Another crown has been added to the Philippines’ pageant legacy as Filipino nurse Joelle Devine Uy clinched the Miss Sudamerica Global Contest 2025 title in Peru.
The Cebuana beauty queen made the Filipino pageant community proud by bringing home the Miss Sudamerica crown, outshining candidates from various countries during the grand finals held in Lima on July 7 (Philippine Time).
Uy captivated the audience in both the swimsuit and evening gown competitions, earning special accolades including the Fitness Award and Swimsuit Icon.
The newly crowned Pinay beauty queen shone even more during the question-and-answer (Q&A) segment, where she shared her personal experience and passion for women’s health in response to a question about leadership, rejection, and inspiration.
“As a nurse and as an advocate, I had the opportunity to speak about menstrual hygiene in my rural community. And in the Philippines, menstrual hygiene is not as discussed due to social stigma. So I was encouraged to empower. I was met with a lot of resistance and even discomfort. And because of that I felt rejected,” Uy recounted.
“But with that, instead of turning away, I chose to sit with them and listen to them to learn from their experiences and ultimately to lead with an open heart. And within that, that’s when the true shift happened. Because leadership doesn’t come from when everyone accepts you, but rather it comes from your true character, from your compassion, from your patience,” she added.
“And with that, I learned that rejection taught me how to lead with humility, and that resistance is often caused by misunderstanding and fear. And as leaders, it’s our responsibility to meet that with empathy. So with that, I don’t see rejection as a form of failure, but rather a redirection for greater impact and an opportunity to grow and know where to improve. So that next time, I can lead to inspire — and hopefully do that as your next Miss Global. Muchas gracias,” she concluded.
The US-born, proud Cebuana, who was previously crowned Miss Cebu 2024 First Runner-Up, also highlighted Filipino culture during the talent competition by performing the Sinulog dance.
She also donned a traditional Filipino terno for the closed-door interview.
Here is the final result of the recently concluded 6th edition of the Miss Sudamerica Global Contest:
- Miss Sudamerica 2025 – Joelle Devine Uy, Philippines
- First Runner-up – Jacqueline Lau, HongKong
- Second Runner-up – Farrah McGraw, Canada
- Third Runner-up – Gianella Hermoza, Peru
- Teen Miss Sudamerica – Caitlin Bosman, Namibia
- Lady Miss Sudamerica – Catarina Silva, Portugal
With her achievement in the recently concluded international pageant, Uy joins the list of Filipinos who have made the country proud by winning titles in Latin America.
In 2017, Pinay actress, dancer, and beauty queen Winwyn Marquez made history as the first Filipina to compete in — and win — the Reina Hispanoamericana title in Bolivia.
The following year, Filipino model Baron Andrews brought home the Mr. Star Model Universe 2018 crown from Peru.
In 2022, educator and accountant Jerelleen Rodriguez was crowned Reina Internacional del Chocolate 2022 at the Reina Internacional del Cacao competition in Panama.
And in February 2025, once again in Bolivia, singer-songwriter Dia Mate won the Philippines’ second Reina Hispanoamericana crown.
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