ATLANTA — A Virginia native will represent the territory in an upcoming international beauty and talent pageant.
Andrea Piecuch, 25, will be up on stage as the United States Virgin Islands’ hopeful in the Miss Universe 2019 competition in Georgia.
It is the 68th edition of the international beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization, which is currently owned by the WME/IMG talent agency.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, United States in 1993, Piecuch is of Polish, African-American and Cherokee descent. She loves travelling and arts.
In 2009, Piecuch was a semifinalist in Miss Texas USA. She returned to the same beauty pageant in 2012 and did not place.
In December 2017, the Polish, African-American and Cherokee beauty competed in Miss Florida USA and did not place. In November 2018, she competed in Miss Virginia USA and did not place.
On January 26, 2019, Piecuch was named Miss Utah USA 2019 third runner-up. The coronation night took place at the Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
After this, Pieuch moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands to meet the 6-month residency requirement to compete in Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands 2019. She was eventually qualified to competed.
Representing Hassel Island, Piecuch competed in Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands 2019. The coronation night took place at the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on August 17, 2019.
Piecuch was crowned Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands 2019 besting nine other candidates. Representing Magens Bay, Destani Huffman-Jefferson was crowned Miss Supranational U.S. Virgin Islands 2019.
Emily Ruiz of Sandy Point was crowned Queen Beauty Universe U.S. Virgin Islands 2019 while Anumaat Kahina of Fireburn won the Miss Runway U.S. Virgin Islands 2019 title. The other candidates were Barbara Santana of Buck Island, Jah’myah James of Drakes Seat, Suehila Hodge of Emancipation Gardens, Racquel Service of Miss Paradise Point, Talisha White of Rainbow Beach and Sacha Alexander of Bethlehem.
The coronation of Piecuch was met with controversy here. The candidates who made it to the Top 5 of Miss Universe U.S. Virgin Islands 2019 were criticized for not having real ties to the territory.
Including Piecuch, at least 90 candidates from all over the world are expected to compete in Miss Universe 2019. The coronation night will take place at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta on December 8.
Steve Harvey is returning to host the Miss Universe 2019 coronation night. It will be aired live on Fox as well as on Telemundo for Spanish-speaking viewers.
Catriona Gray, 25, is the reigning Miss Universe 2018. Born in Cairns, Queensland, Australia on January 6, 1994 to a Scotland-born Australian father and a Filipino mother, she is the fourth Miss Universe from the Philippines following Gloria Diaz, Margarita Moran and Pia Wurtzbach, who were crowned in 1969, 1973 and 2015, respectively.
Gray’s successor will wear a new crown made by Swiss and Emirati luxury jeweler Mouawad. Founded in Beirut, Lebanon by David Mouawad in 1891, the company making and selling jewelry, objects of art and luxury watches is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland with a Middle East headquarters at Jumeirah Lakes Towers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
If Piecuch wins Miss Universe 2019, she will be the first ever titleholder of the beauty pageant to come from the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1971, Cherrie Raphaelia Creque finished in the Top 12 making her the first and still the only candidate to place in the competition.
Three Miss Universe candidates from U.S. Virgin Islands won Miss Congeniality. Monique Lindesay, Merlisa Rhonda George and Tricia Homer won the special award in 1991, 2002 and 2005, respectively.
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