Photo: Josh Brasted/Getty
There are hundreds of looks that come across theMiss Universepageant stage, but there was one in particular that caught many people’s attention on Saturday night.
Miss ThailandAnna Sueangam-iam, 24, took to the stage in a silver evening gown, but those that looked closely noticed a specific unique detail: it was made up almost entirely of soda tabs.
“Growing up with garbage collector parents, my life as a child was among piles of garbage and recyclables,” Sueangam-iam captioned her post of the dress.
Sueangam-iam was raised in Bangkok, Thailand with her father before being sent away to a Bhuddist temple to be raised among nuns, according to her Miss Universe bio. Having been raised in poverty, she had to collect merit points, donate blood every semester, collect plastic waste bottles and clean bathrooms in order to pay tuition for schooling.
Her experiences growing up inspired her to take on the platform of advocating for equal access to education for all Thai children during her reign as Miss Universe Thailand, working with non-profits like Smile Train Thailand to connect children with educational means.
Gerald Herbert/AP/Shutterstock
Sueangam-iam failed to make it in the top 16 of the Miss Universe pageant, but walked away with the Impact Wave Leadership award for her advocacy.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Ultimately, Miss USA’sR’Bonney Gabriel took the crownat the Miss Universe pageant, beating out more than 80 other delegations from around the world.
When asked during the final question how she would show that Miss Universe is “an empowering and progressive organization” if she were to win, Gabriel answered that she would “invest in our community and use your unique talent to make a difference.”
“We all have something special, and when we plant those seeds to other people in our life, we transform them, and we use that as a vehicle for change,” she added.
source: people.com
