It was one fine sunny morning in a room filled with media personalities waiting for the homecoming of Tracy Maureen Perez. As the crowd waited with their cameras and questions, the newly crowned Miss World Philippines 2021 appeared, brightly smiling at every person she met while making her way inside the venue. Within the first few minutes, you could sense how genuinely happy she was to be finally home.

Warmth is a perfect way to describe Tracy at a first glance. She wasn’t around to be welcomed as someone who deserves praise for winning a crown for her hometown, but rather, she sat and ate there candidly around the people she was comfortable with. This genuine appearance easily translated to Tracy’s eloquence during her interview that felt more like catching up with an old friend.

Facing the World with a humble and grateful heart

One can easily describe Tracy’s warmth in her answers. From the very first question to the last, she was filled with a deep sense of gratitude for those who have helped her become the person she is today. When asked how she prepared for the competition, she honestly mentioned how emotional she is as a person and how she places high priority on the people who share the journey with her. Tracy places value on people. She even recognized a personality from the media who followed her journey ever since she started the world of pageantry.

It’s very important that you have the best support system. I have to make sure that I only surround myself with people who have my best intentions at heart… I wouldn’t be Miss World Philippines without Team Origin and all the friends I met since 2016. It was a long journey and right now I’m feeling very grateful that after years and years of sacrifices, tears, blood and everything in between, I still have all these people with me and I’ll be forever grateful to you guys.

Tracy Maureen Perez

Her humility easily translated to the way she viewed herself and the experiences she has made so far. When asked what changes she experienced after winning the Miss World crown, she humbly said that nothing changed other than her tight schedule as she remains to be a “simple Cebuana who continues to dream” and one who luckily fulfilled her dreams.  

Facing the World with resilience

One of the things that makes Tracy’s story a memorable one is her encounters with failure. If there’s one lesson we can take from her journey, it’s truly her resilience and her ability to continue fighting despite the disappointments and heartaches that came after failing to take home two national crowns in the past years. She even mentions how Catriona Gray served as one of her inspirations throughout her journey since they have similar experiences of failure before finally attaining their very well-deserved victories. In her words, “A Filipina, a Cebuana never gives up.” And indeed, she has taught us this lesson with a crown on her head.

Tracy also amused us with her ability to turn bad events into her own strength. Aside from transforming her failure into an experience that became her own strength on her third try, she also has the ability to add humor to these instances. She candidly mentioned falling twice during the competition held last October and how her falls became trending online. Despite what could have been an embarrassing moment, Tracy learned to laugh it off and took it as a positive sign.

During the coronation night, I fell twice and it’s been trending but I just tell myself that those two falls can mean I can get the second Miss World crown.

Tracy Maureen Perez

Facing the World as a Cebuana

In the latter parts of the interview, Tracy touched on her hometown, Cebu. A question was raised on what the best thing is about being a Cebuana. With this, Tracy confidently shared that aside from a Cebuana’s beauty, it’s her substance that makes her stand out. And indeed, Tracy has earned her spot as becoming a Cebuana with substance. When asked about how she can promote beauty in diversity, she confidently gave a challenge to everyone.

In the age of social media and technology, we should open up meaningful conversations about accepting that everyone is beautiful regardless of gender, religion and personal beliefs. That alone is enough.

Tracy Maureen Perez

Her beauty with a purpose not only shows her substance as a Cebuana, but also shows her deep sense of gratitude as a daughter. Since she was raised alone by her late mother who she dearly misses, Tracy decided to dedicate her cause to the solo parents of Cordova. Through her cause, she intends on helping them with their livelihood by teaching them basic computer skills and tying them up with companies in hopes of teaching them that they still have value in our communities. Tracy’s fuel behind this project lies in her desperation to give back to her mother who has sadly left her behind.

When asked what her message was for other aspiring Cebuana beauty queens, most of her advice came from personal experience. She mentioned preparation as the key to everything, trusting your gut, and evading comparison with others since no other competition exists except against one’s self. Other than that, Tracy believes that another important lesson to keep is to build confidence but to also stay grounded while treating everyone with respect. With these words, she has truly proven her embodiment of a Cebuana with substance.

Photos courtesy of Origin Model & Artist Management

^{Photography: Jon Unson | Creative Director: Edward James Castro | Jewelry: Diagold | Makeup: Nicko Dela Peña | Hair: Niño John Solis}