STAR DREAM GIRL: Mariam Shans Govara

Svelte and sexy at 5’7", charming Mariam Shans Govara has found her spot under the sun. Her piece of advice for maintaining that tip-top shape: "Just have everything in moderation."

When she’s not in the gym or in photo shoots, she can be spotted relishing the cozy ambience of coffee shops – catching up with old friends or reading Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

Mariam is the eldest daughter of Persian civil engineer Jamshit Shans Govara and businesswoman Salud (neé Uy), a native of Legaspi, Albay. It is also in this home of the majestic Mayon Volcano that twenty-three-year-old Mariam was born and studied Nursing before she got a glimpse of the modeling world.

Mariam, who is of Chinese, Turkish and Filipino lineage, says, "I’m only 20 percent Filipina, but I am more than that."

"I love being with people who value themselves. If you don’t respect yourself, no one will," she adds.

Although born with a silver spoon in her mouth, her quest for independence and self-sufficiency was too strong that she decided to live independently and provide for herself.

Free-spirited Mariam shares that a STAR Dream Girl for her is "someone who reflects physical and inner beauty and is a positive role model to other girls."– Jerni May Camposano