Dream big: Life lessons from beauty queen Venus Raj

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Venus Raj is not what you expect from a beauty queen. The 25-year-old stunner, who was the 4th runner-up in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant, comes from a farming family in Camarines Sur. While the stereotypical beauty queen is prim and pampered, Venus sets herself apart with her down-to-earth personality. Her special talent? Making daing na tilapia.

“Hindi ko ikinahihiya ang pinanggalingan ko,” she said in an interview with GMA News TV’s “Follow that Star.” “Proud ako na kaya ko [ang mga gawaing bukid] kasi alam kong hindi ito nagagawa ng lahat ng tao.”

On GMA-7’s “Tunay na Buhay,” Venus talked about her roots growing up, and how it pushed her to strive hard and dream big.

She lived a “simple life” for over 20 years.
“Mga three years pa lang ako maganda,” she laughingly said, referring to her 2010 win in the Miss Universe pageant held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before this, she lived in a simple nipa hut and worked in the fields while attending school.

“Nagkokopra kami…[at] tagapulot ako ng kuhol. ‘Yung buong palayan na ‘yun, may dala kang plastic o basket tapos kukunin mo lahat ng kuhol,” she recalled.  The first thing she bought after winning her first pageant was a pair of shoes: “Nanghihiram lang po ako noon ng sapatos para sa graduation ko sa elementary.”

“Sa akin, personally, hindi ko masasabing mahirap ang buhay namin kasi lahat naman ng tao doon, ganoon [ang buhay],” she added. “Normal lang ‘yun, wala naman akong comparison. Laki lang po ako sa simpleng buhay.”

In fact, Venus learned her model’s walk by practicing on the field’s borders, or pilapil. “Wala naman kasing choice, doon ka dadaan!” she said. “Pangarap ko nang maging beauty queen, kahit noong bata pa po ako.”

Venus has since built a concrete house for herself, her mother and her siblings. This house was built in front of their old nipa hut, which she chose not to demolish. “Para nakikita ko pa rin. Diyan lang siya sa labas, literal na lumilingon ka sa pinanggalingan,” she told “Follow that Star.”

She was bullied as a child.
Venus was born in Doha, Qatar to an Indian father and a Filipina mother, who took her back to the Philippines after the marriage did not work. Venus remembers being teased by other kids because of her Indian looks. “Nagpapa-five-six daw ako. Maitim talaga ko, ano daw ako, kapre, kalansay, giraffe. Ako kasi pinakamatangkad sa class ko,” she recalled. “Pero ‘yung ganun pala, maganda sa paningin [ng iba].”

How did she get past that? “Feeling ko, pinatapang na lang ako ng pahanon,” she said.

She enjoys independence.
Venus does not have a driver. Now based in Metro Manila, she enjoys driving herself around the city despite the heavy traffic. “Kapag hindi naman kalayuan o alanganing oras, ako na lang,” she said. Her attitude towards shopping for groceries is the same: “Hindi mahirap ‘yan. Madaling madali ‘yan.”

She’s working towards a master’s degree.
Venus is currently taking up Community Development at the University of the Philippines - Diliman. As someone who came from humble beginnings herself, she wants to help develop rural communities.

She dreamt big.
Venus in one word: Grateful. “Ang paniniwala sa Panginoon at pagmamahal ng pamilya ay napakahalagang bagay sa paglago ng isang bata habang lumalaki siya,” she said.

Did Venus have a feeling she was going to win? “‘Yun po ang gusto ko. I was aiming for that. I was really praying for that,” she recalled. “Every day, ini-imagine ko sarili ko wearing that crown.”

Shamcey Supsup, Venus’ friend and fellow beauty queen, added: “Very determined si Venus to reach her dreams and she will do anything para makamit yun. That’s what she did in Miss Universe."

For Venus, though, being a beauty queen was a stepping stone to more opportunities. Right now, she’s appearing on GMA News TV’s “Day Off,” switching jobs with deserving employees so they can take a break.

“Hindi ko alam kung anong mangyayari sa akin pero pagdating ko po dito, grabe, enormous ‘yung blessing talaga ni Lord,” she said. “May mga hosting jobs, acting jobs na never ko pang na try na ngayon nagagawa ko na, singing… never ko na-imagine na magagawa ko, pero kaya ko pala.” —Cristina Tantengco/CM, GMA News