Beauty and intelligence made her shine comparable to the brightest star in the sky on the night when she was proclaimed Miss CapSU Poblacion 2011. Her charm, her poise and grace, her bearing and projection are simply enchanting. And when the crown was laid on her head she sparkled like a beacon in the gloom.
Mae-Ai Villacastin Latigo is this year’s Miss CapSU Poblacion. Her victory was unexpected. It was just her destiny to win. Whatever is destined to happen has to happen. The night of August 26, 2011 was the time when a dream turned into a reality. Mae-Ai aspired to be a beauty queen and she triumphed. It was one of the sweetest moments in her life.
Mae-Ai was born on November 7, 1991. She is the 9th among the ten children of Mr. Roberto Latigo and Mrs. Fe Latigo. She obtained her elementary education at Don Juan Andaya Elementary School and graduated 3rd honorable mention. She finished her secondary at David Moises Memorial High School where she ranked number 7. Presently, she is a fourth year Bachelor of Science in Office Administration student.
Joining a pageant like the Search for Miss CapSU Poblacion 2011 was not a new experience to Mae-Ai. When she was in high school, she joined the Binibining Agham where she won 1st Runner-up. She also won 2nd Runner-up in the Search for Inilusan Festival Queen 2010. According to Mae-Ai, having joined in a beauty contest before helped her a lot in winning the Miss CapSU Poblacion 2011 title. “I became more confident and relaxed as I walked on the ramp,” she revealed.
Actually, Mae-Ai did not undergo screening in their team. Because of her experience, she was given one slot. She didn’t really expect that she would be chosen to represent the Dynamic Tycoons team. To prepare herself for the competition, she didn’t undergo rigid training. According to her, what she learned in the past was enough for her to be ready to face the challenges during the pageant. “I just applied what I learned in the past. Experience is the best teacher, as the saying goes,” she exclaimed.
The pageant tested Mae-Ai ‘s confidence as she walked on the ramp several times in the production number, swimwear, and long gown. Despite of the tension, she managed to maintain her poise and grace and of course her smile. She believed that she would do no wrong if she just handle her nervousness and stay calm.
The pressure was even more when she underwent the interview. This is actually the most crucial stage of the competition. Audience usually looks forward to the interview. How the candidates answer their questions is a gauge of their fate in the competition. Though interview is not the only basis for judging the candidates, it can make or break one’s desire to win.
During the competition, Mae-Ai had to answer two questions. She could still remember her preliminary question. “I was asked to expound my philosophy,” she said. Her answer to this question still lingers in her memory. “You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours. Every human being has the freedom of choice. We cannot make choices for others. In like manner, we don’t want others make choices for us. Let us live our lives not controlled by others. Let us practice our freedom of choice,” she recalled with certainty. But according to her, she stammered when she answered her final question. She was also able to answer the question but she wasn’t sure if she impressed the judges. She was asked to tell something about unemployment.
For Mae-Ai, the Search for Miss CapSU Poblacion 2011 was totally different from the previous pageants she joined. This one had more pressure on her. There were lots of expectations from her family, friends, classmates, and teammates, and also from the people who voted for her online. She had to do her best to make her supporters happy. She believes that they contributed a lot to her triumph.
The announcement of winners was full of tension. She bagged two special awards- Miss Friendship and People’s Choice, but these had no bearing on the scores of the candidates. Of the five minor awards, she only got the Best in Interview, which she didn’t even expect. After all the minor awards were given out, Mae-Ai lost hope that she would bring home the crown. The rest of the minor awards were all won by her closest competitor, Diana Ross Cejas. For Mae-Ai, her Best in Interview award would not be enough to win the crown. When Diana was proclaimed 1st Runner-up, the crowd got wild. They were perhaps surprised. There was a celebration on the part of the supporters of Mae-Ai. They were sure that their bet would be the winner. They were right. Mae-Ai was proclaimed this year’s Miss CapSU Poblacion.
Mae-Ai was very thankful because during the competition she received overwhelming support from the people who believed in her. Without them, she could have not achieved her dream. “I will always be thankful to my family, my friends, my classmates, and my teammates for giving me their trust and for their full support during the competition. They served as my inspiration,” said this new beauty queen.
Mae-Ai dreamed of becoming a beauty queen. She once tried to be one but she failed. She is just a person who does not easily give up. She patiently waited for her time and the waiting was not in vain. She now has a place in CapSU Poblacion’s Cirlce of Beauty Queens.