Ah, to be young, fun and trendy

It is not everyday you get to be called one of the prettiest girls in Cebu. And for Sylgeene Therese Tampus, she'll never get used to it.

"But, my mother's pretty proud of it. She loves telling people 'bout it," the bubbly 18-year-old shares with a delighted laugh.

Sylgeene, fondly called Gen, has been picked to be part of the elite circle of Cebu's 12 Prettiest Teens, a first of its kind search organized by The Maze in Ayala, which focuses not just on individual looks and charm, but also on how well a girl carries herself in school and in the community she belongs to. "We were not looking for the model type, we wanted achievers to be our image models," says The Maze's Jessie Latasa on his brainchild.

For one, this third-year regular Nursing student at the University of San Carlos has managed to adopt a carefree persona of any fun-loving girl, but when it comes to schoolwork, she pushes herself hard like any hard-charging dean's lister.

This is because of a promise to her parents-her mom is a college dean and her dad is a graduate school teacher-that she definitely intends to keep. The reigning Miss USC-Talamban Campus can have the time of her life, pursuing other interests like modeling and, perhaps in the near future, acting. But she maintains that to make good with her studies is non-negotiable.

Like many young ladies her age, her passion about fashion is not hard to miss. Gen, whose most lasting fashion moment was sashaying down the ramp in clothes made of recycled materials, however, loves it chic but not flashy. A spaghetti strap top and flip-flops spell her regular get-up. She also has a 5'5 enviable slender frame, but swears that she wasn't like this before. "I used to be very fat in high school," the former varsity volleyball player and dance leader says. "But my father really encouraged me to be active especially in sports. That trimmed me down."

She's not fussy about beauty products, but simply looks after her fair features with a beauty routine of milk and calamansi.

But of course, Gen is no small dreamer. Two of her lifelong dreams are to study abroad and become a neurosurgeon.

The self-confessed "Miss Congeniality," who lights up a room with her sweet disposition and ready smile for every new acquaintance, feels privileged that through Maze, "I've been to many places and met many people." As one of the spokespersons of The Maze, she has dipped in hand in charity works and gladly underwent motivational, personality workshops that would help her grow into a confident young lady-a "role model" for people her age.

For Gen, a "teen role model" should be a good student and daughter, who knows herself and what she wants in life. - NATHALIE M. TOMADA