Steffy Gerona: Chasing Her Dreams Amidst Motherhood
Miss Universe Philippines 2024 candidate, model, entrepreneur, nurse and mom of three Steffy Gerona continues to reach her goals and she’s not stopping anytime soon

Isla in Gingersnaps top, Jeans from Gap (available at Rustan’s Makati)
Summer in pink and white from Rustanette
Sancho in a Jacadi shirt, Rustanette jacket, and Gap jeans
Motherhood re-prioritizes women’s plans. Some take a step back to focus on their families, while others take a pause and resume when their children are older. Steffy Gerona, who is a millennial mom raising 3 young kids, proves that it’s possible to do it all.
Already hailed as a multihyphenate and ma-diskarte by definition, Steffy continues to grow and succeed, proving her resilience and her ability to create opportunities for herself — things she learned during the harder times in her younger years. But the foundation of those two abilities lies in her holding gratitude as a non-negotiable and an “ayaw maging pabigat” mentality. “Mayroon akong kusa,” Steffy admits, revealing that her aunt had often helped out too, especially with giving her an allowance and the like when she was younger. “For me kasi, kung may tumutulong sa atin, siguro, suklian natin sila ng kabutihan at kung ano man ang kaya natin itulong, especially kung sila ay nagbibigay ng magandang opportunity.”
And sometimes, the simple act of giving back can be in the form of achieving success for oneself.
Being a breadwinner at a young age
Money doesn’t grow on trees — a truth that Steffy learned and one that pushed her to become her family’s breadwinner when her father’s income in construction wasn’t enough to make ends meet. Refusing to burden her older partially-blind brother and her two younger siblings, and like any determined “eldest ate,” she quickly learned the ins and outs of running a business to sustain the family. But taking on that responsibility, especially to help care for her siblings, didn’t embitter her. Instead, it taught her to appreciate and be grateful, and to make the most of the “little things” she had.
“Minsan kasi, tendency natin lagi tayong naghahanap at naghahangad ng mas malaking bagay. Pero di natin napapansin na ang dami na nating blessings, sobrang kumpleto tayo. We forget to see what we already have because we pay more attention to what we need,” she admits.
The gratitude she’s learned and held onto throughout the years is her driving force. When she was younger, even though her efforts handled some of the family expenses, the holidays made the financial struggles a bit more obvious especially when they had nothing to eat. “Kaya yung appreciation ko for food, for being able to provide and eat three times a day, is already a big deal to me,” she shares.

“Nung 8 years old ako nag decide ako mag-business para makatulong sa expenses sa bahay. Pag may pera ako na kaunti, nagbebenta ako ng candy and pastillas sa classroom. So that’s how it started na natuto ako mabuhay kahit saan mo ako ilagay.”
Thus, becoming a multihyphenate was not a choice; it was a necessity. Her entrepreneurial efforts eventually branched out to modeling and babysitting jobs which would add to her family’s total income. At a young age, she was able to put food on the table, help her siblings through school and all of these life experiences would eventually become lessons that would serve as the foundation for parenting her three kids: 7-year-old Sancho, 6-year-old Isla, and 5-year-old Summer. Although she knows that she’s more “capable” and “stable” now, Steffy sees those moments of financial stability as something that can change anytime.
“Kahit na, medyo okay pamumuhay ng mga anak ko, gusto ko matututo sila na hindi sa lahat ng oras meron kang pera. Meron kang makakain. Dapat ikaw mismo sa sarili mo you know how to stand on your own kahit saan ka ilalagay at kung ano pang mangyari sayo.”

Sancho in Rustan’s Jr.
All available at Rustan’s
Making the most of where she is
Some of those “kahit saan” circumstances would eventually land her in the beauty pageant scene. Before becoming Quirino’s representative for Miss Universe Philippines last year, Steffy had already participated in local competitions and even joined the reality show Pinay Beauty Queen for training prior. But the years have transformed the pageantry scene in so many ways from allowing moms to compete, to having a voting system, and many others.
“Yung Pinay Beauty Queen is a reality show so parang TV style siya. Nagtatraining pa rin. Tapos, parang every year may nag-iiba. Noon naman wala masyadong voting system. It’s like every five years, nagbabago yung system ng pageantry,” she adds. “But it’s [joining beauty queen competitions] a great opportunity to see different things. It’s like there’s a different perspective to seeing beauty queens, getting to know their unique stories and it’s a good opportunity din kasi because not everyone has a chance to be there, especially for people like me, since I’m a mother.”
Even though her work in the pageantry scene takes her everywhere, Steffy sees having “no permanent address” as a sign of her growing in this world and reaping the fruit of all the hard work she’s put in for the competition. “I feel privileged to be able to see Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Kasi di naman lahat nakikita yung buong Pilipinas. Parang napakaganda para sa akin na kahit palipat-lipat kami, marami kaming napuntahan. Marunong din ako magsalita ng iba’t ibang dialect at wika. Marunong ako mag-Tagalong, Bisaya, Ilocano.”

And cliché as it may sound to many, Steffy shared that being real and true to oneself is one of the lessons she has learned from competing in pageants. “You get to meet different people from different backgrounds, places, religions, social status, literally all walks of life. And the only way to stand out is to be yourself because there’s only one of us. And of course to be kind to everyone, from beauty queens to people behind the scenes.”
Queen of the House
After a grueling four months in the beauty pageant scene, Steffy returned home with an undampened spirit. Despite not taking home the crown, her family still saw her as a queen. In fact, one of her daughters had been inspired by her mother’s run to try her luck in beauty pageants. “They told me that they were so proud of me,” she intimates.
With her beauty pageant journey on hold for now, Steffy Gerona sets her mind to make up for all the lost time with her kids. From spending time at the beach to venturing around Antipolo and enjoying its natural offerings, Steffy reveals how those made her realize how much she missed her children, and truly appreciate that while her journey ended, she had her family to come home to.

Isla in Gingersnaps top, cargo pants from Old Navy
Summer in pink and white from Rustanette
Sancho in Gap
“Sobrang namiss ko sila, pero parang hindi din nila ako namiss masyado kasi every night, I still sleep with them. Yung times na wala kaming work or ginagawa [from the competition] ka-bonding ko sila. I make sure they never have to feel like they don’t know where I am or when I am coming back. I want to be that constant in their lives.”
Motherhood has changed her deeply, teaching her to love children in ways she never imagined. Her love shows in her desire to remain present with her children, reminding her to keep social media to a minimum in their presence. Nevertheless, she still makes sure that her children watch her pursue her dreams. It’s what makes her a better parent, she reveals.
Taking Charge of the Kids
As a Filipino mom, Steffy is no stranger to her children entering the “kulit” stage. Especially when they push all her buttons to the point of her nearly “exploding out of frustration,” she knows that it’s part and parcel of being a mom to three kids who are one year apart. While the challenge to match her children’s energy can feel and appear daunting, she shares that the support group she has such as her husband Ernest, her siblings, her parents, and even the helpers — who she affectionately calls “manangs” — makes the load feel lighter.
“Hindi ko sila [kasi] masigawan or mapagalitan,” she admits. “Ang ginagawa ko na lang ay umaalis ako at mag-tatakeover husband ko. To calm them.”

Summer and Isla in black and white from Periwinkle
Sancho in Gap (available at Rustan’s)
While typically it’s mom who is the disciplinarian and dad who plays the fun parent, Steffy and Ernest have switched roles when parenting the three kids. All it takes is one word from him and they just stop, she recalls.
“When daddy says stop, they stop,” she laughs sheepishly. “When it’s me, the kids are more relaxed and unguarded. I know I have to work on this, but another way I want to look at it is, they are going to feel more comfortable talking to me about things as they get older.”
Steffy’s husband, Ernest, ensures Steffy is supported and seen. They have date nights despite his busy schedule in the real estate industry. “Before I had the kids, sabi ko sa kanya, dapat mas priority natin ang isa’t isa. Second lang yung anak natin. At the end of the day, it’s just going to be you and me. So lagi namin mine-make sure na every chance we get, nakakapag-date kami and have deep conversations.”
Finding her direction
While motherhood gifted her with joy and fulfillment, some feelings of listlessness and emptiness still loomed over Steffy’s head.
“It was in 2023,” she recalls. “I started crying. I told myself, ‘I am fulfilled as mom, I am doing good as a mom naman to them. I’m raising them well.’ Pero, I felt something was amiss. I felt an emptiness inside. Parang hindi ko nagagawa yung mga bagay na nagpapasaya sa akin, na throughout the years, kinalimutan ko na yung sarili ko.”
She then turned to her faith and sought answers. “Everything happened [from] there. Miss Universe Philippines happened, the events came, and the opportunities. I really believe that if you pray to God, He’ll send you the people who can help you.”

With her newfound motivation, Steffy grows her list of achievements — a scuba diver, proud owner of Victoria’s Kusina, to name a few. As she ticks more things off her bucket list, she continues, more determined than ever, to explore other ventures. One such pursuit would be fashion as she aims to be able to make clothes for both herself and her kids.
“Naiinspire yung mga kids ko seeing their mom doing what she loves. Dapat as moms, we don’t stop pursuing our own dreams especially if it will make us feel whole and happy. I have a degree in nursing kasi nung bata ako, I saw that as a way to be able to help my family. Tapos nakapag business ako kasi magaling daw talaga ako sa negosyo. Entrepreneurship does make me happy, that’s why today I have a clothing business and a food business. I also started modeling, and then when the opportunity to join Miss Universe Philippines opened, I jumped at the opportunity.”

“I never used being a mom as an excuse not to try new things. And kung magbago ang isip ko and gusto sumubok ng ibang bagay, gagawin ko. Starting over and dreaming new dreams is what makes us grow as individuals, especially as parents. Our children see us and they are taking notes. Even if we fall down and fail, okay lang. Ang importante is nakita nila tayong mangarap, sumubok, at hindi sumuko.“
Better late than never
While it’s true that some dreams have to take the back seat, the most important part, especially for Steffy Gerona, is to never give up on them, especially if it’s something one truly wants. For her, having that kind of mentality is what allows her to empower her kids to chase their own dreams.
She believes that exemplifying those lessons are far better than just telling them. “Kapag mayroon kang tinuturo sa anak mo, paano sila maniniwala kung di mo rin ginagawa yung sinasabi mo?”
But that doesn’t mean that ideas and lessons can’t be versatile. In one interview last year, Steffy spoke about how a mother’s love transcends the universe. Asked about it months later, she explained that the meaning remains the same for her.
“Moms have many superpowers, and the biggest superpower of all is how the love we have for our kids can really transcend the universe.”

As motherhood continues to take her on a ride, she is learning, she is growing, and she is dreaming up new dreams. She encourages parents to never stop believing in themselves.
“Find your own happiness because when you are truly happy, you’re stable,” she adds. “You can do anything, you can parent better, you can manage better, you have more to give when you are in a good place mentally and emotionally,” Steffy concludes.
So to parents out there who are still finding the strength and courage to chase their dreams, know that there are parents out there like Steffy Gerona who have done it, and are cheering you on!
Words: KEVYN GOHU-CATINGUB & ALEXA VILLANO
Photography: KIERAN PUNAY OF KLIQ, INC.
Art Direction: DENIELLE CARAG
Makeup: TWINKLE BERNARDO
Hairstyling: ANGELI ALFONSO
Styling: SIYA DARYANI OF THE CLOSET CULTURE
Shoot Coordination: ANTHONY MENDOZA
Shot on Location at BRITTANY HOTEL GLOBAL SOUTH
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