Ahtisa Manalo shared the advocacy that she will be bringing to the Miss Universe pageant.
In an interview with PeopleAsia, the Filipino beauty queen relayed that she will be highlighting Alon Academy.
"I work with a few organizations but the thing that I'm gonna bring out the most is Alon Academy. It's an organization that focuses on teaching children that there is no one path way to success. As long as you know what your strengths are, and what are you are talented in, what you are good at, you can pursue that," she said.
Ahtisa also reflected on how big of a platform Miss Universe is, saying that if she becomes victorious in clinching the crown, she hopes that her journey will inspire many.
"[Miss Universe] is such a big platform that you can influence so many people, and my hope is that, if I win Miss Universe, people see that a girl like me who grew up in the province, who grew up poor, can be Miss Universe. They can achieve any dream that they want for themselves as long as you put your heart and mind into it," she stated.
In the same interview, Ahtisa also discussed her preparations for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Thailand this November.
"For me, it's just being my best when I get there. My team is making sure that I am my most prepared and I am the best Ahtisa when I go to Thailand," she relayed.
The beauty queen remarked that she and her team are focusing on what they can control.
"That's really all we can do. We can only fix things that we can control, so the normal things like training for pasarela, hair and makeup. I go to the gym every day, I control what I eat, communications. I am even trying acting workshops. I think it's gonna help me by putting myself in a stressful situation 'cause I haven't done [acting] before," she said.
The Miss Universe 2025, which will be the 74th edition of the pageant, is set to be held at the Impact Challenger Hall in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand, on November 21.