Miss Asia Carolinas :: History
The Pageant was founded in 2003 by Festival Chair Dr. Nini RB Bautista, who was then CAACC’s President Elect and President of the Filipino American Community of the Carolinas. Dr. Bautista wanted to engage the young Asian Americans in this celebration with the goal of promoting awareness of their cultural heritage and thereby instilling pride in their rich, unique, and diverse culture and traditions. The Miss Asian Festival Pageant became more than a beauty contest; it is a showcase of the Multi-cultural Asian Community.
At the first pageant, there were a total of nine participants from different Asian countries, who were joined by friends and family to cheer them on in the friendly competition.
As the years passed, there was more involvement from other Asian countries. At the 8th Asian Festival event in 2010, the Miss Asian Festival Pageant had the biggest number of participants, with 20 representatives from 13 Asian countries.
