By REGINA MAE PARUNGAO
SHE may be the youngest, the shortest, and the one with the least experience among contenders of “Asia’s Next Top Model (AsNTM) Cycle 5,” but Maureen Wroblewitz proved she has what it takes to become the first Filipina to win the competition.
Maureen went against Malaysia’s Shikin Gomez and Vietnam’s Minh Tu Nguyen in the finale challenge at a fashion show in Singapore.
Before that, the three did a photo shoot titled “Motherland” where they donned traditional outfits of their countries. Maureen was stunning in a sparkling white mestiza gown accentuated with pearls.
Maureen said she feels honored and grateful to have made the Philippines proud.
“We all know that a Filipina has never won in this competition. So I can say that I’m really proud of myself, that I finally made everyone’s dream come true,” she said.
The half-German beauty described her “AsNTM” journey as a “crazy rollercoaster ride,” admitting she doubted her capability as a model countless times along the way.
“My path has a lot of ups and downs. I’d been in the bottom (list), I have several best performances and at first, people doubted me,” she shared. “I was doubting myself and I never knew what I was doing in front of the camera.”
“I always feel shy to actually show poses I know because I knew everyone else has so much experience and they’re all looking at me. They’re all judging me,” she added.
Maureen humbly said her lack of experiences became her passport to success.
“Being inexperienced is really not a bad thing,” she claimed. “It actually gives you more will to learn. Like what I’ve always said, I’m like a sponge, I hear everything, I learned and then I use them.”
Her prizes include a brand new car and features on a fashion spread as well as the cover of NYLON Singapore. She will head to Europe for the opportunity to be represented by internationally renowned Storm Model Management.
