Flonique Guimary

Valerie West on her role model: 'She is an inspiring person'

Article (news)

Rhea Manila Santos

Push Team

<p>As one of the 66 candidates vying for the Miss Universe Philippines crown this year, Valerie Pawid West admitted it will be a challenge to get the title, especially because she is considered as this year’s dark horse in the pageant as the first beauty queen to represent the province of Ifugao. </p><div><br/></div><p>“ I&#x27;m really, really excited and shocked, to be honest, that I&#x27;m being labeled as a dark horse. I find it an honor because there&#x27;s so many contestants this year. 69 when we started. So to be labeled as a dark horse, I&#x27;m going to take pride in it and show my best every time. I think the fact that there&#x27;s a lot of veterans in the competition is an opportunity to learn from people that really know the business. </p><div><br/></div><p>&quot;As a newbie, I&#x27;m fresh in the Philippines, which can also be an asset. But I&#x27;m learning throughout, learning from Ate Winwyn (Marquez), and Chelsea (Manalo). I&#x27;m really trying to gain and become a better person throughout this journey. So I&#x27;m coming with a fresh face, I&#x27;m coming with the passion of a dark horse, but of course, learning from the veterans throughout,” she told PUSH TV in an exclusive interview. </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-5" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DIgXlSZRwcV/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=630&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A5%2C%22os%22%3A3220229.5%2C%22ls%22%3A127430.20000000298%2C%22le%22%3A127746.70000000298%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1077" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-5" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-6" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIznr0CR2H1/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=630&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A6%2C%22os%22%3A3220245.399999991%2C%22ls%22%3A127430.20000000298%2C%22le%22%3A127746.70000000298%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1149" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-6" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/events/2025/5/2/exclusive-valerie-west-is-proud-to-be-the-first-ifugao-to-compete-in-miss-universe-philippines-1005" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: EXCLUSIVE: Valerie West is proud to be the first Ifugao to compete in Miss Universe Philippines</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Earlier this year, Valerie won the Reina Filipina North America title, which then paved the way for her to compete in Miss Universe Philippines. But the 22-year-old stunner admitted she has her eyes on winning other titles as well.</p><div><br/></div><p>“Well of course! While in the Philippines, make the most of every opportunity &#x27;di ba? So whichever crown I&#x27;m blessed with, I will be really, really grateful for. Of course, Miss Universe first and foremost, but if not, I have my eye on Miss Charm. If possible, I feel like their crown aligns with my personality really well,” she said. </p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-7" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DH8XFodyqyD/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=630&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A7%2C%22os%22%3A3220252.599999994%2C%22ls%22%3A127430.20000000298%2C%22le%22%3A127746.70000000298%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1111" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-7" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>;</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2025/4/30/valerie-west-reacts-to-being-labeled-as-a-dark-horse-in-muph-2025-push-tv-1628?fbclid=IwY2xjawKAqZVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFzU3JzeDZOOXpmOVU3WlprAR5X53APHFwyx2lJyKF72N3lX9pyve-2OsUdTNCC5ft6r03ESQDxcYQPqaSI6w_aem_JekIqRfhzXMEoHKO19HI0A" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH: Valerie West reacts to being labeled as a ‘dark horse’ in MUPh 2025 | PUSH TV</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-8" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJHLJFxSYgp/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=630&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A8%2C%22os%22%3A3221367.599999994%2C%22ls%22%3A127430.20000000298%2C%22le%22%3A127746.70000000298%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1467" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-8" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><p>Making history as the first candidate to represent Ifugao, Valerie revealed what kind of legacy she hopes to leave in this year’s pageant.</p><div><br/></div><p>“I just want to be my genuine self throughout. For me, pageantry is so much more than pasarela. Of course, it&#x27;s nice. Pasarela and modeling. But there&#x27;s a lot that we can do with the crown. It&#x27;s an opportunity to be a leader in the community, to inspire change, especially as a candidate that&#x27;s representing Ifugao for the first time, an underrepresented place. It&#x27;s important we show the beauty of our culture, the beauty of other places in the Philippines that are quite undiscovered. So that&#x27;s my legacy, I want to tell other people&#x27;s stories. I want to be a leader and an exchange through my position,” she explained. </p><div><br/></div><p>During her interview with PUSH TV, Valerie also shared which woman she considers her biggest role model.</p><div><br/></div><p>“I&#x27;ve actually had one in mind since it was Women&#x27;s Month recently. I really look up to Margaret Thatcher, which is kind of an unconventional answer, I think. But it&#x27;s not because of her political views, whether you agree with her or not. I think she is an inspiring person, inspiring woman, because she takes charge in any room she walks into. Margaret Thatcher had the ability to stand out in a workplace that&#x27;s dominated by males. So that&#x27;s something I want to bring to the table as a biomedical engineer, as a pageant queen in every part of my life,” she explained. </p><div><br/></div><p>A go-getter even outside the pageant world, Valerie earned a Biomedical Engineering degree from the University of Delaware as a step closer towards her goal of getting into medical school apart from her beauty queen aspirations.</p><div><br/></div><p style="text-align:left">“I had to prove why I was there every day, get over impostor syndrome. But then I realized I was put into that position for a reason. And me being female and being an empowered woman gave me so many unique characteristics in the job. So I took that to the table every day. And by my senior project, I was the group leader and I was taking charge and leading meetings. I think it&#x27;s important to just be confident in your own abilities, in your own unique characteristics and just take to that throughout,” she added. </p>

<p>Miss Universe Philippines 2025 candidate Valerie West talks about how she feels about being the dark horse in this year’s pageant and leaving a legacy for future candidates from the Ifugao province.</p>

Miss Universe Philippines 2025 candidate Valerie West talks about how she feels about being the dark horse in this year’s pageant and leaving a legacy for future candidates from the Ifugao province.