Jamie Herrell’s just getting started

CEBU, Philippines - At 22 years old, there’s still more to accomplish for Miss Earth 2014 title-holder Jamie Herrell. For one, the second Cebuana to win the crown  (after Karla Paula Henry) hopes to hone her thespic inclinations.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I love acting. It’s a passion,” the beauty queen said during a recent interview at Lighthouse Restaurant along Mango Avenue.

Jamie opened the month-long 23rd anniversary celebration of Gaisano Country Mall, bannering a show at the said mall as well as in its Balamban branch. Manila celebrities Emman Vera and Marlo Mortel and other events have also been lined up this October for the mall establishment’s birthday celebration.

The California-born stunner had taken up Mass Communications at the University of San Jose-Recoletos before accepting an acting scholarship at the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) in Mactan. In a 2014 interview with The Freeman weeks after winning Miss Earth, Jamie had shared that her interest in acting began when she still lived in the United States.

“I used to play Jasmine, but I don’t know how to sing, so I just lip-synched on stage. I also played Belle, and Eliza Doolittle from ‘My Fair Lady,’” Jamie had said, adding that she’s not a big fan of drama as she finds it hard to cry on command so she would prefer a comedy or action project.

“Acting is just beautiful. You can switch on and off. When you learn a role, it makes you feel like you’re also learning something new – like a different culture, different emotions. That’s the beauty of acting.”

But to be an actress isn’t her sole goal. She also wants to work with the United Nations in the future. And to get closer to that dream, she’s planning to take up a course in Environmental Science next year.

There’s also her fairly new business: a slippers venture that she and a business partner have named 7107. Jamie said she is happy to have stumbled upon the slippers venture, since it has some connection to her eco-tourism advocacy as the flip-flops in their line feature designs of different Philippine tourist attractions and landmarks.

Jamie, who is under the stable of the Origin Model Management of Sven Chua, revealed that while she’d be glad to enter show business, it is still her chief priority to be of service to her community. Despite this innate desire to serve others, Jamie has no intentions to join the murky world of politics though.

Apart from various hosting gigs, Jamie’s time is poured into her business and in touring different schools nationwide for her “Being Proud To Be A Filipino” series – a personal advocacy wherein she shares to students her life experiences and encourages them to take pride in their nationality.

Single guys might be curious: Jamie is currently not in a relationship, adding that if she does date someone, she prefers someone low profile because she values her privacy.

The stunning mestiza is often told she has angles of Liza Soberano and Gretchen Barretto. Others say she can at times look similar to Iza Calzado. But the comparison that amused her most was when someone quipped that she looked like Hollywood pop superstar Britney Spears.

Bulalo is her favorite food, while “Camp Sawi” was the most recent film she’s seen. Since she’s quite busy, Jamie is content to get at least five hours of sleep and that’s enough to get her going for another day of activities.

That’s quite a handful we learned from Jamie over a sumptuous lunch, but here are more 12 facts you might still not know about the lovely earth warrior:

1. I’ve been to maybe 10 to 11 schools here and in the United States.

2. I never went to Africa but I always wanted to.

3. My favorite singer is Sarah Geronimo. I think she’s great.

4. I can do this weird thing with my foot. (She can twist her ankle).

5. I have difficulty speaking Tagalog. In fact my business partner is speaking to me in Tagalog, but my improvement is only five percent out of a hundred. (Jamie is determined to learn Tagalog so she can interact better with more people.)

6. I love mountains. (She has climbed a mountain in Finland and has also reached the peak of Mambukal Mountain in Negros. She has wanted to climb the Osmeña Peak, but that has yet to push through.)

7. I go to the beach to relax.

8. My favorite bird is owl. I think they are so cute. I don’t know but when I sleep at night, other people would be scared but I would love it. When my niece was born—she is already one year old –I bought her a lot of owl stuff toys.

9. I love astronomy. Astronomy is awesome. Really cool. (It was one of her dreams to study Astronomy, but she let go of that dream when her late father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease which made their family decide to move to the Philippines after living in the United States.)

10.  I love flowers.  Sunflowers are my favorite because they make me smile. I also love the color red— if you notice during the pageant I wore red.

11. I’ve never been to Boracay. I wanted to go there, three times it got cancelled. But I will be going with the Miss Earth candidates this October so I’ll finally get to experience Boracay.

12. I don’t know how to cook but I would love to cook. (FREEMAN)