Justine Pasek
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Justine Pasek Beauty pageant titleholder |
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| Birth name: | Justine Lissette Pasek Patiño |
| Birthdate: | August 27, 1979 |
| Birth location: | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| Height: | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Eye color: | Brown |
| Hair color: | Brown |
| Title(s): | Miss Panama 2002 Miss Universe 2002 |
Justine Pasek (born August 27, 1979) is a Panamanian model, goodwill ambassador, and former Miss Universe.
Yostin Lissette Pasek Patiño was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the daughter of a Panamanian homemaker and Polish engineer. Affectionately called by her Polish name, "Justyna", she lived in Ukraine for a year, but spent most of her childhood in the village of Wużuczyn near Zamość, Poland. After her mother finished her studies in chemistry, the family moved to Panama.
Her start in the modeling world took place when she joined the "Chica Modelo" (a model search) contest in 1996 where she won the award for Best Editorial Model. It also gave her the chance to work for Physical Modelos, her official modeling agency as of today.
Before entering the Miss Panama contest in 2001, Pasek worked as a model in television productions and fashion shows. She also planned to complete her degree in environmental engineering in New Zealand with her two younger brothers, and later work for the Smithsonian Research Center. Originally the first runner-up in the Miss Universe 2002 competition, Pasek became the first woman to assume the title of Miss Universe when the Miss Universe Organization revoked the crown from then-reigning winner Oxana Fedorova for not fulfilling the duties stipulated in her contract. Thought to be traveling to New York City for a modelling assignment, she was notified of this in the back of a limousine. She was the first Panamanian Miss Universe.
She was formally crowned Miss Universe by pageant co-owner Donald Trump in New York City, and a busy week of press engagements followed. A self-described "citizen of the world", Pasek has since traveled to Japan, Bali, Thailand, Egypt, Aruba, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Canada, and the United States. She championed the cause of HIV/AIDS and established the first HIV/AIDS prevention center in her country. She worked with the Global Health Council, the Harvard AIDS Institute, AmFAR, and the Center for Disease Control's "Act Now" campaign.
Pasek relinquished her crown to Dominican Republic's Amelia Vega in the 2003 competition, held in Panama. Having worked as a model since 1996, Pasek has since modeled for Christian Dior, among other fashion campaigns.
She currently lives in Los Angeles, United States.
| Preceded by Oxana Fedorova (dethroned) |
Miss Universe 2002 |
Succeeded by Amelia Vega |
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| Miss Universe Justine Pasek |
Miss USA Shauntay Hinton |
Miss Teen USA Vanessa Semrow |
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| Miss Universe Justine Pasek |
Miss World Azra Akin |
Miss Earth Winfred Omwakwe |
Miss International Christina Sawaya |
