R'Bonney Gabriel grew up in Missouri City and later in Friendswood, with three older brothers.
14 Facts About R'Bonney Gabriel
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R'Bonney Gabriel's father was born in the Philippines and is from Malate, Manila.
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R'Bonney Gabriel immigrated to Washington at the age of 25, later receiving a degree in psychology at the University of Houston, and then opening a car repair shop.
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R'Bonney Gabriel spent some time in Manila during her childhood playing in the streets, playing tong-its, and watching the parade of Filipino fiestas.
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R'Bonney Gabriel graduated from the University of North Texas in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in fashion design with a minor in fibers.
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R'Bonney Gabriel has worked as a sewing instructor at a non-profit organization.
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R'Bonney Gabriel competed at Miss Texas USA 2021 as Miss Harris County and was the first runner-up to Victoria Hinojosa of McAllen.
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R'Bonney Gabriel became the second titleholder from Texas, after Chelsi Smith, to win the Miss Universe title.
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R'Bonney Gabriel stated, "I would never enter any pageant or any competition that I know I would win".
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R'Bonney Gabriel was crowned Miss Universe 2022 by the outgoing titleholder Harnaaz Sandhu of India, making her the ninth American to win the beauty pageant.
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R'Bonney Gabriel is the sixth mixed-heritage woman to win the Miss Universe title after Chelsi Smith at Miss Universe 1995, Brook Lee at Miss Universe 1997, Pia Wurtzbach at Miss Universe 2015, Demi-Leigh Tebow at Miss Universe 2017, and Catriona Gray at Miss Universe 2018, as well as the fifth Miss Universe of Filipino descent as well as the first Filipina Miss Universe outside the Philippines.
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R'Bonney Gabriel's victory made her the first representative from the United States to win Miss Universe since Olivia Culpo at Miss Universe 2012.
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R'Bonney Gabriel is the first Miss Universe titleholder to be born and raised in the Greater Houston area.
14.
On November 18,2023, R'Bonney Gabriel crowned Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua as her successor at Miss Universe 2023 at the Jose Adolfo Pineda Arena, San Salvador, El Salvador.