JESSICA ANTONIO

Lifestyle Brand Ambassador for thevividvida

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TVV: JESSICA!!!!! Thank you for allowing us to interview you. Tell the readers who you are!

My name is Jessica, but lately I’ve really taken a liking to being called Jess! It feels a lot more casual. I’m 22 years old, and I study Psychology at Seattle Pacific University. I also teach dance to little kids, and I scoop ice cream on the side. I like a lot of things. My hobbies range from dancing, to playing video games, marathoning through Disney movies, and eating my way through weekly farmers markets. It really doesn’t take much to entertain me.

TVV: We wanted to interview you because you're somebody who simply just radiates positive energy. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you've become who you are and are continuing to grow.

Growing up as one of the few Filipino girls in my community, it was hard for me to really find myself, especially since I was trying to be like everyone else. I was quiet, and I blended in. I had a small social circle, and I liked it like that. Things didn’t really change until I joined cheer. I only tried out because my best friend at the time didn’t want to go alone. We went through a year of middle school cheer together, and we decided to try out for the high school team the next year. At that time, cheer was really an excuse to hang out with her. It turned out that I passed tryouts, but she did not make the cut. I was on a brand new team, and I didn’t have my best friend to rely on, so I learned how to survive on my own real quick.

Turns out, I really did enjoy cheerleading. I loved cheer camp, I loved the bond that you create with your teammates after spending an entire summer conditioning with them, I loved learning new dances and stunts, and I especially loved performing in front of a crowd. When my uniform was on, I felt so special. It was definitely a confidence boost. From there, cheer became a passion, and through the years I worked my way up to becoming the Captain my senior year. Flash forward, and I ended up being Captain again during my third year of college cheer. I never thought I would be the type to actively go for leadership positions, but when the situation calls I found that I’m not afraid to step up when I need to. I’ve since ended my cheerleading career, but I would say that it’s still a fundamental part of who I am. I would not have the confidence that I have today without this experience.

TVV: That's amazing! And now, since you're not in cheer anymore, how do you plan to continue growing and working on yourself?

I put myself in a box when I was younger, and cheer challenged all of that. Cheer forced me to be in an environment where I’d have to be vulnerable and put myself out in front of a crowd, and I thrived. I learned that challenging myself was the best way to grow as a person, and I’ve been evolving ever since. College was especially big for me because it was the first time that I was going to a new place where there were no expectations placed on me. My first year of college I was allowed to portray myself the way I actually wanted to be seen. From then on, I learned that I should always be the most authentic version of myself.

TVV: Fill in the blank: If it wasn't for my _____________, I wouldn't be who I am today.

If it wasn't for my support system, I wouldn't be who I am today! I owe a lot of it to my support system. I have great family members, friends, mentors, and co-workers in my life. No matter where I go, I know that I am well supported and that I have people on my side rooting for me. Knowing that, it’s hard to be negative about anything. I want to be the same kind of person for all of the important people in my life.

TVV: Having a thick skin is hard and though one can have all the self-confidence in the world, there will always be somebody who has something negative to say. How do you handle harsh criticism?

To be completely honest, it's hard for me not to get hurt. Once I allow myself time to process emotionally, I will look at the criticism from a couple of different angles. First, is it constructive or not? Who was the criticism from? Do they have a valid point, or was this coming from a place to bring me down? Is this something I can change or grow from? I also talk through most of my feelings with my close friends. It really helps having a second opinion from someone that you trust.

TVV: We read that Oprah takes 5 minutes of her morning everyday and tells herself some words of affirmation. Do you have a mantra or inspo words you tell yourself daily?

The live-action Cinderella movie said it best: Have Courage and Be Kind.

TVV: With the increase of Instagram and social media popularity, its easy to shy behind the camera when taking photos. You ALWAYSSSSS post bomb selfies on Instagram and are always so confident online! Have you always been like this?

Self-confidence is something that you have to teach yourself. Being a POC in a mainly white community, it was hard to see myself as beautiful when I was growing up. Instead of taking pride in my appearance, I took pride in the fact that I was a good person with a good heart, and that made me feel beautiful. If others could see that, then I was content. There was definitely a “glow up” period. Sometime between my junior and senior year of high school I figured out how I like to dress, I started wearing makeup and styling my hair. It was a very superficial point in my life. I wanted to be prettier and I focused a lot on how I looked. The compliments are definitely ego-boosting, I won’t argue with that, but it gets to the point where you wonder if all that’s all that they see. I still love taking time out of my day to do a nice skin care routine, and spending time in the morning doing my makeup. It seems kind of counter-intuitive because some people think cosmetics are for covering up, and that’s the opposite of confidence. For me, this is time that I spend practicing self-care. It’s time staring at a mirror, taking care of myself, and loving who I am looking at. Instead of putting on makeup to look beautiful to others, I do it to make myself feel beautiful as I know I am, inside and out.

TVV: What suggestions would you give to someone who is struggling with their self-confidence?

Back when I was cheer captain, every time I heard a teammate say something negative about themselves, I would make them look into a mirror and say three positive things about themselves. It sounds silly, but do it. Face a mirror, and compliment yourself. I've noticed that it's easier for people to make self-deprecating comments than to compliment themselves. Statements like "I'm so dumb" or "I hate this about myself" flow so easily in everyday conversation, but we struggle to say positive things about ourselves. So, I want to normalize self-compliments. You deserve it.

TVV: If you could go back in time and relive one moment from you past, what would it be?

I think I would go back to my senior trip to Disneyland back when I was in high school. It was spring break, I was already accepted to SPU, I finished my senior project, all that was left to do was to actually graduate. It was such a care-free time, and I went on Space Mountain like... 6 times. It felt like I had life all figured out. Life was simpler back then.

TVV: Any last words/PSA type of messages you'd like to share?

A lot of my answers talk about positivity and how you have to allow yourself to be happy. On that same note, allow yourself to feel all emotions. You are allowed to feel sad, or angry, or discouraged. We are made to feel a range of different things, and it is healthy to do so. It starts becoming unhealthy when we begin to dwell on those negative thoughts, or when it begins to control your life. Be mindful of your emotions. Cherish all of the good things in your life- big and little. I personally like to gratitude journal, but even taking five minutes to recount all of the positive things can be really encouraging. Lastly, you can find me on most social media @essie_jayy. (It's pig-latin for Jessie, which was a high school nickname!)