Jamie Herrell: ‘Today’s youth too selfie-oriented’

CEBU, Philippines -  Cebu might just produce this year another Miss Earth winner.

This, as Miss Philippines Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell looked sharp and primed for the Miss Earth competition this November during a talk show before students of the University of San Jose-Recoletos.

Speaking together with Miss Philippines Earth Foundation Executive Princess Manzon (a Miss Philippines Earth 2012 runner-up who hails from San Francisco, Cebu) about “Loving Mother Earth” at the USJ-R Audio-Visual Center last July 30, Jamie showed remarkable wit in answering the questions of the students about environmental issues.

“The problem with our generation is that we are too selfie-oriented. We think too much of ourselves. We think too much of what society thinks of us and we try to go so high just to become the person on top of the hill. But then we just always have to remember that we should simply go back to basics in helping the environment,” the Filipina-American beauty said.

Jamie’s former classmate Edwin Joseph Castaneda, a fourth year AB Mass Communication student, expressed confidence at Jamie’s chances in the Miss Earth tilt, that he went on asking the Cebuana beauty queen about her advocacy for the world if and when she will be crowned Miss Earth this year.

For her part, Jamie said she wants to focus on continuing to promote eco-tourism, noting that it helps alleviate poverty as this gives employment opportunities for the communities.

Jamie, however, said she cannot promise to win the title but she assured the students that she will do her best to represent the country.

Jamie and Princess graced the halls of USJ-R upon the invitation of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences to speak in a talk show about the advocacy of Miss Philippines Earth. The two Earth warriors introduced the “Think Twice for the Environment” campaign.

Princess said the campaign is all about better alternatives of doing things, or simply put, going back to basics.

“Everything that you do, there’s always a better alternative. Like if it’s not too hot, why would you put on the aircon?,” she challenged.

The two earth ambassadors have been visiting local government units, as well as elementary and high school students in different parts of the country. USJ-R is the first university that they visited.

Students could not contain their excitement seeing the former Josenian in the flesh. Each of them took turns in taking photos with the two beauty queens.

Seferino Magno, Jr., a BS-Accountancy major, told Jaime during the open forum that he rushed quickly to the AVR after he learned of Jamie’s presence in the university.

“I was so starstruck because I never expected that you would come here in USJ-R. When I heard from my friends talking about you, that you are at the AVR, I immediately went here,”  Seferino said.

Jamie spent two years in USJ-R, taking up Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication. However, because of financial constraints following her father’s death in March of last year, she had to stop schooling.

Currently, she is under a scholarship program at the International Academy of Film and Television in Mactan for a diploma program in Acting.

Her previous titles include Miss Lapu-Lapu 2012 1st runner-up, 2013 Sinulog Festival Queen 2013, Reyna ng Aliwan 2013, Miss Mega Cebu 2014.

Meanwhile, USJ-R’s Vice-President for Academics Fr. Manny Bolilia, who received Jamie and Princess during their courtesy call, hopes to forge a partnership with the Miss Philippines Earth foundation to give way for more and better programs for the environment in the communities that the university is serving.

As for the Miss Philippines Earth Foundation, Princess is thinking of an event for the environment during the USJ-R’s celebration of the Intramurals this September.