Sharing beauty and grace

When you smile, the world stops and stares for a while,” tweets Nicolette Henson, Bb. Pilipinas 2nd runner-up. And that’s exactly what happened last September 25 when Atty. Charlemagne Yu, member of our school’s board of trustees, collaborated with Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Megaworld, and GMA-7 to bring the five winners of the 2010 beauty pageant to hold a storytelling session at ERDA Tech.

It was a welcome gesture in a school where it is easy to feel frustrated about the students’ low self-esteem which manifests whenever they do not want to answer questions, or refuse to participate and do well in an activity because they feel shy or think they can never be capable of doing such things. Any school is grateful whenever volunteer organizations lend a helping hand and complement what is learned in school with what is sorely needed in real life.

The ladies had it easy managing the class as the students couldn’t get over how star-struck they were by the beauty of the women. A foreign volunteer of our school remarked, “I have never seen the students so behaved!” The five ladies, however, did not rely on their beauty alone to captivate their audience. They were skilled conversationalists who knew when to pause, and when to ask the students if they understood what they were reading. However, it was after the storytelling activity when the day started to pick up. That was when the

Shaping up: Bb. Pilipinas-International Krista Kleiner teaches a student how to defend himself using taekwondo.

pageant winners connected their lives to the stories they had just read and related these to the lives of our students. Three of them didn’t have to exert much effort, as they, too, came from humble backgrounds. One of then was Ms. Universe 4th runner-up, Venus Raj.

Nicolette Henson and Krista Kleiner did not let their mestiza looks get in the way of interacting with our students. Though obviously more comfortable with English, they tried their best to speak in Filipino and encouraged their audience to overcome their shyness and share their insights with the class. Despite her fair features, Nicolette revealed that she didn’t have an easy life growing up. She narrated how she had to exert extra effort to stay in school. On the other hand, Krista shared her many talents with the class. Aside from her dazzling charm, the Bb. Pilipinas-International is an honor student and a multi-athlete. A blackbelter in taekwondo, she utilized the remaining minutes of her session to teach the basic moves of the sport. She encouraged the students to be passionate about learning and developing their talents. Her final message to the students was to “work hard as it will always pay off.”

Bb. Pilipinas-World Czarina Gatbonton, spoke to the class in eloquent Filipino, sharing her story of perseverance as she related that though she had joined lots of pageants, in the beginning, she lost many of these. Worse, for every pageant, she had to look for kind souls to lend her clothes and other accessories so as to have a fighting chance. She made the students realize that they are actually more fortunate as they already have sponsors who are helping them finish high school. Dianne Necio also emphasized this point, recounting that when she was still young, she had only one set of uniform for the entire week, which she would wash every day and dry behind a refrigerator. Despite these, she shared that she never engaged in self-pity, rather, she counted her blessings and was thankful for all she had.

Ms. Universe 4th runner-up Venus Raj also had a very inspiring story to share. Venus recalled familiar stories of poverty. Among these were having no electricity, using only a gas lamp while studying, and walking a few miles every day to school. “Poverty is not a hindrance to your dreams,” Venus asserted though. She reminded them that every experience, even the most difficult ones, is part of God’s plan to bring out the best in every person. She mentioned that back then, she had to walk kilometers to reach her school. While others may pity themselves for having to experience such an ordeal, she made the best out of it by practicing her walk and posture. She also highlighted how she learned to content herself with eating just enough because of her family’s poverty. In effect, she proudly posed to the class her perfect figure.

When one looks at a beauty queen, it is easy to conclude that theirs is a life of pure happiness and minimal difficulties. The Bb. Pilipinas 2010 winners dismantled that stereotype by revealing to our students that true beauty blossoms when one learns how to handle struggles, hardships, and deprivation with dignity and grace.