Her professional rise was anything but smooth. Trust Miss Universe Philippines 2020 candidate Alexandra Abdon of the City of Manila, though, to take every step along the way as challenging pit stops that molded her into a stronger person. And she wants to be the harbinger of hope for the out-of-school youth in the country.

“To start with, I took up BS in Hotel & Restaurant Management at National University Manila from 2016-2019, and lasted three years doing so. Then I shifted to BS in Tourism Management at Arellano University for just a year. I really want to pursue a career as a Flight Attendant. But unfortunately, due to some personal circumstances, I had to stop attending school entirely.”

Alexandra is currently working as a Marketing Director and Creative Consultant for a franchising company. She works with her partner to promote brands and hit their target market. She is also an entrepreneur, starting and running a milktea cafe in Pasig.

“I advocate for the out-of-school youth. As a college undergraduate, I know how hard it is to land a job that would match one’s skills without a diploma tucked under my belt. But with the help of the company I am presently working with, we provide necessary trainings and help promising young individuals to pass the certifications given by TESDA. We focus mainly on food & beverage which is very much in-demand nowadays. I want them to be properly compensated & be treated equally.”

Right now, Alexandra keeps herself busy with productive meditation, home workouts & watching Netflix documentaries specifically about History & Nature. She reads motivational & self help books a lot as well.

“Aside from that, I support small businesses by purchasing their products & promoting them to my personal friends as well. Together with my partner, we are currently working on providing millions of masks to public hospitals. It’s just that we opt not to post anything on social media because we believe that we shouldn’t brag about helping.”

Alexandra has nothing but pure love for moms and kids out there. With the help of her brother who is working with a pharmaceutical company, they provide milk & supplements to pregnant women who need to follow a safe journey towards motherhood.

“Again, I am not very visible on social media. But I know for sure that I am doing my part and this pandemic is a gift of time. I’m always happy to be able to help.”

Owing to the absence of a “Beyond the Coastlines” video for now, I am sharing with you the video of Alex when she guested on the online program of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.