Miss Asian Chicago
Contestant Spotlight
Rish Pangadil
Filipino
2023 Contestant #2
Rish's Community Project Proposal
Rish's activities with us
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What's something memorable about you?
My self-confidence, jolly personality, and high energy almost all the time.
Why should the community support you for Miss Crowd Favorite?
I have a unique and inspiring story and would be an excellent community representative. I have overcome challenges and adversity with grace and resilience, and my story would inspire others to persevere in the face of adversity. By supporting me for Miss Crowd Favorite, the community would demonstrate its commitment to celebrating diversity and empowering young leaders like me with the courage to stand up for their beliefs. I am confident that I would positively impact my role as Miss Crowd Favorite, and I am excited to see the positive change I will bring to the community.
Why did you join MAC? / What is your goal with MAC?
I believe that pageants are about more than just beauty and glamour. They're about celebrating diversity, building confidence, and positively impacting our communities. As a contestant in Miss Asian Chicago, I'm committed to using this platform to inspire others and make a difference. One of the main reasons I chose to join Miss Asian Chicago is my advocacy. I want to talk about the importance of supporting children, women, and volunteerism. By joining the stage of Miss Asian Chicago, I am not only bringing my dreams but the dreams of the Children, Women, and Volunteers.
Tell us about your community platform project.
My Community Project is called 3-in-1 HOPE Project focusing on WOMEN, CHILDREN, and VOLUNTEERISM. Growing up in the Philippines wasn’t easy. Lots of negativity and bullies surrounded me. I was once convinced that there was something wrong with me: my brown skin, my flat nose, my height, and many other things about me. I will always look in the mirror and imagine them as those people who keep telling me I’m not beautiful, and there I would burst into tears while telling all the pain I have inside me. I am so coward to face the world and tell them I am beautiful and proud of who I am. I always have insecurities in my body, which pushes me to step back and stay in my comfort zone. With these experiences, I would love to do online streaming, talking about myself, my insecurities, how I overcame my insecurities, how I turned to accept and love myself, and how I got the courage to speak for myself. I would like to have my co-candidates share their experience, vulnerabilities, and many things about them that will inspire other women and many people out there to believe in themselves and keep on reaching their goals. This will be a “Judgment-free” streamline for everyone out there, and a specific number of viewers are allowed to join each stream per week and tell their story, too. In this streamline, I will not only be a speaker but a listener, too. I will also volunteer at least 1-3 times a month to different organizations, probably along with my pageant sisters and friends. Lastly, I wanted to do fundraising, and the money we would raise would be used to buy school supplies to be donated to selected poor students in my city in the Philippines.
What about your heritage makes you proud?
What I am most proud of about Filipino heritage are our culture and values. An excellent way my country's cultural diversity is portrayed is through the local cuisine. Local and foreign cultures influence the cuisine in the Philippines. Another value that I am most proud of is our concept of Bayanihan. Bayanihan is the essence of Filipino culture. It is helping one's neighbor as a community and doing a task together, thus lessening the workload and making the job easier. It is also called the 'community spirit.' We believe that together, we can survive and thrive. Every year, we experience the heaviest typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and even man-made calamities. Yet, we always bounce back and keep our smiles. That's because we know that no matter who we are when we need help, our fellow Filipinos will unite to help those in need.
What is your spirit animal?
Tiger
Share about a time you amplified someone's voice.
On a daily basis, I amplify the voices of my friends and family members by actively listening to them, sharing their accomplishments and struggles with others, and providing a platform for them to share their ideas and opinions. Everyone deserves to be heard, and we can all benefit from listening to and learning from each other. I also encourage others to be confident by reminding them of their strengths and accomplishments. I often share positive feedback with my friends and family members, highlighting what they do well and encouraging them to continue pursuing their passions. I also lead by example by being confident in myself and taking risks, even if unsure of the outcome. By showing others that it's okay to be imperfect and to make mistakes, I hope to inspire them to be more confident in themselves and their abilities.
Share about a time you empowered another woman.
I empower other women by being a supportive friend, actively listening to their stories and experiences, and sharing my own. I also encourage them to pursue their passions and goals and help them find resources or connections to help them succeed. When it comes to pageant experience, I empower other women by creating a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. I use my platform to raise awareness about important issues affecting women, such as gender equality and body positivity. By amplifying the voices of other women and advocating for their rights and interests, I hope to help create a more just and equitable society for all.
Share about how you've built a better community.
I have built a better community by volunteering my time and resources to local organizations and causes. I began volunteering when I was in high school. My organization volunteers in a monthly tree planting and city clean-up drive. I also volunteered as a storyteller in a rural community in our province for two years, and we are doing our reading program every month. I enjoyed working with kids. I am also an assistant leader in our project “Pagbasa para sa Kinabukasan,” meaning reading for the brighter future, where we teach slow and nonreader students how to read. Moving to the US, I volunteer at the Dekalb food bank, Huskie Food Pantry, Humane Tails Society, and Feed My Starving Children. And I’m still planning to continue doing this. I have organized community events, such as charity runs and food drives, and worked with government agencies to promote social welfare. By working together and supporting each other, we can create a stronger, more vibrant community that benefits everyone.
What three things would you bring with you to a remote island?
Food, water, and clothes.
What's a fun fact about you?
I am a big fan of the K-pop group BTS and love attending their concert.
What's your favorite quote?
“Believe in yourself, your abilities, and your own potential. Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.” ― Roy Bennett
Mabuhay, everyone! My name is Muharisa Pangadil, and my nickname is Rish. I'm thrilled to be part of Miss Asian Chicago 2023, representing my beloved country, the Philippines. I'm a 23-year-old Political Science major student passionate about advocating for children, women, and volunteerism.
I was born and raised in the Philippines and I am the youngest among my siblings. I am a proud daughter of farmers. Without scholarships, I wouldn’t be able to make my way back in the US and get my degree. At some point, it sounds impossible for me to study in the US, but I believe in myself, I believe that with hard work I will achieve what I want in life. I work multiple jobs to support myself. I grew up having a huge interest and love for reading and writing stories, participating in debate and extemporaneous speech competitions, watching Korean dramas, and joining different volunteering organizations. I actively volunteered during high school, participating in tree planting, city clean-up drives, reading stories for children, distributing school supplies, and feeding programs. I am also a huge fan of the K-pop group BTS, and I find their songs inspiring and motivating.
In 2017, I got accepted as one of the 7 participants from the Philippines to be part of the Southeast Asian Youth Leadership Program held at Northern Illinois University. Going to the US was the most life-changing experience for me. I never thought at the age of 17, I would be able to make one of my biggest dreams come true. And at that young age, I never expected that I would be able to meet different types of people and talk about the problems of our community and how these problems affect the people. I realized that as a youth, I have a massive role in my community and that there is no such thing as too young or too old to lead.
I did my first pageant in high school and was crowned Miss Intramurals 2016 while my mom was in the hospital undergoing major surgery due to a severe health problem. I have also been crowned Miss Culture and Arts 2018. I was also crowned Miss Asia 2021 at Northern Illinois University. I am so thankful that this title allowed me to speak at a different event encouraging women to be confident of themselves and my fellow Asians to be proud and loud about our history, culture, and heritage.
I believe that pageants are about more than just beauty and glamour. They're about celebrating diversity, building confidence, and positively impacting our communities. As a contestant in this pageant, I'm committed to using this platform to inspire others and make a difference in the world.
One of the main reasons I chose to join Miss Asian Chicago is my advocacy. I want to talk about the importance of supporting children, women and volunteerism. By joining the stage of Miss Asian Chicago, I am not only bringing my dreams but the dreams of the Children, Women, and Volunteers.