A 21-year-old fashion model from Mexico who was one of the semifinalists in the 2008 Miss World beauty contest was crowned 2009 Miss International during the pageant night held in Chengdu, China last Saturday.

Ana Gabriela Marroquin Espinoza from Monterrey, Mexico bested 64 other candidates. She is no stranger to beauty pageants, having represented her country in the 2008 Miss World contest where she was one of the semi-finalists when she won the Beach Beauty Category. She was also 2008 Miss Mexico.

First runner-up was Miss Korea Eun Mi Seo and second runner-up was Miss United Kingdom Chloe Beth Morgan.

The Philippines’ Melody Gersbach made it as one of the 15 semifinalists although she was one of the crowd favorites to win the crown during the pageant.

Aside from the Philippines, the other semifinalists were beauties from Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Finland, Japan, Panama, Spain, and Venezuela.

Espinoza can speak English, Spanish and French. She is in her sophomore year studying International Tourism. She said that she wants to work in a private or government organization for the Mexican tourism sector.

The beauty queen loves chilaquiles, salads, pizza, rice, and pancakes. She also enjoys ballet, jazz, and flamenco.

Espinoza likes to read books on human achievements, watch movies, and learn new languages. In school, she has received a special award for the best average over three years of school, which included a scholarship for her college degree.

Her motto is “Go for what you want, always enjoy the journey and love every step you take.’’

The Philippines has produced four Miss International winners – Gemma Cruz (1964), Aurora Pijuan (1970), Mimilanie Marquez (1979), and Precious Lara Quigaman (2005).