I seldom chat with a lady for the first time where the subject matter revolved around how I started blogging and what books and movies inspired me to create a signature writing style. That is exactly what happened during my first online encounter with Asha Gutierrez. And boy, did I enjoy it. I have already seen and observed her in person – enough to encourage me to make an entry about this thinking beauty whose name in Sanskrit means “wish, desire, hope”.

Asha is not your typical pageant joiner. She has the mix of an introverted/artistic personality with an occasional outward leaning. She is a writer and entrepreneur who loves to dance Salsa and Latin. Before graduating from the De La Salle University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature, she was an active athlete who trained with the national team in not just one, but two sports – basketball and boxing. Priority was given to her studies, though. The closest she returned to either of the two disciplines was when she took on Assistant Coach duties to young students.

Back to her name which – in Sanskrit – means “wish, desire, hope”, Asha got her baptism of fire in pageantry when she joined Miss World Philippines 2019. It was like coming out her shell, so to speak. She followed this up with Global Asian Model Philippines shortly after just so she can make a good comparison of the two different competitions. The experience made her realize that beauty contests are better suited to her liking because she can express herself more as a potential Beauty Queen than going deeper into the world of runway shows, editorial shoots and the like.

The wish stems from this point – to join another national pageant in 2020 given the desire to win a crown. Hopefully, she is fated to have one of her own. Sooner or later. And with this, I end with a quote from one of my favorite authors Daphne du Maurier:

”A dreamer, I walked enchanted, and nothing held me back.”