Michelle Dee on how her family inspires her and her advocacies
Even prior to winning Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee has always been vocal about her life advocacies.
In an interview with telco giant PLDT, the Kapuso beauty queen-actress highlighted how her family is her biggest inspiration not just in her Miss Universe journey but in continuously pushing for her advocacies.
“My mom is one of my biggest inspirations. She is responsible for why I am so strong,” Michelle was quoted as saying, adding that her mom, Melanie Marquez, is somebody she really looks up to.
"She was nothing but proud. She instilled in my mind that I should shine as my own woman, be confident in what I have and what I have to offer," she continued.
Michelle's admiration for her mother is also reflected in her "snake walk" at the pageant, which she said was inspired by her beauty queen mom.
"My trainer Ian Mendajar and I were conceptualizing the walk and really trying to personalize my choreography. We had always aspired to integrate my mom as an inspiration throughout my journey and we felt like this was the right moment," she explained.
Michelle's family also instilled in her the passion for helping people and participating in charities even at a young age.
The Inner Peace Foundation, which she now leads, was founded by her grandmother over 40 years ago.
“My father always taught me that if you have the means to give back, then you should always give back. I'm so grateful to have such strong pillars in my life, teaching me that the only way to go is to make sure that people around you are safe and taken care of,” she said.
Her family is also one of her greatest inspirations behind her advocacies, especially in raising awareness and pushing for inclusivity for people on the autism spectrum.
“My two siblings on the autism spectrum are my lifelong mission. Being able to give to them what they need and to be a part of the solution is something that I don't take lightly," Michelle said.
She continued, "I know the kind of life I want them to live, I know what is lacking in the Philippines and the world. It means the world to me to be part of such a positive change for my siblings and for everybody that's on the autism spectrum as well."
Michelle shared that her two siblings were present at the coronation night and cheered her on, "I knew that they understood that this competition was for them."
The beauty queen-actress sees her new journey as an opportunity to further spread awareness about her advocacies, given the wide scale platform that is Miss Universe.
“Miss Universe is undoubtedly one of the biggest platforms to really create positive change around the world, and that's my main goal. I want to set a great example for people to become empowered and transformational leaders,” she said.
