Advice to beauty queen hopefuls  

It’s beauty pageant season, and I have the opportunity to advise a prospective applicant at a crucial crossroads: she can either pursue her long-held dream of entering the pageant or continue with her current job, which has provided her with valuable experience and promises a bright future.

As I reflect on my own journey, I recall being invited to join the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant at just 18. Although I initially lacked my parents’ consent, I took the leap the following year at 19 with my grandmother’s support—she was a Carnival Queen, after all. At that time, I was a freshman in college, carving out my career path. My goal was clear: finish my degree, pursue postgraduate studies, and follow in my father’s footsteps in the financial industry.

While joining a beauty pageant wasn’t originally part of my plan, the chance to travel to ancient Greece—the cradle of Western civilization—was simply too exciting to resist. Competing was only a small part of the experience; it was about embracing an incredible opportunity and stepping confidently into the spotlight.

Now, as I connect with this 23-year-old woman over Messenger, here’s my strong advice:

1. Set short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals to guide your decisions effectively.
2. Assess whether you can participate in the pageant while maintaining your job. If it’s not feasible to balance both, create a “pros and cons” matrix for the pageant.
3. Understand that a pageant is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If the entertainment industry, public speaking, modeling, film or theater don’t ignite your passion, then it’s wise not to enter.
4. If your current job aligns with your long-term aspirations and offers a clear future, don’t walk away from it.
5. Carefully evaluate your options: consider whether your job could provide better opportunities than those presented by the pageant organizers.
6. Remember, your beauty will remain, regardless of the path you choose.
7. Discover where your true passion lies and trust your gut instinct; it will lead you.
8. Doors opened for me, but it wasn’t solely due to my title as Miss Universe; it was my education and experiences in advocating for women’s causes, building homes, and producing art that truly kept those doors open. I consistently showcased my title at the end of my CV, highlighting the real essence of my journey.
9. Pray for discernment and guidance as you face a crossroad. Choose the one in which you can serve God through service to others.
10. Don’t allow the title (if you get it) to define you. It is your actions and choices that truly shape your identity. Choose with purpose and live with no regrets.