| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Anya at the Miss Universe 2008 Pageant |
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| Born | Anya Ayoung-Chee 1981 (age 30–31) Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Title(s) | Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2008 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2008 (winner) Miss Universe 2008 Project Runway (season 9) |
Anya Ayoung-Chee (born Oct. 17, 1981) is Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2008 and was a contestant in the Miss Universe 2008 pageant, and also the winner of Project Runway's ninth season in 2011.
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Anya Ayoung-Chee was born to Trinidadian parents in New York City but moved to Trinidad at the age of two, she therefore holds dual Trinidadian and American citizenship.[1] She is the only daughter in a family of eight. From an early age she pursued classical ballet training. However it was during her attendance at all girls secondary school St. Joseph's Convent (Port of Spain) that she became passionate about art and design. She continued her education in London and New York, gaining experience in Graphic and Interior Design.
Ayoung-Chee was one of numerous young women who competed for the Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe title, after the country did not send a delegate to the 2007 Miss Universe Competition. On that night Gabrielle Walcott also won the Miss Trinidad and Tobago World 2008 title (simultaneously contested), and together they began training for their respective competitions.
Trinidad and Tobago have had two Miss Universe winners: 1977 and 1998). Ayoung-Chee is the second title holder in the franchise's 44-year history to be of Chinese descent, the first being Stephanie Lee Pack in 1974. When asked “Is your Asian heritage an issue since you represent a country with an overwhelming African and Indian heritage?” by missology.org Anya replied, “Trinidad & Tobago is unique in its ethnic make-up because it is a country with people of all races. I am of mixed origin, mainly Chinese, Indian and Caucasian, and although my particular mixture is a minority, I represent the unusual combination of ethnicities that defines us as a people”.
On November 8, 2009 La Toya Woods was crowned the new Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe, making Ayoung-Chee the longest reigning Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe, following Kenisha Thom (Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2006).
Anya was a contestant on Season 9 of the American television show Project Runway.[2] Despite learning to sew a few months before the show began,[3] she placed in at least the top three of most of the challenges, and eventually won the competition on October 27th 2011. Through winning the competition, Anya earned $100,00 from L'Oreal Paris to begin her own line, Pilar. Not only that, she also was featured in a fashion spread in Marie Claire and received a $50,000 technology suite by Hp and Intel for the chance to design and sell merchandise, as well as a parthership with Piperlime.com. If that wasn't enough, Anya was voted the fan favorite for a Twitter contest and received another 10 grand.[4]
Since 2003, Ayoung-Chee has been a member of the TallMan Foundation which was established by her family for the empowerment of young people in underprivileged areas.
In 2008 the United Nations Association of Trinidad and Tobago (UNATT) asked both Anya and Gabrielle Walcott to be spokeswomen and champions for the group. They both served during their reigns as Miss T&T, and continue as members of UNATT, the NGO arm of the United Nations which aims to advocate the United Nations and the Millennium Development Goals.
| Preceded by Kenisha Thom |
Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2008 |
Succeeded by La Toya Woods |