Miss Filipina International 2023 Matea Mahal Smith on being a role model to young Fil-Am girls

Matea Mahal Smith, the charming and sweet 21-year-old neuroscience student from Coral Springs, Florida, who bagged the Miss Filipina International title recently, is proud to be an inspiration and a role model to other Fil-Ams who want to follow in her footsteps.

The first Afro-Filipino to win the crown in the pageant's 10-year history, Smith is the youngest child and the only daughter of Seitu Smith, a high school math teacher of Jamaican descent who was born in Staten Island, New York and has a Master's degree in Education, and Filipina mom who was born in Makati with family roots from Rizal, Mari Pantoja-Smith, a digital strategist for the Mayo Clinic-Center for Digital Health who also has a nursing background and a Master's degree.

Matea, who was also a track and field and swim athlete, also has two accomplished older brothers – Seitu Smith II, 30, and Semar Smith, 27, both Harvard graduates who majored in Sociology and were both football players in college.

We were able to interview Matea via Zoom while she is back to attend school at the University of Florida. Below is our interview.

Congratulations on winning the Miss Filipina International 2023 title. What is the significance of this win for you?

It was such an honor to be a part of this experience and to have this opportunity, and to be able to win as the first Afro-Filipino. This is big for me and big for the Filipino community because the Philippines is so rich in its diversity, and I am a reflection of many people of Filipino descent. So, I think being onstage as an Afro-Filipino really gave an insight to what the Philippines has in its culture and what we embody as well.

Photo by Gian Barbarona

My advocacy is dismantling the stigma surrounding mental health and as of right now, I have reached out to many organizations in the Philippines trying to partner with them and to help the youth in the Philippines as well with their battles. I have already partnered with Maya's Hope in the Philippines. They help the youth in the Philippines. Maya's Hope is a non-profit organization that helps disabled and impoverished children in the Philippines. The relationship with those two would have a positive impact for the youth of the Philippines.

You are also a full scholar at the University of Florida taking up Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience to fulfill your dream of becoming a trauma surgeon. Can you tell us more about why you want to become a trauma surgeon?

My aspiration to become a trauma surgeon really stems from having three hip surgeries. I just really want to reciprocate the care and help that I received from my surgeons and physicians that I got into contact with and help people anywhere in the world.

You quit your track and field and swim sports also due to a congenital hip disorder. Do you miss these sports?

Yes, being diagnosed with congenital hip disorder, it was quite hard for me because I thought track and field was my future. I miss that often. But I have found a different path, a different door in life and that is what I take away from overcoming and battling that injury and being victorious.

So, did you replace these sports with your hip hop jazz dancing?

Really, I just dance with the University of Florida's Filipino Students Association students and a dance company. I just love to be active through dancing.

For your participation in the MFI, you had various coaches for walking, pageant interview, public speaking and runway. Are you still going to use the same group to prepare you for the Miss Universe Philippines competition?

Yes, I would love to have the same group – Kagandahan Flores and Ashley Wright of Worthy of the Crown Coaching and Kirsten Regalado. They really helped me and shaped me so well and that is part of the reason why I was standing there with the crowd with the crown. Yes, I want to have them in my corner when I compete at the Miss Universe Philippines.

How about for your costumes and gowns? Are you still going to use the same designers?

There are different designer groups, and I am still in talks with different designers who have reached out to me and so I have not decided yet because I am looking at various options.

Photo by Gian Barbarona

How has winning the MFI title changed your life?

It's been amazing. It was such an honor. And I would like to thank MFI CEO Geoffrey Jimenez, the Miss Filipina International and the whole MFI team because without them this wouldn't be an amazing experience for me. Having the crown right now, I am still on cloud 9 and I would like to use this platform to forward the youth in the Philippines.

Now that the MFI is over, how do you relax and prepare for the next round?

I have been sleeping finally. Sleep and really just being around with my family and friends keeps me calm, relaxed and happy.

You participated as a Reyna Elena in the Santacruzan in Rizal, Philippines. How was that experience?

It was a great experience! I was so happy and proud to be the Reyna Elena for Pililla, Rizal and the Reyna Empeatriz for Barangay Malaya. And being in the gorgeous gowns which brings out the community who all watched the procession and it became so surreal for me as I saw their commitment and passion for this 200-year-old tradition. It was really an honor for me to be picked to be a part of this Santacruzan.

You have been to the Philippines several times, what was the most memorable experience for you?

Last year, when my family and I traveled to Buscalan and we had the opportunity to be tattooed by Wang-od, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I got tattooed on the upper back by her and my entire family also got tattooed. I would love to do that again. I am carrying a piece of history with me.

What is the most memorable experience for you at the MFI aside from winning the crown?

My most memorable experience at the MFI was being with the amazing candidates, my pageant sisters now. To be around them for so long and meeting these smart and intellectual and beautiful women supporting me and each other in future endeavors was a great experience that I thank MFI for.

Photo by Gian Barbarona

What do you plan to do when you go back to the Philippines?

I plan to see my family and to eat of course, the amazing food in the Philippines. I will also be preparing for Miss Universe Philippines, and I am so excited to be there.

How was your experience going to the Cordilleras?

Just being there was quite an experience. The grass was so green, the air was crisp and just waking up and seeing the clouds which I have not seen anywhere else that is why I love it so much. It was such a spiritual and serene experience, and I was so happy to be a part of.

During the Q&A portion of the pageant, you mentioned how your mother taught you to be true to yourself. What other lessons did you learn from her?

One of the important lessons my mother also taught me as well was that it was important to know that "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Yes, people will judge you, but you don't need to worry about that because at the end of the day, it is your life, and you should be happy in your life, and I try to carry on every day.

You have two older brothers, and you are the youngest in the family. So, are you spoiled and the baby in the family?

I don't think I am spoiled but yes, I am the baby. I love that they care for me so much. They are very protective, and they care so much.

Would you consider yourself a "Daddy's Girl?"

I am both (a Daddy's and Mommy's Girl). I love them both and I love spending time with them separately because they are different as well. I love both my parents.

After you won the title, did you notice any difference in treatment from your classmates or friends?

I have true friends and they knew before me that I was going to be a winner. And I love them for that. A lot of them congratulated me and I appreciate everyone who was happy to see me wearing the crown.

What would you advise young Fil-Am girls who would like to follow in your footsteps?

I would tell them to go for it. With any experience, I would approach it with an open mind. You should not be losing out on opportunities, missing out on growing yourself through experience. If you want to join a pageant or follow in my footsteps, please go for it.

—MGP, GMA Integrated News