From selling bread to becoming Bb. Pilipinas Globe 2025: How Annabelle Mae McDonnell turned lessons from poverty into power
Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2025 Annabelle Mae McDonnell lived a "radically different" life 10 years ago.
During the question-and-anwer segment in the recent pageant, the beauty queen shared that she used to sell bread and ukay-ukay clothes to survive and support her family.
When she was 14, she didn't know if she could even get a college education.
"I found it really hard to access the legal help and social care that's needed to fill in the gaps when you're thrown into the deep end of poverty. And I really didn't have an organization or a group of people to do that for me," she said in an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe.
Growing up, she also encountered social workers who were "quite dismissive" toward her.
"I carried that with me, and for a long time, it felt really heavy because you feel more disillusioned with the world [at] an age where you're supposed to be growing into who you are, and you're supposed to be dreaming about what you want to achieve in life."
Despite the circumstances, Annabelle refused to accept her fate and did something to better her situation.
"I said, 'This is not the life I would want for myself.' And I really couldn't imagine living that life, [so] I said, 'I really need to get and pick myself up on the bootstraps and actively do something about it,'" she said.
"I don't know how, but I envisioned what I wanted, and I said, no matter how long it takes, no matter how hard it's going to be, I want to get there. And it's so nice to be glimpsing at the other side of what I wanted to achieve 10 years ago."
In case you didn't know, Annabelle advocated for children's rights and welfare during her pageant journey. Since 2022, she has been working with Save the Children Philippines, a non-government organization focused on advocating for underprivileged children.
'Listen to yourself'
For Annabelle, who was a working student and a full academic scholar, it's important to believe in yourself.
"My message to every young man or woman who has heard so many things [about] where they're supposed to end up, or how they're supposed to live [just] because of the circumstances that they were born [into], don't listen to them. Listen to yourself. Listen to that inner voice that tells you: 'No, this is not where you belong, and just because that's where you are now doesn't mean that this is where you will always end up being.'"
"Never allow anybody to make you feel ashamed for where you come from. Always be proud of the humble beginnings that you had because they really shaped you into who you are."
The 24-year-old beauty queen also hopes that her story of working while she was young would spark questions about what can be done to ensure children can just be children.
McDonnell was born in the United Kingdom and raised in Iligan City. She earned her degree in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde.
Aside from her latest crown, she was named Miss Universe Philippines 2022 first runner-up and has represented the Philippines at the Miss Charm pageant, where she again secured first runner-up.
