MAKE way for Queen Z! Bedan alumna Beatriz “Zea” V. Awatin, she won the title of Miss Progress Human Rights 2022 last Sept. 17. Previously held in Puglia, Italy, the Miss Progress International (MPI) pageant has evolved from awarding girls for their appearance to requiring them to develop a rendition of their ideas and projects, concerning four fields — integration of cultures, environment, health, and human rights — which will be brought to the attention of the world if awarded.

Every queen has a story to tell, and Queen Z’s story is worthy of sharing. As she embarks on her new journey, we take a look back at her life during her Bedan days and before she took on the international stage.

Queen of Hustle

Since then, Awatin has always been an ambitious young woman and a certified hustler who took on challenges and opportunities which brought her to different places and decorated her with awards. She graduated Cum Laude from SBCA in 2016, with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies. During her years in SBCA, she served as a student council officer and received numerous awards such as Best Position Paper in the Hong Kong Model United Nations (MUN), Student Leader of the Year 2016, and Excellence in Community Service Award 2016. Her leadership skills opened many doors for her as a college student — she represented SBCA and the Philippines in different events, both local and international, like the Philippine Model Congress, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Youth Summit, Global Youth Summit, Jenesys 2.0 Japan, ASEAN Tourism Forum, and Singapore MUN.

She then became an intern in the Office of Legal Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs and a member representative of the Diplomatic League of Nations. Awatin also went on to pursue a master’s degree in International Relations at the De La Salle University while working as an Executive Secretary Officer of Rotary Parañaque Central.  During this time, she was also acclaimed as part of ALVEO Land Corp.’s Overall Top Ten Sellers in 2017 — where she is currently an Associate Sales Manager.

The Roller Coaster of Pageantry

Signing up for and joining beauty pageants is all fun and fulfilling until you see that the ride goes up and down. Awatin has had her share of these downhill slopes as when she personally felt the societal pressures to lose more weight or to be skinny. She struggled with this because of her loving relationship with food and felt that people discredited her belief — that her body was “perfectly fine.” Another struggle was finding the balance between her work, studies, and beauty queen duties; but her journey turned out to be more bearable with her supportive family and friends by her side.

But even as the roller coaster goes downhill, it goes back up again. Every MPI contestant must create their own project and Awatin had the privilege to create her human rights-themed project called “The Jeepney Library,” wherein a vehicle is equipped with different gadgets and books, and portable Wi-Fi connection to provide access to poor children in Tondo, Manila. Along with her beauty and wit, Awatin’s project earned her the title and became the newly crowned Miss Progress Human Rights 2022. She has been invited by different local government units such as the City of Las Piñas and Batangas to work with her MPI project.

From One Queen to Another

Like the wise queen that she is, Awatin has kept the Bedan values she learned from her time in SBCA: to glorify God in everything that we do and to balance work with excellence and faith through God.

For those aspiring beauty queens who want to try their hand at pageantry, Queen Z advises them to just do it. “You will never know if it’s for you or not if you will not try. Also, if you really want to pursue pageantry, make sure you are not only beautiful. Be involved in different community services to reveal what advocacy you want to share to others. Because at the end of the day, we are also ambassadors of hope and love,” she shared.

Beatriz “Zea” Awatin is truly an inspiration to Bedans because not only does she have a pretty face, but also a brilliant mind, a pure heart, and a beautiful soul that will get her places. Her journey to the crown wasn’t the easiest, yet she continues to soar high while keeping her feet on the ground. Not everyone can slay in a crown and heels, but Queen Z surely did and it seems like she will continue to do so. As Colin Powell said, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”