The
newly-crowned Miss UNO-R 2014, Peah Angelica Diamante is currently the reigning Lin-ay sang Murcia 2013. Joining this year’s Mister and Miss
UNO-R 2014 Pageant was a very challenging experience on her part because there
were so many expectations from people around. But she took everything
positively with so much faith in God. She believed that her
faith in God and the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin Mary greatly
contributed a lot in her winning.
Peah,
as fondly called by her friends, is a second year Medical Technology student. She
confessed that “one
thing most people don’t know about our course is that without Medical
Technology, many lives wouldn’t have been saved. Medical Technology offers a
risky life to the aspirants, yet, a meaningful one knowing that you have been
a part of a person’s recovery and somehow, you have alleviated the pain they’re
experiencing.”
She considers her family as her life’s inspiration and her parents as her role models.
Let’s
get to know Miss UNO-R 2014 more with this exclusive post-pageant interview by
Tolentine Missosology along with his handsome photos captured by the lens of
Tolentine Missosology photographers.
Random Facts about Miss UNO-R
2014
Name:
PEAH ANGELICA C. DIAMANTE
Course and Year: BS medical Technology II
Hometown: Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Age: 18
Religion: Roman Catholic
Previous Pageant Title/s: Lin-ay
Sang Murcia 2013, Miss Sportsfest 2013
Your Personal Motto: “Nothing worthwhile comes easy.”
You’re now an instant campus-celebrity
for being chosen as Miss UNO-R 2014. How does it feel?
It feels so unusual walking along the
school grounds with lots of people looking at you and others, smiling at you.
Since pre-school, I just wanted a normal life in the university.
Did you expect to place yourself or
win the title during the pageant?
Honestly, no. It was a bit challenging
since my competitors were the best ones from their colleges. I was the one with
the greatest pressure since I am already a titleholder as Lin-ay sang Murcia 2013 and I have been in this institution
since 2000. People had high expectations on me and I'm very happy that somehow,
I have met their expectations. God never failed me.
How does it feel being chosen by online judges as one of the Tolentine Missosology Favorites for Miss UNO-R 2014?
It feels great to have been chosen as
one of the Tolentine Missosology Favorites for Miss UNO-R 2014 although I
wasn't that prepared to answer the written interview.
Can you share to us more about your
thoughts to the final question, “What would you do as a laity for the New
Evangelization?”
“A Christian life lived with charity
and faith is the most effective form of evangelization." The New
Evangelization calls each of us to be evangelized, and to go forth to
evangelize. It renews our relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. As a UNO-Rian,
I will start my journey toward the new evangelization in the year of the laity
by being a role model and worker of God, tasked to spread the Gospel message in
understanding salvation by propagating the God's Word to those who haven't
encountered it yet, to those who have walked astray, and to those who have a
crisis in faith. As a UNO-Rian, imbibed with the Augustinian Recollect and
Marian-inspired education, it is also my task to introduce to them as our
models of Christian faith, St. Nicholas of Tolentine, St. Ezekiel Moreno, St.
Augustine, and Mama Mary.
What memories (challenging and inspiring moments) do you treasure most from Mister and Miss UNO-R 2014 Pageant?
The memories I treasure the most from Mister
and Miss UNO-R pageant are the ones I got to spend with my fellow candidates
despite the short time we had. The chit-chats, selfies, random dance moves and
eating sessions we have dealt with would always remain in my heart.
Now, who do you think was your best
competitor among the candidates?
To be honest, I had two best
competitors, Ms. Raxel Gonzales and Ms. Angela Tañoso. Both of them were my
good friends. But despite the fact that they were the ones who could have
brought home the crown, I just prayed to God to guide me as I give back all
that He has given me.
What do you think greatly contributed
a lot in your winning the title?
I believe that my faith in God and the
intercessions I asked from Mama Mary greatly contributed a lot in my winning.
What is that one great lesson/insight you realized from joining the Mister and Miss UNO-R 2014 Pageant?
The
greatest lesson I realized from joining Mister and Miss UNO-R 2014 is that
indeed, God favors the humble. My winning also made me realize that the last
will be the first, and the first will be the last.
How will Mister UNO-R 2014 spend his
entire reign?
In line with this year's University
Week theme, as Miss UNO-R, I will spend my entire reign as a model student,
daughter and worker of God. As a daughter, I will strive hard to give back the
things my parents have given me. As a student, I will inspire my fellow UNO-Rians
by showing them that I can manage to excel in both academic and non-academic
endeavors. And as a worker of God, imbued with the UNO-R core values and
Augustinian Recollect and Marian-inspired education, I will be an instrument in
re-awakening the UNO-R community of our faith in God and the attributes of
love, peace, joy, that usually go with our Christian conviction and
re-vitalizing or re-energizing a weakening faith that has become sickly because
of man's inequity.
By the way, is Mister UNO-R single and available?
Definitely,
not.
What’s next after Miss UNO-R?
After Miss UNO-R, everything gets back
to normal, except that now that the UNO-R community has greater expectations on
me in terms of my performance in school as well as being an ambassadress of the
University, I will do my best to be an epitome of a true Tatak Rekoleto.
PRAYER became my ultimate guide during
my entire performance, the EDUCATION UNO-R has imparted me since 2000 enabled
me to voice out my thoughts, the ATTITUDE I showed on and off stage exemplified
my grace under pressure, and most of all, the HUMILITY my family and friends
always prayed that I should posses made me excel. Truly, these things formed
PEAH and made her stand out above all.
First of all, I would like to thank
the Almighty Father who never failed to bless me despite my imperfections and
shortcomings, Mama Mary, for granting me the title, my family, who always
inspires me to be at my best at all times, the source of my strength, all my
friends who continually supported me and considered me a winner since day 1, my
bee, for the unending support you showed since Lin-ay days and of course for the unconditional love, my
pre-school, elementary, high school and college teachers who are all coming
from UNO-R for always believing in my potentials, to my Titos and Titas coming
from different colleges for pushing me to do this, to everyone who helped me
like and share my photo here on Facebook, for my team, (hyenaces, MedTech buddies,
A, thirteenians, Alpa Kapa Kapa, my cheerleading cousins, aunts and uncles)
thank you for making me feel like a winner through your support, to Tita Kim
and Tita Chiclet for making me beautiful and for the tips, to Giles, my pair,
for listening to me and of course for trusting me, to the MedTech department,
especially Ms. Medel, our ever supportive Head and Ms. Czarina for all the
tips, my college, the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, especially
to our dean, Ms. Shiela, and of course, to our governor, Arvin Tan, for never
leaving my side since the first day of our rehearsals despite your busy
schedule. I really salute you, Arv. You are indeed a true leader. To my
college, once again, thank you for trusting me. I am honored to be a part of
the history of our new college. To my fellow candidates, I would also like to thank
you all for the friendship and memories you have shared with me despite the
short time we had. To everyone who supported me, prayed for me, cheered for me,
and most of all to everyone who doubted me, once again, an ocean of thanks. I
am overwhelmed to have given justice to my 14 years of being a UNO-Rian. Truly,
once a UNO-Rian, always a UNO-Rian. To God be the glory.
A Pre-Pageant Interview…
How
would you describe your personality?
I
am a positive kind of person. I am not perfect, and I don’t aim to be one. My
personality is what makes me unique. I am the type of person who struggles to
develop a pleasing personality rather than struggle to enhance my physical
attributes. That’s what makes me unique. I struggle to beautify my personality.
Tell
us something interesting about your course.
One
thing most people don’t know about our course is that without Medical
Technology, many lives wouldn’t have been saved. Medical Technology offers a
riskful life to the aspirants, yet, a meaningful one knowing that you have been
a part of a person’s recovery and somehow, you have alleviated the pain they’re
experiencing.
Who
or what inspires you the most?
My
family inspires me the most. I am a family-oriented type of person and in
everything I do, I give my very best all for the glory of God and for my
family. I see my parents as my role models and I always strive hard to follow
their footsteps.
What
is your take on ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?
For
me, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is very beneficial provided that people
performing it do such for the benefit of people having ALS and donate money to
help them alleviate the pain they’re experiencing. But nowadays, the essence of
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been lost since several people do such only for
fun.
What
do you think is the essence of a true-blooded UNO-Rian?
We
all know that UNO-R is the cradle of excellence. We, UNO-Rians, never settle
for mediocrity, yet, we aim for the best. But being the best does not always
mean being on top. We have our different ways of being the best. Being the best
entails never giving up. That is the essence of being a true-blooded UNO-Rian,
coming across a lot of challenges along the way, yet keeps on trying and never
gives up.
What
do you think is the relevance of the pageant to UNO-R academic community?
I
believe that the pageant’s relevance to the UNO-R academic community is that
through it the University will be able to see how far the learnings of the
candidates are. In short, we, the candidates learn the theories in our
academics, and the pageant is the application of what we’ve learned.
If
you win the crown, how will you use your title to benefit the studentry and the
University?
If
given the chance to win the crown, I will do my best to be a good ambassadress
of good will. I will use my title to be a good role model to the studentry. If
given the opportunity, as Miss UNO-R, I would like to conduct a medical mission
on a monthly basis to ensure the health of everybody and I would also like to
adopt the system from UNO-R High School wherein every year level attends the
Mass weekly. With this, I could nourish the students physically and
spiritually.
How
would you convince the judges and the audience that you deserve the title, Miss
UNO-R 2014?
I’ve
been in this prestigious institution for more than half of my life. I’ve also
been joining pageants to develop my self-confidence and along the way, I’ve
learned to love what I’m doing. Combine these two, I believe that I can
convince the judges and audience that I deserve the title, Miss UNO-R.
Photo
Credits © Joselito Labrador, Jr., RJ Amparo and Ricky Noel N. Diancin Jr. for
Tolentine Missosology
MISS UNO-R 2014 PHOTO GALLERY
