I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila, and the life there is poor and very sad. And I've always taught to myself to look for the beauty of it and look in the beauty of the faces of the children and to be grateful.
I was a very quiet, shy child. I just became quite talkative in high school, in Grade 10 onwards.
I was born in Cairns, Queensland. Then my parents and I moved to Sydney. We moved to New Wales. We moved around Australia. I was just really close to my parents, and actually, we moved around a lot when I was very young. I think it played a big part in making me the shy teenager that I was.
I love my parents so much. My day or night is not complete without talking to them - on Skype.
Even if someone does say something negative, it does not give us a reason to retaliate; just take the high road and don't say anything.
I'm constantly trying to redefine what being a beauty queen is.
