Living ‘beautiful lives’ means living with passion, dedication and sacrifice. And these four amazing women of the Filipino-American community tell us how they do it.
Meet the Queen of Queens of The Beautiful Life Celebration 2017.
Lourdes Garcia
With a dual Masters Degree in Nursing and Healthcare Administration from University of Phoenix in California, Lourdes’ expertise is in Intensive Critical Care nursing. She is also a practicing healthcare consultant, business owner and a Nurse Practitioner. She is certified by the American College of Disability Medicine and specializes in Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections for pain management and rejuvenation, and continues to do her passion for research on stem cells with some group of doctors.
In 2012, Lourdes was hailed as a “Filipino Champion” by ABS-CBN Gel Santos-Relos’ show for her unwavering support and effort for the Telehealth International, a medical mission providing health care needs for homeless children and orphans in the Philippines and India via teleconsultations through collaboration with doctors here in the US.
Lourdes also represented Mrs. Philippines in the Mrs. Asia USA cultural beauty pageant, was voted Mrs. Congeniality, Mrs. Best in Community Service, and eventually being crowned Mrs. Asia USA California of 2014.
Lourdes was voted by the Historic FIlipinotown Committee and Board of Directors to become its first representative as Mrs. Filipinotown for 2016.
“A Beautiful Life” for Lourdes is a life of service and passion. It is making a difference in the world one person at a time.
Aida Jugo
Aida Jugo works for Union Bank as the Assistant Vice President and Manager of Investigations Unit for Money / Wire Transfer Dept. She’s been with Union Bank for 25 years. She supervises and manages the investigations unit in-charge of loss prevention, monitoring fraudulent activities such as, money laundering and preventing funding for terrorism worldwide
For Aida, “A Beautiful Life” is doing the things one enjoys the most.
She says:
“Life is beautiful, when you are surrounded by a loving family, good friends and accomplishing your dreams. I enjoy all forms of dancing, ballroom in particular, bowling and dressing up in elegant beautiful clothes. I am so honored and humbled being bestowed Queen of the Philippines – International. I am so proud and grateful to have the opportunity to represent all the beautiful women of the Philippines and the little girls wishing to be queens one day. I believe that beauty is not only about your appearance, but what matters most is what is inside. Being confident, having a good heart, spirit and being respectful to others truly makes a person beautiful and deserving of this award.”
Gisele Joves
Giselle currently works as a makeup artist, actress, model, and a beauty contributor for MISS magazine.
She is motivated to entertain people. “Those who know me, know that I love to make them laugh and inspire them to be the best possible version of themselves. I believe storytelling is an art therefore acting is a part of that. A movie can make people laugh, cry, and really feel something. That’s what I love about acting. It makes you feel something through art…” she says cheerfully.
Giselle used to be a drapery designer and a radio/TV show host in Florida. When the housing market crashed and sales slowed down for window treatments, she moved back to California to be with her family. Now she lives in Los Angeles as she works towards her acting career.
Giselle is actively involved in church activities and has helped with community projects.
She defines ‘A Beautiful Life’ as really living with [your] purpose. “I was very successful as a budget technician and drapery designer but it wasn’t my passion. I wasn’t really contributing to my own life if I wasn’t happy. It was a hard decision to make leaving a practical position that paid well to a very unstable line of work. I worked to make it happen though. Without the struggle you wouldn’t really appreciate the success. I’ll tell you what, it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. Knowing that I am working towards my goal and doing things that I only dreamed of as a kid, is a beautiful life!”
***
Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at [email protected]
