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Chelsea Manalo reflects on two months since Miss Universe Philippines win: 'Still feels like a dream'
Chelsea Manalo remains on a high, two months since she was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2024.
In an Instagram post, the beauty queen said that “it still feels like a dream.”
“Since that unforgettable night, it has been a whirlwind of activities—gaining new experiences, meeting the most amazing people, and gaining access to places and events I never thought would be available to someone like me,” Chelsea said, adding that this period has been “extremely rewarding already.”
She added, “It was an invaluable experience one could not get anywhere else. So many lessons learned, so many lifelong relationships formed. The once-in-a-lifetime experience yielded rewards that were both psychological and spiritual.”
Chelsea also said that she is grateful for the privilege to have her own platform, “the opportunity to be seen and heard,” and being “blessed with seeing my aspirations become reality.”
While she still has a long way to go before competing in Miss Universe in Mexico, she said she is going through the process of turning into "someone strong enough to raise the Philippine flag high.”
“I’m not naive enough to think that there won’t be any challenges along the way—I know there will be many—both in preparing for the pageant and in life in general," she said. “But what I also know is that as long as I have the people who have been there with me from the start and the new supporters I’ve met along the way, I know WE can do it."
“It started with a dream and it still feels like I’m dreaming,” she added. “Para sa inyo lahat ito.”
Chelsea, a beauty queen from Bulacan, was crowned the new Miss Universe Philippines in May. She will compete at the upcoming international pageant in Mexico.
Following her crowning, she held a homecoming event in her hometown and her alma mater, De La Salle Araneta University.
Chelsea officially called her pasarela the Tampisaw Walk and was a stunner in her Miss Universe Philippines portraits.
—Nika Roque/JCB, GMA Integrated News
