Gwendolyne Fourniol crowned Miss World Philippines

Fourniol was born and raised in France to a Filipina mother and French father. She got a degree in Economics at Oxford Brooks in London, England. She hopes to join an internship program with JP Morgan after graduation, and is also looking towards launching a French tutorial service in the Philippines. She plays piano and guitar.

This is not the first time Fourniol has competed in the pageant.  She made her pageant debut on stage during Miss World Philippines 2021 and , she finished to the Top 15 but failing to progress. . Competing in beauty pageants wasn’t even on her radar, until her mother encouraged her to move to the Philippines to compete. She was 18 when she moved to the motherland. In 2019, she moved to the Philippines while her father was working as a senior analyst in Belgium and her mother was working as a nurse in London.

“Growing up surrounded by French and Filipino culture, as well as being trilingual, has strengthened my desire for adventure and independence,” she said in her introduction video. “I moved alone to the Philippines but I wasn’t scared. I knew I was surrounded with kindness by the Filipino people.”

During the question and answer segment of the competition, Fourniol was asked how an education deficit accumulated amid the pandemic can be resolved. She answered: “As an advocate of education, I do agree that during the pandemic we have suffered the most, but the children who have a lack of access to education have suffered the greatest. And working hand in hand with ERDA Foundation who empowered the marginalised Filipino, I believe by uniting benefactors and encouraging children and allowing them to go back to school especially during this pandemic will make this world a better place because education is the greatest weapon against poverty.”