen from the Philippines who will

4
again make our country proud and spread her leadership and kindness to the world.

The silver lining that Catriona painted on the slums of Tondo Manila flourished not only

in the Philippines but infinitely continues in the entire universe.

REFERENCES:

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/155933-catriona-gray-miss-world-2016-top-5-

question-answer/

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/celebrities/catriona-gray-response-duterte-

statement-women-as-leader/

https://beautypageants.indiatimes.com/miss-universe/catriona-gray-honored-with-

women-of-influence-award-by-cosmopolitan-philippines/articleshow/77924120.cms

https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/pageants/219052-things-to-know-catriona-gray/

https://mattscradle.com/catriona-gray-answer/#:~:text=Catriona%20Gray%20Answer

%3A%20I%20work,children%20and%20to%20be%20grateful.