By Xinming Li, bostonese.com
Manchester, Vermont, August 31, 2016 — 2016 Miss Earth China (Boston) grand final was held yesterday afternoon at beautiful Taconic Hotel in downtown Manchester. BU pre-law student Maggie Yu won this special event after talent show, speech contest and Q&A sessions. Elena Peng of Binghamton University and Tianhuizi Zheng of Columbia University finished as first and second runners up among seven contestants who made to the grand final. Some contestants of this event will also appear at the Sixth Asian American Festival to be held in Boston Common on Sept. 10, 2016.
(L to R) Top 3 contestants: Elena Peng, Maggie Yu and Tianhuizi Zheng. (photos by Xinming Li)
This event was brought to the green mountain state by Miss Jing Xu, founder of Onceinlife Explorations. Xu received an official Boston City City Council resolution, signed by the Council President Michelle Wu, for bringing Miss Earth China to Boston area and her dedication to environment protection. She thanked many sponsors for making this event possible.
Jing Xu (left) and designer Faune Stevens present Social Responsibility Award to Christina Zhang.
Growing up in Boston Chinatown, Maggie Yu saw and witnessed a lack of legal resources and even general awareness amongst the community members. As a result, She has been interning for different legal services this past year in order to gain more insight on what she can do to better her community. She is also the president of Verge Dance Company, a Chinese dance group at BU.
In her speech, Yu said: “Rather than driving everywhere, I often opt to walk to places if it’s close by and take public transit if it’s farther. I will only use Uber as a last resort if it is absolutely necessary. To spread awareness, I will work with a club and/or organization who shares this same vision of mine within BU. I will host seminars and various screenings that show the impact of excess carbon emissions. By starting small, it can lead into something big. If we all start by reducing our own carbon footprint, we will be able to help on a global scale.”
“I’m very proud of Maggie! She has been an invaluable member of Boston Chinese Folk Dance Group, staring from a student to now associated director. I hope she can advance farther in the Miss Earth competition and represent Boston on a global stage. Maggie is the pride of Chinatown!” said Nasi Huang, director of Boston Chinese Folk Dance Group.
