Community Spotlight

2014 Miss Earth Philippines (USA) – Patricia Dueñas

Background

Patricia Dueñas is a sophomore Nursing student attending the University of Arizona. With her interest in the health field, she obtained her CNA license. Her ambition is to obtain her BSN and someday become a Registered Nurse, while at the same time serving her duty as a pageant titleholder in hopes of empowering others through her actions.

Over the past six years, Patricia has been involved in pageantry; she has captured the titles of Miss Teen Philippine Faire 2009, National American Miss Top Model 3rd Runner up 2013, Miss Philippines Earth (USA) Best in National Costume 2014 and now has been crowned as Miss Earth Arizona 2014 through the United States Earth pageants. Patricia enjoys dancing, yoga, volunteering, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family during her spare time.

 

 

Platform:
Environmental Health Awareness

With my interest in health professions, I found that environmental health knowledge is important in not only keeping one’s self healthy, but it is also important in educating individuals about the harmful effects the environment can have on themselves. Environmental health advocates shoot to explain the factors that contribute to our rapidly deteriorating environment we live in today and relates that to the quality of the environment and how that affects the quality of life. When it comes down to it, changing one’s lifestyle to “going green” can have a huge impact on improving the current state of the environment, which has a direct relationship with improving environmental conditions that contribute to one’s health. Changing human involvement in the deterioration of our environment can simply be done by spreading awareness of environmental health. In the end, awareness of environmental health will improve both the quality of our health and our carbon footprint.

Q&A

What is your favorite “Going Green” tidbit? My favorite “Going Green” tidbit is unplugging all plugs in a household when they are not being used because this is something that everyone can easily do and apply to their own lives. By doing this simple tidbit, not only does it reduce the electric bill, but this also conserves energy.

What would winning the title and crown of Miss/Teen Earth United States mean to you? Winning the title and crown for Miss Earth United States would mean that I would have the privilege of being a spokesperson on behalf of Mother Earth. Since Mother Earth does not have a voice, I feel as if it would be my duty as Miss Earth United States to be a role model and prime example of an individual who strives to make changes in order to conserve and improve the environment we all live in today. In the end, this title and crown would mean more than meets the eye. I would gain unforgettable experiences during the time period of my reign and use that knowledge to continue my journey as an environmental advocate even after the pageant time period.

Feature Photos and June 2014 Cover Courtesy of Edwin Padilla Photography

Michael Lewis

Michael is joined at the hip with the Filipino American community through family, friends, and his love for the food. Over the past 15 years+, he has been an active "behind the scenes" contributor to a variety of Filipino community groups, events, and activities. Michael is also ringleader of the FilAm FamBam crew and in his free time enjoys RV'ing and anything tech.

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