Brook Antoinette Mahealani Lee (born January 8, 1971) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Hawaii USA 1997, Miss USA 1997 and Miss Universe 1997. Lee was the first native Hawaiian to win the title of Miss Universe.

Early life

Lee is of Chinese, Korean, Native Hawaiian, Portuguese, French, Dutch and English ancestry. Her Korean grandfather emigrated to Hawaii in the 1950s. Lee's mother, Toni, was president of Na Pua Ke Ali'i Pauahi, an alumni association of the school that petitioned the board for reforms. Lee attended University Lab School for one year (1987–88) and graduated from Kamehameha Schools in 1989. She is a graduate of

Chaminade University Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private Marianist university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, Chaminade is located in Kaimuki, Honolulu at the base of St. Louis Heights. Chaminade offers bache ...

. Lee also pursued graduate-level studies in communications at the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. Her Korean name is Lee Shi-nae (이시내).

Pageantry

Miss USA 1997

Lee won Miss Hawaii USA, then went on to participate in Miss USA 1997 at

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

on February 5, 1997, and was crowned by outgoing titleholder Ali Landry of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Miss Universe 1997

Lee represented the United States at the Miss Universe 1997 pageant in

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. On May 16, 1997, she won the crown at 26 years and 128 days, becoming the oldest Miss Universe to win the crown at the time. Lee and

Al Masini Alfred Michael Masini (January 5, 1930 – November 29, 2010) was an American television producer. Life and career Early life and education Al Masini was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Raised by his widowed mother, Masini started working after ...

, along with funding from the state, helped bring the

Miss Universe 1998 Miss Universe 1998 was the 47th Miss Universe pageant, was held on 12 May 1998 at the Stan Sheriff Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago was crowned by Brook Lee of the United States at the end of the event. Th ...

pageant to

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, Hawaii, for the first time.

Career

"She is the host of KHON2’s “Modern Wahine Hawaii;” she is the co-host for the Podcast “It’s a Hawaii Thing;” and she dances hula at Halekulani’s “House Without a Key.” She also believes in service to the community, taking on the Artistic Director role with the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame, where she produces the annual Lei of Stars installation of Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame inductees, and serves as the secretary for the nonprofit BEHawaii."

References

External links

Brook Lee - Official Website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Brook 1971 births American actresses of Chinese descent American actresses of Korean descent American beauty pageant winners American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of French descent American people of Native Hawaiian descent American people of Portuguese descent Kamehameha Schools alumni Living people Miss Universe 1997 contestants Miss Universe winners Miss USA 1997 delegates Miss USA winners University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Hawaii people of Chinese descent 20th-century American people People from Pearl City, Hawaii 21st-century American women