Miss Universe Malaysia 2018 auditions have begun and it is everything everyone is talking about. It’s not the audition per se that has been making news, but, one of the aspirants who turned up for the audition. A 20-year-old Rungus-Filipino lass turned heads when she stepped into Le Meridien Hotel here to audition for Miss Universe Malaysia 2018 recently.

Evita Patcey Edgar Delmundo has been born with various sized moles all over her body, and believes that she possesses a unique charm that will make people notice her.  “I am used to (people staring). Sometimes, I find it quite amusing. The girls at the registration counter were surprised when they saw me. They told me I was brave to try out for an audition and wished me luck,” she said when contacted. Evita was born with what is believed to be the rare condition known as ‘Giant Congenital Melanocytic Nevus’.

Evita shared that due to her moles, she had a low self esteem at a younger age and was often bullied in school. Her schoolmates would tease and call her names like “monster” and “giant Chipsmore”.

“Firstly, this is not a disease. They are just normal moles. I have met with skin specialists and they told me it is not a skin disease. In primary school, no one wanted to be friends with me. I remember a teacher having to ask two girls to accompany me during recess, and they were whispering ‘why do we have to treat her like a princess?’

“It broke my heart. I told them that they don’t have to follow me and they went off immediately. Basically, I was a lonely girl,” said the beauty who stands tall at 160cm. Evita shared that at the age of 16 she joined a church spiritual camp and that was when she realised that her condition should not be a barrier for her to live life.

 “I learnt to accept my birthmarks and love myself. I slowly gained confidence to show off my uniqueness and I started to be more active by joining singing competitions. My friends realised my changes and they supported me,” she said.

Evita is trying her luck at beauty pageants for the first time, and her desire to join pageants grew stronger when she saw Pia Wurtzbach get crowned as Miss Universe 2015. The aspires to be an empowered woman and expresses her desire to engage with young people and non-governmental organisations to fight childhood bullying.