Fresh from her coronation as Gretha Matiauda, the Paraguayan beauty queen has arrived in Manila to begin intensive preparations for the upcoming Miss Universe competition.
During her media appearance, Matiauda shared that her training in the Philippines will focus on key pageant elements, including runway and interview skills.
“Now we’re gonna do training, pasarela, questions, answers, and all that Miss Universe requires,” she said.
The 25-year-old queen also expressed admiration for Filipino pageant fans, acknowledging the country’s strong influence in the global pageant scene. She cited two of the Philippines’ most iconic titleholders—Catriona Gray and Pia Wurtzbach—as major inspirations.
“The fandom is so big here. Filipinos’ opinion is so important and they know a lot since they have amazing queens like Catriona Gray and Pia Wurtzbach. They are my inspiration, too,” she said.
Matiauda emphasized that her Miss Universe journey holds special significance as she plans to make it her final pageant.
“I feel honored because I want to close my pageant career with Miss Universe. So that’s my last one and I’m gonna give my all and my 200 percent day by day.”
At her April 25 press conference in San Juan, she revealed that competing on the Miss Universe stage has been a lifelong dream.
“I was dreaming for this moment. I have to give my best and I feel really prepared to do that because I love Miss Universe since I was five years old. And I think it’s a platform that gives you power to help each other and also I think it’s a platform to empower other women and also to increase your career,” she said.
Beyond the competition, Matiauda continues to advocate for women empowerment, youth development, education, cultural preservation, and national pride. She also highlighted her goal of using her voice not only as a beauty queen but as an entrepreneur.
“I want give my knowledge not only as a queen but as an entrepreneur also to empower young people also to keep pushing.”
Her training in Manila is being conducted in collaboration with her national organization and the House of Yugen, led by pageant mentor Josh Yugen.
