Bb. Pilipinas Tourism 2014 Parul Shah was named Third Runner up in the Miss Grand International 2015 pageant held Sunday night in Bangkok. Shah, a 27-year-old, half Filipino, half Indian, was also named best in national costume.
Miss Dominican Republic Anea Garcia, a 20-year-old, 6-foot student of Legal Studies and Philosophy at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, bested nearly 80 contestants to win as Miss Grand International 2015. Miss Australia Claire Elizabeth Parker, a 24-year-old, model and actor from Oatlands was first runner up while Miss India Vartika Singh, a 24-year-old graduate of Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics and a Master’s degree in Public Health, was second runner up. Miss Thailand Rattikorn Kunsom, a 22-year-old graduate at King Mongkut’s University of Technology was 4th Runner up.
Shah’s third runner up finish matched that of Annelie Forbes who competed in the inaugural edition of the contest in 2013, considered as the golden year of Filipina beauty queens. Shah, a Nursing graduate at he University of Cordilleras, was originally intended to compete in the Miss Tourism Queen International pageant but became a frozen beauty when the pageant was cancelled. She thanked Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. Chairman Stella Marquez-Araneta for sending her to compete despite her age at 27.
Marquez thanked Parul for making Filipinos proud and said that following Ann Colis’ win as Miss Globe 2015 in Canada, the Philippines is making news around the world. She urged her other three girls who are set to compete, Pia Wurtzbach in Miss Universe, Rogelie Catacutan at Miss Supranational and Christi Lynn McGarry in Miss Intercontinental, to follow Parul and complete the winning circle.
Parul was welcomed by her Bb. Pilipinas family, friends and supporters upon her return from Thailand. Brimming with pride, Parul said, “I felt the support of my fellow Filipinos in Thailand and here. I am so proud of where I stand today, and hopefully, this is not the end of the journey while a new chapter has opened for me.”