Winning Catwalk 2009 was one of the greatest achievements of my life. Not only for the prestige and honor I received from the community but most importantly what it means to me personally - it is a living proof that I can be who I want to be and I can show the whole world the real me and what I can do without shame and fear. I say it is mostly about CONFIDENCE, OPTIMISM, and BELIEVING IN YOURSELF or to wrap it all up, being FIERCE!

Catwalk is not just a modeling competition but is also an advocacy competition. It is a venue for us to be heard and to advance our advocacies regarding many issues concerning our community - HIV/AIDS epidemic, discrimination, poverty, social justice, etc. There are two categories that bear great weight on judging the candidates - the interview which measures the model's ability to become a community spokesperson; and personal integrity which is based on the model's conduct and character during the competition reflective of her ability to become a good role model for the community. It provides an opportunity for us to showcase not only our beauty but also our wisdom, talent, and character with the HOPE that the world will understand who we really are.

The past year has been tough and challenging for our community - the continuous rise of HIV/AIDS prevalence among our people, the exclusion of transgender in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the passing of Proposition 8 in California, the increase in hate-related crimes committed against our kind, and the economic recession that hits this country and worsened our already marginalized and impoverished condition among many others; but we never falter and we are gathered to send a strong message to the world - we are strong, united and we will never give up the fight for what is right and just. We will all stand together as we look forward to a better day.

Carmen
Catwalk ‘09 Winner