The Thai former Miss Universe on a philanthropic mission, from her native land to the US west coast
- Porntip Bui Simon was crowned Miss Universe in 1988 but knew she had to use the platform to do more than promote beauty products and bathing suits
- Her Angels Wings Foundation provides scholarships for Thai students in both the US and her native Thailand, where it also supports children
The chatter inside a packed function room at Beverly Hills’ Montage Hotel quietens as Porntip Bui Simon glides into the room and takes her place on the podium.
Three decades after being crowned, the former Miss Thailand and Miss Universe still looks every inch the pageant queen. She smiles benevolently at the assembled guests, mostly members of the local Thai community.
Everyone stands for the Thai national anthem, accompanied by musicians playing Thai instruments. Outside, a lavish lunch is being prepared.
The occasion is the endowment of hundreds of thousands of US dollars in scholarship money to 41 of the brightest young Thais on the US west coast. The scholarships are provided by the Angels Wings Foundation, a charitable organisation founded by Simon.
The students are headed for some of the best universities in the US – MIT, Stanford and UCLA – where tuition fees can be in the tens of thousands of US dollars a year.
They plan to study neuroscience, world arts and engineering, among other subjects. One student says her ultimate goal is to manage a racing car speed track in Indiana.