Ariella Arida •Vision of grace

MANILA, Philippines - You look at Ariella Hernandez Arida and you seem to see forever. She is a vision of grace, a testament to splendor, a promise that, indeed, her beauty is eternal. That is what 25-year-old Ariella is now. After all, resting on her head is the 2013 Binibining Pilipinas-Universe crown.

Ariella reveals that it was only when she bagged the crown that she coyly admitted to herself that, yes, she was, uhm, beautiful. All her life, the olive-skinned beauty queen thought she was just ordinary.

“My elder sister Arizza and I grew up in Alaminos, Laguna to parents who taught us that education is more important than having a beautiful face. They put premium on what’s in between our ears, rather than what can be seen on our faces,” says Ariella.  Her father Ariel is a retired grade school teacher while her mother Stella is a principal of a public grade school in Laguna.

Ariella proved to be a conscientious honor student who also enjoyed playing volleyball. She studied hard because she wanted to make her parents happy. “I always obey my parents because it is only through my obedience that I can show them how much I appreciate them, how much I love them,” says Ariella.

She went on to take up Veterinary Medicine at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños. Later on, because of her penchant for analyzing chemical components, she shifted to BS Chemistry, which she finished in 2010. (Beware when this beautiful lady tells you that she knows how to make a bomb! But she’d rather use her knowledge to formulate medicines and perfumes in the future.)

While contemplating what to do after graduation, a local fashion designer named Noli Pilapil spotted her at a coffee shop in San Pablo, Laguna while she was nursing her favorite brew and nibbling on a quesadilla. That day, she felt very ordinary with her leggings and an oversized sleeveless top but the designer found something extraordinary in her. She became a model.

But modeling was just her sideline when she uprooted herself from Alaminos. She transferred to Quezon City in 2011 to supposedly work as a chemist/flavorist for a food grading chemical company.  She ended up as a celebrated sales rep. Ever since she joined Bb. Pilipinas, Ariella has been on leave from the company. 

“I really thought I needed to give my all when I joined Bb. Pilipinas. Something I was not able to do when I joined Miss Earth in 2012. Since I didn’t give my all in Miss Earth last year, I did not win even as a runner-up,” says the 5’7”-tall Ariella who measures 34-25-34.

Ariella says she takes rejection well. She does not allow herself to wallow in loneliness for more than half a day. “I pick up myself easily because I know that back home an overflow of love awaits me. Also, I know that I have a bigger God who protects me,” says Ariella, a member of Iglesia ni Cristo.

For this year’s Miss Universe competition, Ariella keeps her hopes high. She, too, keeps a confident heart that everything that will happen in her life is the will of God.

  Photography by MAU AGUASIN • Creative direction by LUIS ESPIRITU JR. • Styling by MIKKA VELASQUEZ • Makeup by REGIE ESCOLIN • Hairstyling by HYATT LAUREL • Both dresses by Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. • Jewelry by MILADAY JEWELS • Shot on location at the FAIRMONT PRESIDENTIAL SUITE