Pia Wurtzbach Made The Most Of Being Miss Universe

With a new contestant about to crowned, you're probably wondering, where is last year's Miss Universe winner now? Well, as it turns out, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines has had quite the productive year. Thanks to a memorable gaff from Steve Harvey, Wurtzbach had a little more trouble ascending her rightful throne than she should have — though while she may have had a less-than auspicious start to her reign, she's definitely made the most of her time as Miss Universe 2015.

She's basically done everything a Miss Universe winner could ask for — she's starred in commercials, she's thrown the first pitch at a Mets game, and she's judged many other pageants (including the Miss Binibining Pilipinas competition she won to qualify for the Miss Universe pageant), as well as appeared as a guest judge on Asia's Next Top Model. On the philanthropic side of things, she's provided earthquake relief in Ecuador, and she even attended a UN summit on HIV/AIDS, on behalf of the Miss Universe organization and the Philippines (HIV/AIDS was her major platform as part of the pageant).

Suffice it to say, she's had quite the year — and the next Miss Universe certainly has a lot to live up to, a sentiment echoed by Miss Universe president, Paula Shugart. She told GMA News Online, "Whoever the next winner is, I said, 'Make it your own.' Because Pia had made it... she had a very great reign."

Even as her tenure comes to a close, she's continued to use her platform for good — she recently penned an op-ed in which she voiced support for LGBTQ rights, an issue that's especially important in her home country of the Philippines right now. And, though giving up the crown's never exactly fun, we don't have to worry about Wurtzbach. Shugart told GMA News that, while Wurtzbach is sad to be leaving New York, she's also excited to be returning home to the Philippines.

So, as Wurtzbach prepares to pass on her crown to her successor, it's nice to see that she's made the most of her time as Miss Universe — hopefully it means that we will continue to see more good things from her in the future.