A NUMBER of girls find the world of pageantry both fascinating and exciting. Honestly, I am one of those. I still find it interesting even at my age now.
When I saw my friend’s post about her sister’s latest feat in the world of beauty pageants, I got interested to know more about her. I could see in her the qualities of a real beauty queen. So, I asked Ish to help me arrange an interview with her younger sister.
Mary Angeline B. Alajar, a 19-year-old freshman BS Nursing student at Davao Doctors College, was recently crowned as Ms. DDC 2018. And this is just one of the several awards she has brought home, not just because of her good looks but also of her wits and grace.
“I am somehow exposed in the world of pageantry po kasi because my eldest sister, Krishna, used to join (and win) pageants during her younger days. She would always tell us that it was her means of putting food on our table and for my milk and diapers,” she revealed, laughing.
“Also, my sister, Joanna who’s three years older than me, joins pageant and modeling din. And every time she competes, I make sure na I’ll be able to watch it. So maybe I guess seeing them walking on high heels, feeling confident and all, inspired and motivated me to join also,” she continued.
Since her high school days, Angel, as how I want to call her, has been a pageant regular, continuously proving that she is, indeed, a sibling of her two older beauty queen sisters.
“I used to join school pageants when I was in junior high school. But I had my first ever outside-the-school pageant po when I was 16 po. That was Hiyas ng Baliok 2016. With God’s grace, I won the crown. Maybe that was beginner’s luck that time,” she recalled, as if she just came out of the tilt because she still couldn’t believe that she made it at such a young age.
Amid such achievement, this angel in pageantry admitted that joining beauty competitions also needs emotional preparation.
“It really takes courage and bravery to be on the stage and to present yourself in front of hundreds of people. You just have to work hard for it and always be confident and just be yourself,” she said.
“In this industry, you’ll be seeing a lot of beautiful girls na will take away all the confidence in you. But don’t let that happen because we are all special and edgy in our own ways. Trust me.”
“Also, as a beauty queen, you should not only be physically, mentally, and spiritually prepared. You also have to be emotionally ready because we can’t always win. We’ll experience losing but that’s part of it. So keep on trying kasi I always believe po na if it’s for you, then God will really give it sayo. Be it about sa pageantry or any aspects of life.”
So far, Angel has already joined five big pageants: Hiyas ng Baliok 2016, Mutya ng Guihing 2018, Bb. Sta Maria 2018, Mr and Ms Oroderm City 2018 and Mr and Ms DDC 2018. Out of these tilts, she won the four titles, but was only declared a finalist for Mutya ng Guihing 2018.
Just like other beauty queens, the youngest Alajar title-holder likewise dreams of taking her journey to a higher level.
“Personally, I always dreamt of competing in national pageants. Like I want to see myself walking on the national stage, meeting other girls from all over the country, spending months with them, exploring the feeling of excitement of being outside my comfort zone and all. Kahit not winning the crown, but as long as I get to experience those. However, I think that Bb. Pilipinas is just big for me like sa height pa lang po. Pero if God’s plan why not. Leaving everything to the Lord na lang po,” she said.
Despite her busy schedule as a “pageantera” and model, Angel makes sure that she never forgets her studies. In fact, she has been an A-student.
“Time management as well as setting your priorities straight I guess works for me. Because as a student, I have my studies on top of my list. So during weekdays, I usually spend it for my academics kasi loaded po ang aking schedule,” she shared.
Good luck, Angel! The future is so bright for you. And to Ish, congratulations for raising such a wonderful sister!
(Special thanks to Chelsea Cuan for the photos!)
###
If you have special events and fashion tips to share, or just want to discuss about any fashion-related concerns with me, you are always free to reach me at mendoza.jennygrace@gmail.com.