Angela Perez Baraquio

Miss America 2001

Angela Perez Baraquio was an elementary Physical Education teacher and Athletic Director in Honolulu, Hawaii when she was crowned Miss Hawaii 2000. That same year, Angela, the eighth-born of ten children, and daughter of Filipino immigrants, experienced a piece of the American Dream when she went on to win the title of Miss America 2001. Angela was the first teacher to win, and continues to be the first and only Asian Miss America in history.

During her year of service, she traveled over 20,000 miles a month on a national speaking tour entitled, “Character in the Classroom: Teaching Values, Valuing Teachers.” After living in Hawaii her whole life, Angela relocated with her family to Anaheim, California in March 2006.

Angela is the Founder of the Angela Perez Baraquio Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes character education and provides scholarships and grants to students and teachers. The foundation has been in existence since October 2001.

In addition to her foundation, Angela is also featured as a Host on the Hawaii-based entertainment talk show, “Living Local with the Baraquios,” with three of her six sisters. Angela currently continues to speak at various events nationwide as a keynote speaker, judge, panelist or emcee.

Angela was chosen to be one of three distinguished women (alongside fellow Miss America sister Phyllis George) to be on the Expert Panel of a show called, “Pageant School: Becoming Miss America”, where she helped choose a winner for a reality show leading up to the 2007 Miss America Pageant. The show aired several times on CMT, VH1, MTV, and Logo in January 2007.

In May 2003, Angela and her husband were invited to a State Dinner at the White House, honoring Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In June 2006, President George W. Bush made Angela a Presidential Appointee, and now Angela is one of twenty five high profiled members to be chosen to serve on the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. Angela is proud to represent President Bush as she helps recognize and reward volunteers across America for their community service through the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards.

From 2002-2005 Angela was the official spokesperson for First Hawaiian Bank, a Hawaii-based community-oriented financial institution, which also has branches in Guam and Saipan. Angela filmed and recorded statewide TV and radio commercials for the bank, and visited First Hawaiian Bank branches across the state of Hawaii, during her tenure as spokeswoman. She and her husband have also been featured as TV hosts on the in-room video at the Four Seasons Hualalai Resort in Kona, Hawaii.

Angela continues her volunteer work with other non-profit organizations, and has appeared in television campaigns for the Hawaii Foodbank and Catholic Charities. She has also hosted several pro-life segments on the TV show, “Facing Life Head On”, which was filmed in June 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Angela is the recipient of the "2003 Women Helping Women Award" from the Soroptomist International Club and was named the 1st "Hawaii's Filipina Young Woman of the Year 2004" Award by the Filipino Chamber of Commerce. Her inspirational story, "Give It a Try", is published in the book, Chicken Soup from the Soul of Hawaii. Angela is also featured in a book, “Strength of Grace” by Kate Kitchen, which spotlights former Miss Americas. She is currently working with a literary agency in New York to complete her first non-fiction book.

In June 2007, Angela celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary with high school sweetheart and musician, Tinifuloa Grey. The couple is blessed to have two sons: Isaiah and Micah.

In Hawaii, Angela and Tinifuloa volunteered as choir directors for two church groups at St. Augustine Church in Waikiki. Now that they live in Anaheim, California, the couple has decided to start a Polynesian entertainment company to help spread the Aloha Spirit and bring a taste of the islands to the rest of the country.