Starla Sampaco (Joe Lubong, Seattle Premium Headshots)
Starla Sampaco, who was named to Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list in 2021, is currently a news anchor for KCTS Channel 9, and was the runner-up in the recent Miss Washington USA 2022 competition. Sampaco has written for Harvard Business Review and Northwest Asia Weekly.
When asked how she felt after winning, Stara shared: “I’m proud of my position,” Sampaco said. …”It’s not easy being ‘the only’ – the only woman, the only person of color, or the youngest person in the room. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously, because I know that representation is important to other people watching How much of an impact young women and girls have.” While it’s uncertain if she will compete again, Sampaco said she “will continue to serve other women through my work in journalism, academia, and diversity, equity and inclusion. and defending people of color.”
The Miss Washington and Miss Washington 2022 US Teen Pageants took place on February 5 at the IKEA Center for the Performing Arts in Renton.
Another memorable event was hosted by Northwest Productions, run by Washington State husband-and-wife team David Van Maren and Maureen Francisco. David and Maureen are Filipino Americans. The most interesting thing about the show this year is the number of contestants from communities of color. In the teen group, 51 percent of the participants were from various minority groups, while in the young lady group, it was about 34 percent. In the 2021 pageant, Miss Washington Christine Brody and Miss Washington Teen Novali Lewis are Filipino-American and Japanese-American, respectively.
Among the Miss Washington USA contestants, Hmong-American Pa Nou Chee Xiong advanced to the semifinals.
In Miss Teen 2022, the semi-finalists include Tara Le Gardner (Vietnamese-American), Poorva Mishra (Indian-American) and Angela Dela Cruz (Filipino-American).
