“I felt like I was the odd one out growing up in the province because I was half-Filipino and half-German, so I wasn't full-blooded Filipina and, of course, I was the tallest in my class and I felt kind of awkward.”

Filipino-German model, actress, and beauty queen

Pia Wurtzbach is a Filipino-German model, actress, and beauty queen best known for winning Miss Universe 2015. Born Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach-Jauncey and formerly known professionally as Pia Romero, she became the first Filipina to win the title in four decades. She had earlier won Binibining Pilipinas in 2015, a step that led to her Miss Universe victory later that year. Her public profile rests on pageantry, modeling, and acting, with her name most closely associated with that landmark win.