Ingrid Santamaria is filled with gratitude as she ended her journey on the international pageant stage.
The Filipina beauty queen finished in the semi-finals of the recently concluded Reina Hispanoamericana competition in Bolivia, which was won by Peru's Arlette Rujel.
In a series of Instagram posts, Santamaria expressed her gratitude to her team, designers, family and friends, and supporters.
She hopes that her pageant journey will inspire her fellow morenas to keep aiming high and reaching for their dreams.
"I hope that my story shows every little morena girl out there that she can achieve anything she puts her mind to," she said.
Santamaria went on to share what she has learned from pageantry, describing the process of becoming a beauty queen as "the most rigorous yet rewarding."
"Through pageants, I've learned so much about who I am, who I was, and who I want to become. I've learned to persevere in times of hopelessness. To have faith in times of trial. To be tireless in pursuit of what's to come," she said.
"You've all taught me to raise our flag loud and proud. More than any crown, I've gained your respect. That's all I could ever ask for," she added.
Santamaria was hoping to bring home the Philippines' second Reina Hispanoamericana crown, after Winwyn Marquez in 2017.