Justine Pasek
Encyclopedia
Yostin "Justine" Lissette Pasek Patiño (born August 29, 1979) is a Panama
nian model
, FAO Goodwill Ambassador
, and Miss Universe
2002.
, Ukraine
, the daughter of a Panamanian homemaker and Polish
engineer. Affectionately called by her Polish name, "Justyna", she lived in Ukraine for a year, but spent most of her childhood in the village of Wożuczyn
near Zamość
, Poland
. After her mother finished her studies in chemistry
, the family moved to Panama.
Before entering the Miss Panama contest in 2001, Pasek worked as a model in television
productions and fashion show
s. She also planned to complete her degree in environmental engineering
in New Zealand
with her two younger brothers (Edward and Alvaro), and later work for the Smithsonian Research Center.
on August 30, 2001; earned the title Señorita Panamá Universe and obtaining the right to represent her country in the 51st edition of the Miss Universe 2002
pageant, was held at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan
, Puerto Rico
on May 29, 2002.
Originally the first runner-up in the Miss Universe 2002 competition, Pasek became the first woman to assume the title of Miss Universe when the Miss Universe Organization revoked the crown from then reigning titleholder Oxana Fedorova
for not fulfilling the duties stipulated in her contract. After traveling to New York City
for a modeling assignment, she was notified of these events in the back of a limousine, becoming the first Panamanian Miss Universe.
She was formally crowned Miss Universe 2002
by pageant co-owner Donald Trump
in New York City
, and a busy week of press engagements followed. Pasek also received an elaborate Mikimoto pearl encrusted crown, worth $250,000 as well as an extensive prize package.
As Miss Universe, Pasek represented the Miss Universe Organization. Her "sister" 2002 titleholders were Vanessa Semrow (Miss Teen USA
, of Wisconsin ) and Shauntay Hinton
(Miss USA
, District of Columbia ). A self-described "citizen of the world", Pasek has since traveled to Japan
, Bali
, Thailand
, Egypt
, Aruba
, Ecuador
, Peru
, Cuba
, Canada
, Mexico
, and the United States
. She championed the cause of HIV/AIDS and established the first HIV/AIDS prevention center in her country. As part of her year-long reign as Miss Universe, she resided in New York City in a riverside apartment provided by the Miss Universe Organization. She worked with the Global Health Council
, the Harvard AIDS Institute, AmFAR, and the Center for Disease Control's "Act Now" campaign.
Pasek relinquished her crown to Dominican Republic
's Amelia Vega
in the 2003 competition, held in Panama. Having worked as a model since 1996, Pasek has since modeled for Christian Dior
, among other fashion campaigns.
, Italy
, and Germany
as well as in promotional Panama Weeks in cities such as New York
, Los Angeles
and Washington DC.
She is Panama's Patron for Fosemo (Osteoporosis Foundation), and Sponsor of the Osteoporosis and Metabolic Disease Foundation of Panama. She participated in the Summit ‘Beauty and the Bones’ within the IOF Worldwide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies held during
2005 in Bangkok
; Thailand
bringing awareness to young girls and women about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.
She brings media attention and public awareness to the FAO programs in the region. Justine also collaborates with NGO's who battle hunger in
her home country, such as Nutrehogar (Rehabilitation Centers for Undernourished Children). Over five thousand children under the age of 5 have rehabilitated in these centers. She has also collaborated with The National Nutritional Service which has sponsored over two hundred farms for families in rural areas and Fundacion Tierra Nueva which sponsors an agro-forestry boarding school.
She currently lives in Los Angeles, United States. In August 2009 she married with the British businessman Daniel Joelson.
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, FAO Goodwill Ambassador
FAO Goodwill Ambassador
The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
, and Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
2002.
Early life
Pasek was born in KharkivKharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, the daughter of a Panamanian homemaker and Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
engineer. Affectionately called by her Polish name, "Justyna", she lived in Ukraine for a year, but spent most of her childhood in the village of Wożuczyn
Wozuczyn
Wożuczyn is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Rachanie, within Tomaszów Lubelski County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately north of Rachanie, north-east of Tomaszów Lubelski, and south-east of the regional capital Lublin.-References:...
near Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. After her mother finished her studies in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, the family moved to Panama.
Before entering the Miss Panama contest in 2001, Pasek worked as a model in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
productions and fashion show
Fashion show
A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase his or her upcoming line of clothing during Fashion Week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter seasons. This is where the latest fashion trends are made...
s. She also planned to complete her degree in environmental engineering
Environmental engineering
Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
with her two younger brothers (Edward and Alvaro), and later work for the Smithsonian Research Center.
Modelling career
Her start in the modelling world took place when she joined the "Chica Modelo" (a model search) contest in 1996 where she won the award for Best Editorial Model. It also gave her the chance to work for Physical Modelos, her official modeling agency as of today.As model Pasek taken part in calendars, commercial and as stewardess in different events.Pageantry
After participating in the national contest Señorita Panamá 2001Señorita Panamá 2001
Señorita Panamá 2001, the 19rd Señorita Panamá pageant, was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Riande Continental Hotel, in Ciudad de Panamá, Panama, on August 30, 2001. The winner of the pageant was Justine Pasek later Miss Universe 2002....
on August 30, 2001; earned the title Señorita Panamá Universe and obtaining the right to represent her country in the 51st edition of the Miss Universe 2002
Miss Universe 2002
Miss Universe 2002, the 51st edition of the Miss Universe pageant, was held in Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 29, 2002. There were 75 delegates from around the world who competed for the title Miss Universe 2002. Oxana Fedorova of Russia was crowned Miss Universe 2002 by...
pageant, was held at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
on May 29, 2002.
Originally the first runner-up in the Miss Universe 2002 competition, Pasek became the first woman to assume the title of Miss Universe when the Miss Universe Organization revoked the crown from then reigning titleholder Oxana Fedorova
Oxana Fedorova
Oxana Gennadyevna Fedorova is a Russian Miss Universe winner, police officer , former university lecturer, television host, actress, singer, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador....
for not fulfilling the duties stipulated in her contract. After traveling to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for a modeling assignment, she was notified of these events in the back of a limousine, becoming the first Panamanian Miss Universe.
She was formally crowned Miss Universe 2002
Miss Universe 2002
Miss Universe 2002, the 51st edition of the Miss Universe pageant, was held in Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 29, 2002. There were 75 delegates from around the world who competed for the title Miss Universe 2002. Oxana Fedorova of Russia was crowned Miss Universe 2002 by...
by pageant co-owner Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and a busy week of press engagements followed. Pasek also received an elaborate Mikimoto pearl encrusted crown, worth $250,000 as well as an extensive prize package.
As Miss Universe, Pasek represented the Miss Universe Organization. Her "sister" 2002 titleholders were Vanessa Semrow (Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....
, of Wisconsin ) and Shauntay Hinton
Shauntay Hinton
Shauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.-Education:Hinton graduated from Starkville High School in 1997. She later studied broadcast communications at Howard University....
(Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
, District of Columbia ). A self-described "citizen of the world", Pasek has since traveled to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She championed the cause of HIV/AIDS and established the first HIV/AIDS prevention center in her country. As part of her year-long reign as Miss Universe, she resided in New York City in a riverside apartment provided by the Miss Universe Organization. She worked with the Global Health Council
Global Health Council
The Global Health Council is a United States-based non-profit networking organizing linking "several hundred health non-governmental organizations around the world to share knowledge and resources, build partnerships and together become stronger advocates for health"...
, the Harvard AIDS Institute, AmFAR, and the Center for Disease Control's "Act Now" campaign.
Pasek relinquished her crown to Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
's Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega
Amelia Vega Polanco became the first and only Dominican woman to be named Miss Universe, in 2003. At the age of 18, she was the youngest winner since 1994....
in the 2003 competition, held in Panama. Having worked as a model since 1996, Pasek has since modeled for Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
, among other fashion campaigns.
Life after Miss Universe
She was appointed ambassador for Panama's tourism promotion in 2003-2004 and participated in tourism trade shows in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as well as in promotional Panama Weeks in cities such as New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Washington DC.
She is Panama's Patron for Fosemo (Osteoporosis Foundation), and Sponsor of the Osteoporosis and Metabolic Disease Foundation of Panama. She participated in the Summit ‘Beauty and the Bones’ within the IOF Worldwide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies held during
2005 in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
; Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
bringing awareness to young girls and women about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.
She brings media attention and public awareness to the FAO programs in the region. Justine also collaborates with NGO's who battle hunger in
her home country, such as Nutrehogar (Rehabilitation Centers for Undernourished Children). Over five thousand children under the age of 5 have rehabilitated in these centers. She has also collaborated with The National Nutritional Service which has sponsored over two hundred farms for families in rural areas and Fundacion Tierra Nueva which sponsors an agro-forestry boarding school.
She currently lives in Los Angeles, United States. In August 2009 she married with the British businessman Daniel Joelson.