Fearless Filipina

MANILA, Philippines - When Janelle Olafson, second place winner of the recently concluded reality show Pinay Beauty Queen Academy, dreamt of becoming a beauty queen and a model, she mustered all the courage to take a leap of faith and chase her dreams. Behind the beautiful face, Janelle is a strong lady who has a blazing desire to live the life she has dreamt of, the exact life she is living right now.

Janelle, a Filipino-American model and host, left her comfortable life in the United States as a sales and marketing head of a bank to pursue her passion and pursue her happiness in the Philippines. She then got into modeling, which eventually opened the doors for a lot of opportunities.

In Pinay Beauty Queen Academy, Janelle was mentored by actress and former beauty queen Evangeline Pascual. The tough challenges that Janelle went through as a contestant served as  training that allowed her to improve herself week after week. In the competition, she stood out with her wit, confidence and grace. Janelle shares that the reality show taught her to challenge herself to do things she never thought she could do. Aside from that, she was able to work with some of the most beautiful and excellent people in the industry.

With her beautiful face and flawless skin that match her sunny personality, Janelle was instantly offered to be the face of EB Essentials Kojic Soap.

For the past eight years, Janelle has been traveling back and forth to the US to visit her family. “If I didn’t move to the Philippines when I was 17 to follow my dreams, this (winning in the reality show) would have never happened. I believe that as long as you follow your dreams, anything is possible,” she excitingly shares. In her life, Janelle never forgets who’s behind all the success she is getting. “God has just put this on my lap. He has blessed me with so much and I’m very thankful,” she says.

Having a Filipina mother, Janelle’s foundation is rooted in Filipino values and culture that she did not have a hard time adjusting to the culture of the country. Now, with all the great opportunities offered to her in the Philippines, she decided to stay for good. “I’ll forever live here. I love this place. I love the Filipinos. There’s nowhere I want to be than here because it makes me happy,” Janelle says. “I want to make a difference,” Janelle says and adds that making a difference is her ultimate calling. She plans to share her positive disposition with other people.

Janelle shares, “I’ve been where other ladies (aspiring models and beauty queens) are at right now. I understand what it’s like to look up to people. Somehow, I want them to look at me and say, ‘Maybe, one day, I can be like her, too’.”

Janelle proudly shares that her best assets are her toned and smooth legs from years of dancing in church. “If you take care of your skin and body, you’ll feel beautiful. Always take care of yourself so in the future, you can still look 10 years younger,” she says.

Being brave at heart and fearless of whatever lies ahead of her, Janelle took the risk to become independent. She has learned so much by herself, facing each struggle with grace and taking the good from all of it. In tough times,  being so far from her family and the comforts of living in the US, she holds on to her conviction and stays  positive. Now that good things are coming her way, she holds on to these struggles as pockets of opportunity to grow and be more than what she expects of herself. If there is one thing she wants other girls of her age to know, that is to, “Live fearlessly because we only have one life and God doesn’t want us to take it for granted,” Janelle concludes.

Photography by Mot Rasay • Clothes by Jellybean • Makeup and hairstyling by Ever Bilena