Yano is the new Miss Kauai Filipina

NAWILIWILI — Aleah Yano, who finished the 2024 Miss Kauai Filipina Scholarship Pageant as the pageant’s First Princess, was coronated as the new Miss Kauai Filipina 2024 on Saturday night before a sold-out audience of more than 300 people at the 58th Terno Ball at Royal Sonesta Kauai Resort.

Doing the honors was Jaslen Valdez, who flew home from school in Arizona to perform the coronation with the help of Mario Trinidad and Che Weaver of the Miss Kauai Filipina Scholarship Pageant.

Yano earned the new crown after Valdez was crowned the 2024 Miss Hawaii Filipina during the state pageant held in Hilo, Hawaii Island, in July.

Valdez’s coronation created a Miss Kauai Filipina vacancy that, according to pageant by-laws, was filled by the First Princess.

Charlmaine Bulosan of the Terno Ball and a former president of the Kauai Filipino Community Council, the presenting sponsor of the pageant, said Valdez was the third Kauai representative in recent history to earn the Miss Hawaii Filipina crown following Isa Gampon in 2019 and Xarika Casticimo in 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no pageants from 2019 to 2022.

The 58th Terno Ball was presented by the Kauai Filipino Women’s Club as its signature scholarship fundraiser with the help of numerous community sponsors.

During the evening, the terno that is considered the formal Filipino women’s fasion, and the barong, the Filipino men’s formal attire, enjoyed the spotlight with special contests being held to honor the Filipino finery.

Guests also were able to wear other elegant and formal fashion to enjoy the competition, dinner and dancing to the sounds of the Sunset Swing Band.

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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.