Katarina Rodriguez

Early life and education Rodriguez was born in Orlando, Florida, United States, to Filipino parents. Her mother is from Manila, while her dad is from Davao. She spent her childhood going back and forth the United States and the Philippines every other year.

She attended high school in Orlando and recounted the bullying she experienced at school, which would later on help her develop "tough skin" before finally moving permanently to the Philippines with her family. In Manila, she pursued and completed a double major in business management and philosophy from the De La Salle University.

She is also a cycling instructor, a competitive long-distance runner, and participated as a member of the De La Salle University Women's Track and Field Team.

Modeling career At the encouragement of her two close friends, Katarina auditioned for the second season of Asia's Next Top Model. She was selected as part of the show's final three contestants along with fellow Filipina candidate Jodilly Pendre, finishing as a runner-up.

Pageantry

After her appearance in Asia's Next Top Model, Rodriguez caught the attention of well-known beauty queen trainer, Jonas Gaffud of Aces and Queens, who encouraged her to try out pageantry.

Miss Intercontinental 2017 Rodriguez represented the Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2017 pageant held in Hurghada, Egypt on January 24, 2018 where she finished as 1st runner-up to Verónica Salas Vallejo from Mexico. She also won the Miss Media Popularity award and 1st runner-up in Best in National Costume.

Miss World Philippines 2018 Representing Davao City, she was crowned as Miss World Philippines 2018 by the outgoing titleholder Laura Lehmann on October 7, 2018.

Miss World 2018 She represented the Philippines at the Miss World 2018 in Sanya, China on December 8, 2018. She is one of favorite contestants in Miss World 2018 but failed to place in the semifinals, ending the Philippines' seven-year streak of consecutive placements, from 2011 through 2017.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2024G! LUFirst film appearance

Television Year Title RoleRef. 2014 Asia's Next Top Model Herself / Contestant (2nd Runner-Up)

Personal life Rodriguez is an advocate of peace and HIV-AIDS awareness. In October 2021, she announced that she was expecting a son with her partner, businessman Niño Barbers.