Tashi Choden is the first to represent her country at the beauty pageant

Bhutan will make its official debut in the Miss Universe 2022 pageant with its first ever delegate this year, Tashi Choden for the first time in its history. The pageant will be held in New Orleans, USA on 14 January 2023 where India’s delegate, Harnaaz Sandhu took the tiara last year and will crown her successor this year.

The tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is on a hot streak at the moment as the country had also earned its first ever Oscar nomination during the 94^th Academy Awards this year as well. So will Bhutan also see major success at the pageant as well? If so, the country will cement its place in the creative world very well.

24 year old Tashi Choden was crowned Miss Bhutan on June 04, 2022 at the third edition of Miss Bhutan. With the last such event being held over a decade ago, Tashi’s victory is now all the more meaningful.

Furthermore, Tashi, described as elegant, stunning, outspoken, intelligent, confident and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, is elated to represent her country in front of the world in perhaps the world’s most important beauty pageant. She takes this as an opportunity to learn while representing Bhutan globally.

Additionally, Tashi, who was born to a Bhutanese mother and Tibetan father was actually raised in Nagaland, India until the age of three. However, her life was not all sunshine and rainbows as she tragically lost her father at the age of four and later would also lose her mother a decade later at the very young age of only fourteen.

Luckily, young Tashi began modelling at the age of fifteen when she came across Project Bhutan, a Bhutanese modeling agency based in Thimphu, where she started taking part in shows and even pageants, both inside and outside Bhutan. What’s more, she was also extremely successful at modelling and acting too despite her painful past.

What is perhaps the best thing about Tashi is the fact that she is more than just a pretty face, she is also an outspoken activist who considers herself the voice of the youth and good causes close to her such as LGBTQ+ rights. She believes she can use this pageant to bring Bhutan into the top of the 21^st century and discover herself.

“I knew I had the passion, the motivation and the right reasons to want to win the Miss Bhutan pageant, and it was a beautiful journey of celebrating my identity. Miss Universe to me is an opportunity to represent my country… I believe in the future of our country and everything that we can achieve together.” Tashi concluded.

Visit the Official Miss Universe Website to find out more.