Meet the Asian Beauties for Miss Universe 2017

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Anait Isahanova Miss Universe Armenia 2017

Anait Isahanova from Armenia is 22 years of age and stands tall at 177 cm. Anait is a TV host and a musician by profession. She was born and raised at Riga, Latvia. Armenia is one of the debuting countries in this year’s Miss Universe. She believes that, “Do not lose yourself among the billions - be special, but remember where, how and with whom you took your first steps and learned the first words.”

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Sotheary Bee Miss Universe Cambodia 2017

Sotheary Bee from Cambodia is 19 years of age and stands tall at 173 cm. Sotheary By is honoured to be the first representative from Cambodia to compete in Miss Universe. She is eager for the opportunity to represent her home country on a global stage as well as be a role model for young women in her country. At the age of 14, she began earning her own living as a professional model. Her nickname 'Bee' was coined by her brother who describes her as a busy-bee who loves to be active. As a child, she played sports with the boys, but was never discouraged to pursue her modelling career and participate in pageants.

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Qiu Qiang Miss Universe China 2017

Qiu Qiang from China is 27 years of age and stands tall at 175 cm. Qiu is a professional model who enjoys travel and sports. She studied for four years in college earning herself a Musical Drama Degree. Qiu is the ambassador of the Beijing Adoption Day and with her work, she has rescued over 100 dogs during China Yulin dog festival last year from being slaughtered and eaten. When she isn't helping animals, she likes to act, hip-hop dance, sing, and box.

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Mariam Gogodze Miss Universe Georgia 2017

Mariam Gogodze (aka Marita Gogodze) from Georgia is 21 years of age and stands tall at 178 cm. She is a 4th year Dental student who is on her way to becoming an Orthodontist. Outside of her academic endeavours, Mariam is a professional model in Georgia and has had successfully participated in fashion weeks across the region. In her free time, Mariam enjoys her primary passions of practising yoga and spending time with animals.

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Shraddha Shashidhar Miss Universe India 2017

Shraddha Shashidhar from India is 21 years of age and stands tall at 170 cm. A media graduate who specialized in journalism, Shraddha aspires to be a globetrotter and a television host of global repute. Having migrated to 24 states and studied in 11 schools, she is a master of many trades. She is a seasonal face of Nike India and recipient of an outstanding performer in academics by Govt. of India. Shraddha has also done tremendously well at classical dancing, running marathons and athletics.

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Bunga Jelitha Ibrani Miss Universe Indonesia 2017

Bunga Jelitha Ibrani from Indonesia is 26 years of age and stands tall at a staggering 180 cm. A professional international model for 12 years now, she began her career at 13 years old. Through modelling, she loves to travel and learn about the cultures of the places she visits. Bunga hopes to make history as the first Miss Universe Indonesia to win the title of Miss Universe. If she is crowned Miss Universe, Bunga would use her voice to advocate for the protection of children from violence. She would also like to promote better education programs through non-profit organizations.

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Sarah Idan Miss Universe Iraq 2017

Sarah Idan from Iraq is 27 years of age and stands tall at 170 cm. She grew up in a war torn country and witnessed tragic events which led her to find her true calling in music as it brought her peace. Determined to follow her dream as a singer and songwriter, Sarah travelled across the world to Los Angeles where she earned a degree in music. Listening to music played a huge role in Sarah's life as it was the gateway to her learning English at the age of 13. Now, she volunteers with refugees and immigrants in US Arab communities by translating, explaining the US system and guiding them through DPSS and the school application process.

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Adar Gandelsman Miss Universe Israel 2017

Adar Gandelsman from Israel is 19 years of age and stands tall at 170 cm. She is a second year soldier in the Israeli Defence Force and is passionate about her duties with the force. She comes from a Brazilian family, which is where her inspiration came from to build her company; Moda Brasil Fitness. She volunteers at a variety of organizations, one including a non-profit Israeli organization named Varaity that works for children with disabilities. At Varaity, Adar spends time with teenage girls and helps them with homework and playing games.

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Momoko Abe Miss Universe Japan 2017

Momoko Abe from Japan is 23 years of age and stands tall at 175 cm. She best describes herself as athletic and artistic. She is particularly proud of her golf skills, participating in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour with her best score of 68. Momoke enjoys playing piano, and takes a strong interest in the classics like Beethoven and Mozart. In college, she studied Philosophy and focused her extra-curricular time towards participating in volunteer work.

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Kamilla Asylova Miss Universe Kazakhstan 2017

Kamilla Asylova from Kazakhstan is 19 years of age and stands tall at 175 cm. She was born in a small village, but thanks to her perseverance she attended one of the best colleges in Kazakhstan. Now Kamila dreams of becoming a public figure, fighting for the rights and protection of women against domestic violence. In her spare time, Kamilla can be found singing and dancing to folk. Uniquely, Kamilla actively participates in car racing and has even won a competition.

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Cho Sewhee Miss Universe South Korea 2017

Cho Se-Whee from South Korea is 26 years of age and stands tall at 171 cm. She hails from Gyeonggi province and is a South Korean model by profession. She shared a lovely message on her social media account, “Maybe I could not do anything on my own! I have done everything I can to improve my level during the preparation period of one year, and there is no regret. I know just what I lack and I know that I can improve it. It is a good thing. I'll put all the rest down, leave it to God, and come on stage for Miss Universe competition!”

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Souphaphone Somvichith Miss Universe Laos 2017

Souphaphone Somvichith from Laos is 20 years of age and stands tall at 170 cm. She is a Laotian model by profession and hails from Pakse, Champasak province. She is a student of Comcenter College, where she majors in Business Administration. She is not new in the glitz of pageantry as she was the first runner-up in the Miss Vientiane 2016 pageant. She has done appearances on various media outlets, including appearing in a music video and even becoming a cover girl for Mahason Magazine.

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Jana Sader Miss Universe Lebanon 2017

Jana Sader from Lebanon is 20 years of age and stands tall at 178 cm. She is in her third year of studying Law and hopes to eventually become a Human Rights Lawyer. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family. Jana has a passion for befriending the elderly in her community and volunteers with her local municipality to provide care and support for elderly people living by themselves. She visits them for few hours a week, helps with shopping, and makes sure they have the medicine they need.

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Samantha Katie Miss Universe Malaysia 2017

Samantha Katie James from Malaysia is 23 years of age and stands tall at 170 cm. She was born and raised in Klang, Selangor. As an only child to a single mother, she was raised by guardians almost all her whole life. As a result, she became independent at an early age. After being discovered as a model, her assignments have taken her around the world and given her opportunity to experience living in different countries and working with people of various cultural backgrounds.

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Zun Than Sin Miss Universe Myanmar 2017

Zun Than Sin from Myanmar is 22 years of age and stands tall at 174 cm. She is a National University of Art and Culture graduate who with holds a degree in Cinema and Drama. She is the founder of a flood relief charity group, a supporter for animal rights, and campaigns for the rights of the people living with HIV/AIDS. If she brings the crown to her homeland, she would put education programs in action to end the problems related with HIV/AIDS. Zun also has an artistic side as she is trained in Myanmar Harp and Myanmar traditional dance.

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Nagma Shrestha Miss Universe Nepal 2017

Nagma Shrestha from Nepal is 26 years old and stands tall at 180 cm. She best describes herself as a dreamer and an achiever. She believes that she has the determination to never stop trying until she succeeds. Nagma is proud of her multi-tasking skills as she is pursuing a degree in Management as well. At the age of 16, she started her career as a TV host on Image Channel. Today, she is a producer and presenter of her travel show, STEPS. When she isn't studying or working, Nagma volunteers as an ambassador for Child reach Nepal, programs for the health, education and protection of children, as well as Pinkathon Nepal, an event to raise awareness of Breast cancer.

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Rachel Louise Peters Miss Universe Philippines 2017

Rachel Louise Peters from Philippines is 26 years of age and stands tall at 173 cm. She graduated with a degree in business and has since been working in the events industry. She is always up for a new challenge and loves coffee, the beach, surfing and interior design. Rachel found a way to combine all the things she loves by opening a small cafe on the small island of Siargao. She is an advocate for celebrating one's individuality despite all the noise and pressures of social media.

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Manuela Bruntraeger Miss Universe Singapore 2017

Manuela Bruntraeger from Singapore is 24 years of age and stands tall at 164 cm. She is a graduate of Lasalle College of the Arts. Manuela’s father is German and her mother is a Singaporean of Portuguese descent. After the victory parade of Miss Universe Singapore 2017, the 164 cm tall beauty revealed that her height was one of the biggest challenges she faced during the competition. "As I am one of the more petite girls, I have heard the words 'short, small, tiny' along the way. But now, knowing all my hard work has paid off, I have learnt that it is okay to be fun-sized, and there is never a bad size," said Manuela.

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Christina Peiris Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2017

Christina Peiris from Sri Lanka is 23 years of age and stands tall at 175 cm. Before earning the title of Miss Universe Sri Lanka, Christina Peiris became the youngest entrepreneur in her family. Ever since she was young she had a passion for fashion and travelling, leading her to complete her degree in fashion. Christina created a humanitarian clothing brand where she donates a percentage of her earnings to cancer patients. Her friends and family best describe her as funny, hardworking and compassionate to everyone around her.

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Maria Lynn Ehren Miss Universe Thailand 2017

Maria Lynn Ehren (aka Maria Poonlertlarp) from Thailand is 25 years of age and stands at a staggering 183 cm. She currently lives in her hometown Bangkok. She has earned her Bachelor's Degree in International Business Management and a Master's Degree in Marketing. Maria enjoys trying new things, especially foods from different cultures. With Thailand having the second highest rate of teenage pregnancies in SEA, Maria is passionate about sharing the importance of sex education for the safety and health of teens.

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Pinar Tartan Miss Universe Turkey 2017

Pınar Tartan from Turkey is 20 years of age and stands tall at towering 183 cm. She is currently studying Law at Yasar University and plans to become a Lawyer who fights for justice and public awareness of women's rights. When she isn’t studying, Tartan enjoys music, literature and art. Throughout her life, she has taken many chances to get involved and educate herself about international politics.

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Loan Nguyen Thi Miss Universe Vietnam 2017

Nguyễn Thị Loan from Vietnam is 27 years of age and stands tall at 175 cm. Growing up in a farmer’s family in an underprivileged rural village of Vietnam, Nguyen Loan spent most of her childhood without parental care and soon left home at 14 years old to lead an independent life. Serving in the army at age 14 helped develop her sense of responsibility, disciplines and maturity much sooner and greater than other peers of her generation. During her path of career-defining, she has done a lot of jobs, including hand-embroidery, tutoring, modelling, business and event hosting.