FEMALE Thomasians from the Faculty of Engineering proved there’s more to them than dealing with numbers.
Jodilly Pendre, a 20-year-old Information Systems graduate of UST, bagged first runner-up honors in the recently concluded Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 2.
Though Pendre did not take home the crown, she inspired three other Thomasian beauties, Patricia De Jesus, Arriane Marasigan and Christine Rodriguez, to try their luck in the modeling industry.
“Female engineering students usually have this strong personality. Maybe it's because of the male-dominated atmosphere that we become strong and learn to cope with somehow twice the effort as the usual female student would do,” Rodriguez said.
Veteran queen
Of the four aspiring models, De Jesus, Information Systems alumna, has been joining pageants, including small-time contests in grade school, in the last nine years.
“Seeing their [audience] faces and hearing them shout my name or my faculty is priceless,” she said.
It was her mom who first encouraged De Jesus to join pageants, with her relatives urging her to go pro or take it to the next level, like joining the Binibining Pilipinas pageant.
“It's my mom's dream that I become a beauty queen. That’s why I know I truly make her happy whenever I go up the stage even though it’s not really what I want,” said De Jesus, who previously represented Engineering in the university-wide The Search for the Ideal Thomasian Personalities (TSITP), now called Thomasian Youth Ambassador and Ambassadress (TYAA).
Femme fatale
While De Jesus is experienced in the field, modeling and joining pageants were unheard of for Rodriguez in college.
The Electronics Engineering alumna was still juggling being a student and council president when her modelling career began in 2011. Rodriguez was referred by a friend of a local business owner to be a print model.
Since then, she has been joining pageants such as the Student Organizations Coordinating Council’s university-wide pageant Pintig, pageants within Engineering, and a local pageant off campus.
“I’m actually not that into it. It was more of just gaining the experience for me than really pursuing this career,” Rodriguez said.
Marasigan’s modeling career dates back to December 2012 when her handler, who she met when she started joining university-wide pageants, offered her stints for SM Malls.
The Chemical Engineering student said if it were up to her, she would end her part-time career and focus on her studies.
“When I began modelling, I think my experience in pageants taught me that I should always remember that people in the audience don’t really know me. So whenever I go up the stage, I am doing it for the company that I represent,” said the incoming fifth year student, who’s also a talent of Ayala Malls and other small fashion shows.
Unfamiliar territory
Both Marasigan and De Jesus had to toughen up to fit in the male-dominated world of Engineering. But the challenges are different in modeling.
“It was really a culture shock for me because I get to deal with a lot of girls with different personalities in modeling. But in time, I was able to get along with them,” said Marasigan, an aspiring engineer-lawyer.
“It’s hard because it’s as if you’re carrying the brand name of the company you are working for. It’s like you also carry the weight of their sales.”
An incoming fifth year student, Marasigan admitted that Engineering was not her first choice. She wanted to pursue a medicine-related course, but did not qualify.
“I realized that Engineering is something different and you get to apply what you learn in real life,” said the former student-model, who took a break from her modeling career to focus on her fifth and final year.
Rodriguez and De Jesus are thankful for the opportunities that are coming their way, but are more keen on preparing for the upcoming board exams.
“I strongly believe that UST female Engineering students are more than competent to compete in beauty contests and pageants,” De Jesus said.
