Franceska Toro: Letting her light shine

MANILA, Philippines - Beauty sits in the depths of one’s soul, and in the heart that cradles an abundance of love and compassion.

For 21-year-old Franceska Toro, who represented Puerto Rico in the recent Miss Earth 2014 pageant, beauty is everywhere. “Beauty comes in different sizes, different forms and different actions. Beauty is all around us, it just depends on how we perceive it,” says Franceska who won numerous awards at the Miss Earth pageant, including Miss Ever Bilena.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Franceska was a happy kid who allowed her positivity to shine on everyone. She is the youngest of three siblings and grew up in a loving family under the care of her parents Marian Medina Cruz, a pharmacist, and Jaime Toro, then a mayor in Puerto Rico (now a business administrator in Orlando, Florida).

“We are simple, happy people. My parents started from the bottom. They’ve raised us with the best morals and values. From them, I learned to be humble. My mom taught me to be myself all the time. And my dad counselled me to fight through everything that life throws at me, to have a lot of faith and to be strong,” Franceska says.

When Franceska was 13, her family made a decision to move to Orlando, Florida to seek treatments for one of her brothers who was diagnosed with autism and her father who was then suffering from cancer. It was her faith and positive disposition that helped her get through the tough time that hit her family. “That was the hardest thing for me, but now, my dad survived and my brother is a lot better. With God’s blessing they survived,” shares Franceska.

It was in Orlando where Franceska discovered the world of modeling and beauty pageants. She started doing shoots for photographers to help them build their portfolio. Eventually, she entered the modeling industry and found an agency that gave her a scholarship for Miss Latin International US, a beauty pageant for Latinas in Orlando, where she won. That was the start of her string of wins in different pageants like the International Latin Top Model, Puerto Rico Top Model and first-runner up at the Miss Mundo Puerto Rico, the spot that allowed her to compete at the Miss Earth beauty pageant. “I was surprised that I was actually doing good in all those pageants.  I joined Miss Earth to explore more of my talents,” Franceska admits.

She shuttles from Orlando (where she is currently based) to Puerto Rico to fulfill some Miss Mundo Puerto Rico duties and responsibilities.

As for her environmental advocacy, she says, “It’s energy renewal. In my country, we are consuming a lot of energy. There’s a lot of natural resources that are being exploited and a lot of petroleum emissions going on. By partnering with Casa Pueblo (a non-profit environmental watchdog in Puerto Rico), together with students at the University of Puerto Rico and some engineers, we came up with a new technology that instead of using regular bulbs, we replaced them with LED. It saved twice the amount of energy we are using with the regular bulbs. Energy, for me, makes the earth go round. It has become the foundation in the new way humanity lives,” says Franceska who currently serves as the face of the project, doing rounds in TV and radio in Puerto Rico to promote the cause.

Franceska is busy with modeling, doing fashion shows, editorials, hosting events but hopes to one day finish her degree in Communications at the University of Central Florida-Orlando.

With everything she has accomplished, Franceska goes back to what is important — her family.  “I always say success makes me happy. But happiness is also when everything I put my heart into and everything I do is accomplished. I’m satisfied when  I’ve earned the love and respect of the people around me like my family — that makes me happy. My happiness comes from the happiness of the people I care for and love,” she concludes.