‘Just be confident and natural’
April 4, 2004 | 12:00am
Seventeen-year-old Margarita Loren "Marga" Melo has always believed in just being herself.
"My Dad always tells me," she reveals, "to just be confident and sincere, not to pretend and to be natural. (For the finals night) Dad said that if I didn’t know the answer to a question, just keep quiet and think about it first rather than to pretend that I knew the answer."
Marga apparently took her father’s advice to heart, because those were exactly the qualities that clinched for her the title of STAR Dream Girl 2004 last Tuesday.
Although Marga had known that there would be a presentation of the top eight Dream Girl finalists earlier determined by poll texting among STAR readers, she was taken aback when she learned it would not merely be a presentation but a competition. Her mom and friends encouraged her to try it, saying she just might excel.
Drawing from the same competitive spirit that being the co-captain of the St. Benedict’s (Alabang) cheering team had taught her when she was in high school (she had also been president of the school’s dance club), Marga stood up to the challenge, joined the contest, and to her surprise, even won it – and the special title Miss Gold’s Gym for her toned and well-proportioned body – by racking up an impressive 92.43 percent rating from the judges.
"I was just hoping to make it to the top three," Marga recalls, "because all the other girls were very poised." Her greatest motivation for winning, she says, was that "I wanted to make my parents proud."
Wanting to make her parents happy comes just as naturally to Marga, who describes her family as "very close and happy." A De La Salle University-Taft Behavioral Science student and a print ad model, Marga is the only daughter in a brood of four (her brothers are the late Rino Melo, who would have been 24; Antonio, 19; and Miguel, 15) of Ayala Corp. associate director, Rufino "Titos" Melo and the former Liza Gatchalian. This closeness was evident during the rehearsals for the finals night, which Marga’s parents patiently sat through from start to finish.
"Dad jokes that I’m his favorite daughter," says Marga, "because I’m the only one – and I joke that he’s my favorite Dad. (Meanwhile) my Mom picks me up and fetches me from school and she accompanies me during VTRs and go-sees."
"During meal times," Marga continues, "we don’t just eat, we bond and joke around. We go to Mass together on Saturdays then we eat out in a restaurant. Especially when I was younger we would travel a lot together – to Baguio or Batangas during summer or to Hong Kong, the US, Belgium, Jakarta – because my mom’s siblings live in other countries."
Marga relates that she’s had a happy life, starting from her childhood and blooming as a teener in Alabang and at St. Benedict’s which she also attended during her elementary years. "I took piano lessons and swimming lessons and I would drop by my close friends’ houses just to play with Barbie or other games!" she relates.
She doesn’t mind having grown up with three brothers and no sister. "My brothers make me feel like I’m protected," Marga says. "And when I go out I even tag them along."
Marga is the kind of person who always strives to look at life’s brighter side. "I like to look at the beautiful side of things," Marga explains. "(Even with) movies, I like those that are not too heavy; I like comedies, romantic movies, chick flicks – light and happy ones."
She’ll even tell you that she couldn’t be happier than she already is with her faith in God, ability to get along with people, and of course, unexpectedly becoming STAR Dream Girl 2004. Of the latter she says, "Ang sarap pala ng feeling. Joining and winning helped me gain more friends and showed me that I can associate with older people because I was the youngest among us eight finalists. Joining the competition taught me discipline and perseverance, which cheerleading had taught me, too."
"My immediate plan is to finish college," Marga shares. "I took up Behavioral Science because people are the most important resources in any company. I want to be part of the Human Resources Department of a good company." And yes, she adds, she’d also like to have a family of three or four kids someday – "a happy family just like ours."
So what credo does this outgoing young lady who loves socializing and speaking what’s on her mind live by?
Marga replies without hesitation, "Live life to the fullest!"
"My Dad always tells me," she reveals, "to just be confident and sincere, not to pretend and to be natural. (For the finals night) Dad said that if I didn’t know the answer to a question, just keep quiet and think about it first rather than to pretend that I knew the answer."
Marga apparently took her father’s advice to heart, because those were exactly the qualities that clinched for her the title of STAR Dream Girl 2004 last Tuesday.
Although Marga had known that there would be a presentation of the top eight Dream Girl finalists earlier determined by poll texting among STAR readers, she was taken aback when she learned it would not merely be a presentation but a competition. Her mom and friends encouraged her to try it, saying she just might excel.
Drawing from the same competitive spirit that being the co-captain of the St. Benedict’s (Alabang) cheering team had taught her when she was in high school (she had also been president of the school’s dance club), Marga stood up to the challenge, joined the contest, and to her surprise, even won it – and the special title Miss Gold’s Gym for her toned and well-proportioned body – by racking up an impressive 92.43 percent rating from the judges.
"I was just hoping to make it to the top three," Marga recalls, "because all the other girls were very poised." Her greatest motivation for winning, she says, was that "I wanted to make my parents proud."
Wanting to make her parents happy comes just as naturally to Marga, who describes her family as "very close and happy." A De La Salle University-Taft Behavioral Science student and a print ad model, Marga is the only daughter in a brood of four (her brothers are the late Rino Melo, who would have been 24; Antonio, 19; and Miguel, 15) of Ayala Corp. associate director, Rufino "Titos" Melo and the former Liza Gatchalian. This closeness was evident during the rehearsals for the finals night, which Marga’s parents patiently sat through from start to finish.
"Dad jokes that I’m his favorite daughter," says Marga, "because I’m the only one – and I joke that he’s my favorite Dad. (Meanwhile) my Mom picks me up and fetches me from school and she accompanies me during VTRs and go-sees."
"During meal times," Marga continues, "we don’t just eat, we bond and joke around. We go to Mass together on Saturdays then we eat out in a restaurant. Especially when I was younger we would travel a lot together – to Baguio or Batangas during summer or to Hong Kong, the US, Belgium, Jakarta – because my mom’s siblings live in other countries."
Marga relates that she’s had a happy life, starting from her childhood and blooming as a teener in Alabang and at St. Benedict’s which she also attended during her elementary years. "I took piano lessons and swimming lessons and I would drop by my close friends’ houses just to play with Barbie or other games!" she relates.
She doesn’t mind having grown up with three brothers and no sister. "My brothers make me feel like I’m protected," Marga says. "And when I go out I even tag them along."
Marga is the kind of person who always strives to look at life’s brighter side. "I like to look at the beautiful side of things," Marga explains. "(Even with) movies, I like those that are not too heavy; I like comedies, romantic movies, chick flicks – light and happy ones."
She’ll even tell you that she couldn’t be happier than she already is with her faith in God, ability to get along with people, and of course, unexpectedly becoming STAR Dream Girl 2004. Of the latter she says, "Ang sarap pala ng feeling. Joining and winning helped me gain more friends and showed me that I can associate with older people because I was the youngest among us eight finalists. Joining the competition taught me discipline and perseverance, which cheerleading had taught me, too."
"My immediate plan is to finish college," Marga shares. "I took up Behavioral Science because people are the most important resources in any company. I want to be part of the Human Resources Department of a good company." And yes, she adds, she’d also like to have a family of three or four kids someday – "a happy family just like ours."
So what credo does this outgoing young lady who loves socializing and speaking what’s on her mind live by?
Marga replies without hesitation, "Live life to the fullest!"
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