Venus Raj
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
 |
|
| Born |
Maria Venus Bayonito Raj July 7, 1988 Doha, Qatar |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Bato, Camarines Sur, Philippines |
| Agency | Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Title(s) | Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss Philippines Earth 2008 (Miss Philippines Earth Eco Tourism 2008) Binibining Pilipinas 2010 (Winner- Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010) Miss Universe 2010 (4th Runner-up) |
Maria Venus Bayonito Raj (born July 7, 1988) is a Filipino actress, model, TV host and beauty pageant titleholder. She was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010 on March 6, 2010, during the pageant's Grand Coronation Night at the Araneta Coliseum. She represented the Philippines in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, and placed 4th Runner-up to Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.
Maria Venus Raj was born to an Indian father and a Filipino mother, the youngest of five children. As an infant, Raj was taken by her mother to Bato, Camarines Sur in the Bicolandia, and was registered by an aunt as a Philippine-born child. Raj grew up with her mother, a former tenant farmer and dressmaker.
For the first two decades of her life, Raj lived in a nipa hut made of wood, bamboo and anahaw leaves, with no electricity, in the middle of a sprawling rice field. She allegedly used rice paddy dikes for her early training, where she eventually developed her distinctive walk.
Raj started out by joining local beauty pageants, as well as oratorical contests at San Vicente High School, where her English teacher served as her coach. Using the prize money won in major contests, she then bought land on an installment basis for her mother as a means of improving their livelihood.
Raj obtained her bachelor's degree in Communication Arts, Major in Journalism, at Bicol University in Albay, with Latin honors (Cum Laude). She graduated through the scholarship that she received from the Francis Papica Foundation. She initially worked as an Information Assistant for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for Region V. It was at this time that she also worked as a part-time fashion model in both her native Bicol and Manila.
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