With all eyes on her, Marizza Delgado showcased a pageant walk with confident eye contact and powerful body movements. Then, amid cheers, students in the audience stepped ahead one by one, posed and introduced themselves.
“Three, two, one, give me a pose!” Delgado said. She wore the shining crown that she won for Miss New York 2024 — becoming the first Filipino American to win that title.
The Boston University Filipino Student Association invited her to share her journey in data science and pageantry with the club April 12.
Now, Delgado works as a data scientist and fashion model in New York City.
As the daughter of Filipino immigrant parents, Delgado understands the significance of pageantry in Filipino culture — the Philippines has won multiple pageant crowns in international competitions, making it one of the top beauty pageant countries in the world.
She discussed the “three B’s of the Philippines:” basketball, boxing and beauty pageants.
“When we are on the stage, we are fierce,” said Delgado, who was also recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Arts and Style Class of 2025. “But not only are we beautiful, we also have a purpose.”
Delgado pursued modeling while studying technology and information management at the University of California Santa Cruz, sometimes driving two hours for photo shoots.
When Delgado was preparing for Miss New York, she said she only had four weeks, while most competitors typically had four to six months. But practice makes perfect, and Delgado kept her heels next to her bed, so she could practice walking in them before going to bed or after waking up in the morning.
“It’s so much more than a crown,” Delgado said.
Behind the crown’s halo, the journey of building her confidence was anything but easy.
In 2022, she was laid off from her job, which felt “like the end of the world,” she said. But, it turned out to be a defining moment that led her to the sustainable fashion industry, where she found her passion.
“A huge thing for me is that rejection is just redirection,” Delgado said.
When she dealt with imposter syndrome at the beginning of her career, she reminded herself “We all have to start from somewhere.”
After the event, Delgado told The Daily Free Press she was inspired by Lyndsey Scott, a web developer and the first African American model to sign an exclusive runway contract with Calvin Klein.
“She showed me that you can really do both,” Delgado said. “She is a great example that you don’t have to fit in one box to do all the things that you are passionate about.”
Born and raised in the U.S., Delgado said she felt connected to the Philippines after a solo trip in 2023, which allowed her to explore the place her parents grew up through her own lens, she said.
Now, she embraces her unique cross-culture experience, as well as her favorite Filipino foods: salmon belly sinigang and lechon kawali.
Therese Lee, BUFSA’s external representative who organized the event, said her goal was to bring someone that will empower the Filipino American community.
Although Lee is not Filipino herself, she said she came to understand the pageantry culture that Filipinos are proud of.
Freshman Karl Boma said the pageant walk helped him build confidence in presenting himself.
The practice in front of the mirror “mimics having to walk down the stage with hundreds of people watching you, even millions on TV,” he said. It inspired him to present confidence in other settings, like job interviews or public speaking.
Junior Nikki Capinpin also highlighted the walking activity. She described herself as an introverted person, and said she thought the pageant walk helped her “break out of my shell.”
Knowing that pageantry is “ingrained” in Filipino culture, Capinpin was impressed by Delgado pursuing pageantry while also fulfilling her aspiration in data science.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this community, and I love seeing the impact it has on the students who participate,” Capinpin said.
Noelle Lo, BUFSA’s co-productions coordinator and “a pageant girl” herself, described the pageant world as a large but intimate community.
Lo found herself relating to Delgado’s struggle being both Filipino and American. Looking at Delgado’s journey, Lo hopes students who are going through this “daily struggle” can stay true to themselves.
“We’re always different persons depending on the communities that we’re in,” Lo said. “But embrace every piece of what you are and who you are.”
