Becoming a celebrity is probably a dream for many aspiring girls in the Philippines, but a former Filipina beauty queen left the show business industry to pursue her longtime dream.
Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo stepped away from her showbiz career this year to chase her dream of becoming a doctor.
Mateo signed with Philippine entertainment network GMA after her stint at the Miss Universe 2020 competition, an event that changed her life despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She became a model, host, comedian, and even an entrepreneur after her beauty pageant stint.
However, she has now left the spotlight to chase her medical dream.
From gown to school uniform
Mateo made headlines again this week after she started her first year at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) under the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery on Thursday.
Photos of her wearing the school’s official uniform were shared on different social media platforms in the Philippines, with some UST students expressing their excitement to see her in person.
The former beauty queen already holds a degree in the Physical Therapy Program, which she acquired even before winning the Miss Universe Philippines crown back in 2020.
A longtime dream paused
In an interview with UST’s official student publication, The Varsitarian, Mateo shared that she really wanted to become a doctor after graduating from the Iloilo Doctors’ College in 2018.
But the freshman had to pause her medical dream to support her family.
She became a lecturer first before becoming a beauty queen and celebrity in the Philippines.
“I want to be a doctor that is so inspirational that other younger women would look up to, and that they would say that this girl made everything possible,” Mateo told the student publication.
She also shared that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her biological father, who is also a doctor in the United States.
Mental health struggles
Mateo’s path to her medical career was not easy at all.
She opened up about her mental health issues at the start of the year, revealing that she was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder with Anxious Distress in 2025.
The aspiring doctor admitted that she wanted to keep her struggles to herself but chose to speak up against online bullying.
Mateo was a hot topic during her Miss Universe stint after going live on Instagram while crying after the pageant’s National Costume segment.
She was bullied by many Filipino pageant fans for her performance during the Miss Universe 2020 preliminary competition.
She continued receiving harsh comments from Filipinos after becoming an actress and a host for several entertainment shows in the Philippines.
“Everyday was a struggle to survive. I almost deactivated everything and disappeared to have a quiet and peaceful life. I fought hard and still fighting up until now,” the beauty queen shared in a post.
Mateo told The Varsitarian that she will continue to raise awareness regarding depression and other mental health issues while pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor.
“I hope that I can inspire more women to continue their dreams, to go back to school, and continue their calling,” she added, as reported by the publication.
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