Some people capture your attention at a glance—leaving you curious about their stories, struggles, and victories. Beatrice Luigi Gomez easily falls under this category. As she made her way inside a room filled with media, one can’t help but wonder what stories lie beneath the surface of this queen with such a strong presence. What is it about this Cebuana that her sole appearance shook our curiosities?

Clad in an immaculate white Filipina get-up that perfectly complimented her morena skin, Bea welcomed everyone with a serene smile. She answered each question with grace and eloquence expected of the newly crowned queen. But what made her unique was her headstrong answers delivered in a calm and queen-like manner.

Taking over the Universe with experience

What builds a strong character? It’s a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with the willingness to learn from experience. This is what Bea proves to us as she answered questions related to her journey to the Miss Universe Philippines crown. She honestly admits how winning was not a part of her original plan this year, which was to simply graduate from college. However, life shocked the queen and she now can’t help but accept the challenge with a happy and grateful heart.

I’m grateful for the experiences that I’ve been through because I will not be who I am today if not because of the challenges that molded me into who I am.

Beatrice Luigi Gomez

Despite receiving compliments about her effortless question and answer portion, Bea candidly admits to still feeling kulba. She explains that everything she went through the competition was a challenge she posed upon herself to overcome her fears, which included the dreaded Q&A portion. In fact, this similar drive was one of the reasons why she entered the world of pageantry in the first place. She entered to challenge herself, and she now currently hopes to inspire others to face their fears too.

Taking over the Universe with a strong identity and purpose

Taking on the universe will definitely be a rough road. Along the way to the crown, a queen will have to face challenges in the form of criticism. This is one inevitable fact that Bea recognizes. To face this hardship, she equips herself with a strong sense of identity and a clear goal to represent the people who matter dearly to her. As a proud member of the LGBGTQIA+ community, she bravely thanked the Filipinos for allowing her to represent the country despite our conservative culture. She further explained how openly representing herself as a bisexual woman is a message to everyone to be proud of themselves to serve as an example to the youth to be true to themselves while chasing their own aspirations in life.

“If there’s one important lesson I learned in this journey, that’s to never allow anyone to dictate the narrative of your life and that you’re totally in control of who you are and who you want to be. I came here representing a lot of people, the children in conflict with the law who I advocate for, and the LGBTQA+ community. I’m here to be myself because by being myself, I am carrying with me the people who are like me

Beatrice Luigi Gomez

We also can’t help but be in awe as Bea unabashedly admits how she handles criticism. In the face of bashers, she respectfully accepts their opinions while staying true to her own beliefs. She further declares how she chooses to focus on the things that really matter other than giving her attention to things that don’t have bearing on her journey, such as social media which we admit, can get quite unhelpful and toxic. We’re really in awe, as we all know how hard it is to handle criticism with such grace.

Taking over the Universe to inspire

Of course, this Cebuana also wishes to build her community. Her mere background speaks of her record of service- a community worker, a military sergeant, and a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. One would not doubt her capability to change lives in the future, and even at present. This commitment to serve translated to her answers when asked what she sees herself doing a decade later. She plans on pursuing a Master’s program in social work after graduating college, with the end goal of becoming a philanthropist building communities and improving lives.

As Bea bravely shouts her readiness to face the universe, we can’t help but root for her and the beliefs she carries with her. She truly is a strong embodiment of a Cebuana who never ceases to fight for her rights, and we’re every step of the way behind her.

Photos from Origin Model & Artist Management

^{Photography: Jon Unson | Maquillage: Chady Pantaleon | Hair: Suzaine Christi Smith and Nino John Solis | Jewels: Diagold Jewelry | Curated & Styled: Edward James Castro}