FILIPINA-IRISH Kim Layne of Idaho on Tuesday, November 10 won 1st runner-up in the Miss USA 2020 beauty pageant.
Layne, 26, placed second to Asya Branch of Mississippi, who was crowned Miss USA and will represent the United States in the upcoming Miss Universe 2020 beauty pageant.
Layne was born and raised in the state of Idaho. Her father is Irish, while her mother is Filipino.
In her Miss USA profile, she said she graduated from Cornell University with honors in research. Currently, she is studying at Washington State University pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, and a Master of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.
Layne is passionate about health promotion and disease prevention, and has dual citizenship in the Philippines.
She was crowned Miss Idaho Teen USA in 2012.
“Three words: I did it! My father’s military dog tags are beneath this gown. He is a 100% disabled, Vietnam veteran who used to travel, hunt, camp & fish. He couldn’t be in the audience last night because of his medical conditions and being immunocompromised but I brought him up there with me,” Layne said in an Instagram post after the pageant.
Meanwhile, another beauty queen with Filipino blood won a pageant this year.
Filipina American Ki’ilani Arruda bested 50 other candidates for the crown of Miss Teen USA on Saturday, November 7 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Arruda, 18, advocates for autism awareness after her brother was diagnosed with autism, and hopes everyone can build a world that is accepting and inclusive for all people.
In a post-pageant interview, she revealed that Filipina beauty queen Catriona Gray is her favorite Miss Universe winner.
“I’m a little biased towards Catriona because I am half-Filipino myself. Her reign was so amazing, and I’ve always looked up to her as a role model,” Arruda said.
