Kimi Mugford ‘from the Philippine community of Canada,’ ready to represent the country in Miss Multinational 2018!

Ambitious, articulate, charismatic, creative, determined, energetic, opinionated, talkative, and adventurous. Those are just a few of the character traits that describe 18-year-old Kimi Lei “Kimi” Mugford, which is why she’s a shoo-in for Miss Multinational 2018.

When this brunette enters the room, she truly lights it up with her big brown eyes filled with wonder and captivating voice that can truly attract the audience. This roots back a lot from her childhood to why she became so headstrong.

One of the Boys in London, Ontario

Growing up in London, Ontario to a Filipina mother and Caucasian Father, Kimi actually considered herself “extremely Canadian,” attending Mother Theresa Catholic Secondary High School, where French easily became her second language. She even jokes, “I learned to skate within the same week I started walking,” saying that she possessed “the whole scheme” of being a stereotypical teen from Ontario — free-spirited, opinionated, and independent.

She made sure to excel in everything she does, toughing it out with the boys as a competitive hockey player for 11 years, getting top grades as a student with an interest in political science, and joining various singing competitions.

Although she identified more as being from North America, Kimi’s mother, who originated from Baguio, made sure to continuously teach her about the roots of Asian culture.

“My mom was always trying to be as active as she could in our Filipino community. That’s why some of my best friends from school are also Filipino Canadian!”

This inspired Kimi herself to try her knack at an industry that was huge in the Philippines – the pageant world.

Jumping into Pageantry

“I was encouraged to join my very first pageant this past summer in attempt to be more active in the Filipino-Canadian/American community,” Kimi shares when referring to her entry into The Continental Miss Philippines America pageant that was based in Los Angeles (LA).

Like Kimi, all of the applicants she competed against to were other Filipinos who grew up in North America that aspired to represent their respective overseas communities in the pageant community of their home country.

“I never really thought I’d even consider being part of the beauty community until it was brought up to me last July 2018,” Kimi reveals, even admitting that she feared the common beauty pageant misconceptions in the beginning.

But, despite being a first-timer, Kimi bested out 19 other candidates for the top Continental Miss Philippines America 2018 crown last August 4. “Pageantry was and still is new to me!” she exclaims, joking, “That was beginner’s luck, I guess!”

Along with Crystal Velasco Freedman and Cleopatra Jones, who also received titles during the pageant, Kimi was flown to the Philippines and housed in Manila to compete for the prestigious Miss World Philippines 2018 pageant.

A More Competitive Beaucon 

Although delighted to receive ‘a free vacation’ and opportunity to discover more about the Philippines as a whole, Kimi admitted struggling with adjustments to a ‘more competitive pageant industry’ in the beginning.

“I’ve struggled with culture shock and social norm such as what standards were here in the Philippines, especially within the beauty pageant community,” she says. “They train beauty queens very differently here than in America. Standards are a lot higher and a lot more competitive.”

Yet, to relieve herself of the pressure, Kimi exemplified a very happy-go-lucky attitude absorbing the experience rather than focusing on getting a crown, which won the hearts of her co-candidates and the pageant organizers.

Being one of the youngest aspirants, Kimi showed her passion for music, strength in sports, and flair for articulating her thoughts that got her to be a standout during the competition. She received a nomination for both Talent and Sports Fastracks, eventually winning the latter that automatically put her in the Top 16.

Immediately after announcing her name, Kimi was asked by hosts Ruffa Gutierrez and Miss World Philippines 2017 Laura Lehmann about how she assured gender roles did not interfere with her pursuit of hockey as a hobby, confidently answering that growing up in a family filled with boys inspired her competitive nature and that she was always told her capabilities are not limited to her gender. This same ‘head-held-high’ attitude inspired the judges to qualify Kimi as a contestant in the coronation night’s Top 10.

During the Question and Answer portion, Kimi’s eloquence put her a cut above the rest. Her question worded, “If you won the lottery, how do you plan to use your winnings?” which she was quick to respond with, “I think this is the perfect question for this specific occasion especially because it’s a beauty pageant. We are all woman standing here in behalf of a specific cause and charity and so for me, I’m raising awareness on substance abuse and drug abuse. So my proceeds from my earnings would go towards that and educating the youth in the Philippines is where I want to start.”

Later on in the night, Kimi made her represented community, ‘The Filipino Community of Canada’ proud by being crowned Miss Multinational Philippines 2018.

Using the crown for her purpose

An abundance of photo shoot and interviews quickly followed after Kimi’s moment of glory. With all eyes on her, she made sure to continue shedding light on the topics she was passionate about and the true reason why she entered pageantry. Even though she was only18, Kimi knew what she wanted to fight for because she could relate to a younger audience.

In an interview for GMA News online, she shares that prior to arriving in the country, the drug war was a common topic being discussed, which prompted her to research on the Philippine government, the country’s educational system, and the amount of actions being done pertaining to the topic — therefore invoking her advocacy.

“When I came here, all I really knew was the issues regarding the drug war. However, as I started doing more research and being more updated with what’s happening in the Philippines, I noticed that the government focuses on, like, three major issues and tends to forget about everything else.”

During the interview, she elaborates, “In terms of what my advocacy is, I’m following the same advocacy I have during Miss World Philippines, which is promoting the awareness of drug abuse and substance abuse, especially because it’s such a big subject here in the Philippines.”

She adds, “The government has been shedding a lot of light on that issue and have been changing certain taxes — (increasing) prices on certain things like cigarettes to (try to get rid of it).”

A lot of Kimi’s passion stems from growing up in Canada, where the views are very liberated and the youth have an equalized voice as their elders.

In conclusion, she states, “The Philippines isn’t poor, there’s money here,” she believes, “It’s just not being dispersed in the proper manner. There are ways that we can balance it out and diminish the inflation happening in this country.”

Preparing for the international pageant scene

Since being crowned as the Philippine representative, the young queen has been spending hours training and preparing. She reveals, “Aside basic walk training a few times a week, most of my preparation is done by the help of my agency and team!”

She elaborates, “When I say ‘team,’ it isn’t just my manager, but all my friends and family who continue to support and encourage me to never lose faith and push through my most frustrating times.” She specifies that although she eats healthy, she doesn’t pressure herself with a diet since she works out with her trainer every morning.

Speaking is her strength, so she simply just stays informed with current events, adding, “I listen to my everyday podcasts, read the news, look into all the books my boyfriend recommends – just that type of stuff!”

Current Miss Multinational titleholder is Sophia Senoron also from the country, so a back-to-back win is what she’s setting her mind on. “I’ll be competing on behalf of my home, so the journey isn’t over yet, but hopefully I’ll be able to be three for three in my pageant journey and represent the Philippines as best as I possibly can!” she concludes with excitement.

“From the Filipino community of Canada, Kimi Lei Mugford!”

Amidst the whirlwind of a year that Kimi had after entering pageantry, she attributes a lot of the experience and her youth in solidifying her identity. “Although one of the youngest contestants in the pageant, she uses her young age as an advantage in obtaining the crown. “It’s more about experience and drive. Sometimes, I feel like girls may treat me a certain way because they’re older than me, but I see my age as an advantage because I’m constantly learning from people who have more life experience. I get to learn from girls from different parts of the world.”

Post-pageant, Kimi isn’t assured yet when she’ll be returning to Canada to pursue her pre-law degree in the University of Western Ontario, as she wants to complete her titleholder duties first. However, one of the most important lessons she learned is that when you identify as a Filipino, the word ‘home’ can be applied universally.

In her words, “Being a Filipino means being a part of a community that is so welcoming and proud, no matter where you are in the world.”