Modern Filipina– Redefining Success: Influencing Girl Power to Possess!

? Featured Images: Instagram/Nikka Pesudas

Woman, a five-letter word with limitless capabilities. Women are more than just pretty faces; they are caring, confident, courageous, and not afraid to stand up for what they believe in. 

But hoomans, have you ever heard of the term “girl power”? 

Without even knowing it, a 24-year-old Filipina from Laguna does have it. She has been fostering self-esteem among girls and young women; she is indeed a woman of substance. Maria Nikka Pesudas, like any other woman, aspired to become someone she wanted to be one day. As an outcome, it turns out that she will take a different path in her life, something that is far greater than who she aspires to be. Let’s embark on a journey with her as we unravel and uncover #herstory as a woman, professional, and content creator.

As an average student with a degree in Communication from the Lyceum of the Philippines University-Laguna, she aspired to be a Production Assistant. Her journey to discover more about herself began after she completed her degree and spent four years in the real world of a business environment. She worked hard and was able to work as a TV Production Assistant for ABS CBN, one of the Philippines’ top networks. Dreams do come true, right? However, things may change once you’re in that situation and realize it’s not for you. She quit her dream job and worked for an advertising agency. She began as an Account Executive and was promoted to Senior Account Executive after three years, managing some of the country’s biggest brands. During that time, she also started creating content on YouTube for fun, it is when the plot twist in her life began. She became a freelancer and is now a social media manager and a content creator.

Now, her leading platform is Tiktok; however, she created her own Youtube channel in the past. It all began when a friend suggested she must watch beauty gurus on YouTube. It helped her understand how much she aspires to be like them, speaking in front of the camera while doing her thing. She started by uploading an Ukay Haul Vlog. She didn’t want to do it at first, and for her,  all of this was just for fun. She posted it with no expectations of anything in response. But, all of a sudden, that vlog went viral! And she’s been uploading stuff every week since then.

There is indeed a reason for everything! We’ll never know who we’ll become.

She prefers to be identified as a Content Creator rather than an Influencer since the term “Influencer” carries a more serious connotation for her. What a down-to-earth woman she is.

As a content creator, you are required to open yourself up to the public, and that became one of the biggest challenges for Nikka. She puts herself in a position where everybody has something to say and is free to throw judgement. She encoutered lots of netizens commenting on her videos with unpleasant and irrelevant things, imitating and criticizing her. Nikki understands that she cannot please everyone and is mindful of the sayings “Mas marami ang pupuna kaysa pupuri” and “Not everybody will cheer for you.” Many people had made negative remarks about her, and the worse part; even the people she knew derided her when she started doing her thing. 

She was at rock bottom at a young age, yet she still fulfilled one of her goals. But the real question here, is she self-assured enough to consider herself a successful woman today? The answer is a resounding yes! She became the woman she is today because of her humbleness and meaningful experience– “I’m able to achieve the things that I just dreamt for before,” she says. She is 24 years old, lives independently, has an apartment, and has a fantastic job. A strong independent woman with courage and determination achieved her ambitions at a young age – her passion leads her to success and guarantees that she will fulfill her heart’s wishes. This may not seem a huge accomplishment, but this is the epitome of success for her.  She defines herself as successful without contemplating what success means to others; she just embraces her achievement, enjoys it, and lives with it!

If she were to advise and tell the next generation one thing, it would be this. “I’m not afraid of anything, and I want the next generation to be not afraid of anything as well. If you think you can do something, do it. What’s holding you back, right? It is fear. But, once you conquer that fear, you’ll reach the edge, the top as in… When I grew up, I realized that I can do it. It’s just that I’m scared. So you have to remove fear. But it’s okay if you feel fear kasi sabi nila once you feel na you’re afraid of something. It means it’s gonna change something in your life. So if you feel the fear, conquer it. Take the risk and just take the leap of faith. So that’s just my advice to you. ‘Wag kayong matakot. Go go go lang.”

To all the young women and girls out there, to the young generation in general, and you, Hooman, do it and take a leap of faith. Trust in yourself because no one knows what’ll happen if you take a risk and chase your passions. Always have the courage to start something you’ve always desired to do and let yourself enjoy while doing it since you’re the one who gets to write your journey.

The question is, what kind of power do you possess to achieve your dreams?

In collaboration with: Vina Alcasabas, Jam Meñoza, and Evon Barrameda

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