5 Life Lessons You Can Learn From Miss Universe 2011 Third Runner-Up Shamcey Supsup

I just got this from her facebook page and I think this would inspire everyone especially if it came from someone who recently reached the top 5 of the Miss Universe 2011. Enjoy reading ^_^.

Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup might be a beauty queen now, but before Binibining Pilipinas, this architect didn't even know how to walk in heels. In a 23-page interview in YES! Magazine's November 2011 issue, Shamcey talks about her life growing up, including how she dealt with moving cities and changing schools several times to joining beauty pageants when she had never dreamed of doing so.

Shamcey tackled every problem that came her way; the hard work she put into her studies saw her graduating as salutatorian in grade school and high school and Magna Cum Laude in college for the course in architecture she took at UP Diliman. Now that she's a beauty queen, Shamcey hasn't given up on her architectural dreams. Find out what lessons you can learn from this smart and career-driven femme by reading on.


1. REFINE YOUR FOCUS.

Shamcey was doing well as a project manager for a design firm--she managed the creation of an Enderun building and the common areas for Ayala Land's Two Serendra condominium--but she knew she had to resign from her job to prepare for the Architectural Board Licensure Examinations, which she ended up topping. "Isa-isang bagay lang para focused ka (Just do one thing at a time so that you're focused)," she tells YES!. "Hindi ko kaya 'yong pinagsasabay-sabay. Dapat mamimili ako ng kung anong gusto ko. (I can't do too many things at the same time. I need to choose what I want to do.)"


2. JUST KEEP LEARNING.

Shamcey is the first to admit she didn't intend to be a beauty queen. She joined Binibining Pilipinas for the sake of her mom, and the training program of the Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. even made her cry because of how rigorous it was. Despite this, Shamcey refused to give up. After one month of training and practicing at home, Shamcey had mastered walking with poise and doing her makeup perfectly. "I learned na everything can be learned. Even if you dont know anything, kapag gusto mo talagang matutunan, kaya mo."


3. BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE.

Shamcey recalls how her unique last name used to embarrass her when she was younger. "In Bisaya, it means 'suck' diba? It means 'suck,' and then dati nahihiya ako sabihin, like, pag nagpapakilala sasabihin ko lang lagi first name. (I used to be ashamed of saying it, so when I would introduce myself, I would just say my first name.)" When she started college, though, her name help her stand out in the crowd of other students at the state university, especially when it came to being recognized by her teachers. "They remember you. You're the first person they that they will always remember because of your name."


4. KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Shamcey might have triumphed as a beauty queen, given that she won fourth place in the world's most prestigious and well-known pageant, but her dreams continue to lie in architecture, and she's not about to stop trying to achieve them. "Kasi, for others, this (Miss Universe) is their ultimate dream. But mine, I have other dreams, and this just made a way for me to reach them." She was recently accepted at Cardiff University in Wales, where she will take her master's degree in the Environmental Design of Buildings.


5. STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN.

"Ako kasi, as long as you're not hurting anyone with what you're saying and it's your opinion, I think you should voice it out," says Shamcey, referring to her answer in the Miss Universe Pageant. "I'm not here to please anyone. I'm here kasi--baka sabihin sobrang relihiyosa 'ko--to please God lang. And if He's pleased with me, then, parang, who can be against me?