Nicole Borromeo begins Miss Millennial quest

CEBU, Philippines — Prepare to see more of Sinulog Festival Queen 2019 Nicole Yance Borromeo as she gears up for her next undertaking, this time on national television.

Nicole, who has been doing lots of travelling recently as part of her Reyna ng Aliwan 2019 duties, has announced online that she’s currently preparing for Miss Millennial Philippines, a three-year-old pageant on the noontime show “Eat Bulaga!” which last year saw Cebu’s Shaila Rebortera nab the crown.

The 19-year-old earned the right to represent Cebu in Reyna ng Aliwan and Miss Millennial after winning Sinulog Festival Queen in January.

“A millennial, for me, is someone who acknowledges that we have the advancement of technology and uses it to their advantage to grow, learn more, spread awareness, and be more active. They handle this power responsibly. Everything nowadays is just a click away. We can do anything,” said Nicole.

She said both Miss Millennial and Reyna ng Aliwan highlight the culture and people of the country. Apart from sharing the beauty and the great things that Cebu has to offer, she looks forward to knowing a little bit more of every province in the archipelago.

Nicole teased that people should expect a brighter and louder version of her once she steps on the Miss Millennial stage. She’s been learning how to speak Tagalog in preparation for the competition.

“I believe my greatest challenge would be the language barrier. I’m not the most fluent in Tagalog and I know that the hosts and people watching speak Tagalog. I’m practicing and I listen to more OPM and watch Tagalog films but it still gets me anxious because I struggle with getting the right grammar.”

The Miss Millennial pageant utilizes the use of social media, obliging each delegate to create content that will promote their hometowns. Nicole plans on featuring places in Cebu that aren’t as known, hoping viewers would be itching to visit Cebu once they hear about her features. While she still has to fine-tune several things, Nicole is excited to show the travel video she will be coming up with for Miss Millennial.

Like many her age, Nicole, who hangs around Instagram most of the time, has certain preferences in using social media. Among her social media habits is having her feed look a certain way (she’s big on color schemes), and admits that she sometimes looks up caption ideas when words escape her. When she’s out with people, Nicole tries not to use her phone as much. But when she’s online, she likes leaving little compliments for her mutuals.

“It’s a small act but it can make a person’s day like whenever someone comments nice things on my posts, I feel pretty good about myself. Of course, don’t ever let people’s opinions define you,” shared the Miss Teen Philippines 2019 second runner-up placer.

Despite plans of going off the pageant grid in the next years to focus on her studies, Nicole, now in her first year as an Interior Design major at the University of San Carlos Talamban Campus, is determined to cap this chapter with a bang. Miss Millennial will be her last pageant mission in the pipeline after conquering physically demanding beauty and dance competitions in the past months.

While Cebuano pageant fans are naturally hankering for a back-to-back win, Nicole prefers not to think too much about others’ expectations – a mindset she’s learned from her past competitions.

“A lesson would be to focus on myself because the moment I start comparing myself to others, I lose my foundation. My anxiety will get the best of me if I allow this to happen,” she said.

“Centering my focus on myself and postive outlooks will give me a more enjoyable experience. And what’s the point of joining if I won’t have fun right?”