Alexie Mae Brooks, a native of Leon, Iloilo, is now living her dream of becoming a beauty queen.
The 22-year-old Ilongga athlete was crowned Miss Iloilo 2024 on Jan. 13. She bested 14 other candidates during the coronation night at the West Visayas State University (WVSU) Cultural Center.
Brooks, a passionate women empowerment advocate, will represent Iloilo City at the 2024 edition of Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH), one of the most prestigious beauty pageants in the country.
She said to become a beauty queen has always been one of her dreams since she was a kid.
“As the first black and androgynous Ilongga woman to represent Iloilo, I turn my childhood dreams into reality,” Brooks wrote on Instagram.
“The future holds endless excitement, and I embark on it with immense gratitude. Thank you from the depths of my heart,” she added.
During a homecoming event in Leon, Brooks, who worked as a vegetable vendor, encouraged her supporters to “dream big.”
“Sang una gamay palang Ako, I dream big and some people would tell you that you’ll be delusional to be dreaming that big, they can laugh at you, they can laugh about what you dream about pero never lose hope,” she said.
“Hanggod lang kag bakod gid nga handom and work towards your dream, love those people who love you, keep moving forward and always remember to pray to God,” she added.
Brooks was born to an Ilongga mother and a black American father in Lebanon but raised in Iloilo. She has never met her father.
According to her, she would often get bullied due to her skin color and curly hair.
“Going to school, I remember that we don’t have money to buy rice. And the kids would always eat sa table, and I would go to the rest room and eat there, because I don’t want them kasi to see what I’m eating kasi they’re gonna bully you for that,” she recalled.
Brooks dedicated her win to her grandmother, Lola Basing, who raised her.
“Kasi everything that I do right now or everything that I have ever done is all for her,” she said.
“My grandma is my life. Without her, I don’t have this dream, or I don’t think that I will even be able to achieve the achievements that I have right now,” Brooks added.
Aside from the MUPH competition, the fourth-year marketing management student of the National University (NU) is also preparing for the 2024 Asian Games in China. She is a Philippine athlete for track and field.IMT
Photo by Arnold Almacen/CMO
