VANESSA Joyce Castor starts her two-year reign as muse of the Oriental Mindoro Association of Southern California (OMASC) on the evening of September 18, 2010 when the organization’s 17th anniversary and coronation ball takes place at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel. She will be crowned by her predecessor, Miss OMASC 2009 Ali Umali Chua in a formal ceremony during the evening. The event is expected to draw as much participation as last year’s when ABS-CBN President Charo Santos Concio, a Mindorena, was the guest speaker. This year’s guest speaker is Oriental Mindoro Congressman Rey Umali of the second district. His brother, Governor Alfonso Umali, Jr. is also expected to attend.
The 22-year old OMASC muse is the only daughter of Giovanni and Cynthia Castor and sister to Giovanni Jr., Giovanni III, and Brian Jay Castor. Her impressive resume includes graduating with honors from St. Pancratius Elementary School where she excelled in sports, followed by four years of stellar performance, both in the classroom and in the pep squad, at Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood. She graduated there, again with honors, in 2006. She currently attends Cypress College hoping to obtain both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Nursing. She enjoys dancing, shopping, cooking, playing various sports, going to the beach, and hanging out with family and friends. She hopes to parlay her baking hobby into a successful bakery business some day. Her life’s inspiration is a quote from American author Albert Pine who said “what we do for ourselves dies with us; what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal”. Aware of OMASC’s charitable mission and anxious to be a part of it, she considers her Miss OMASC stint an opportunity to give back to the community.
OMASC has been in the forefront of charitable endeavors among the many Filipino associations in the region since its founding in 1993. The province of Oriental Mindoro recognizes the contribution OMASC has made through the years, both in response to calamities or to promote and support the educational, health, and welfare needs of the Mindorenos. Among OMASC’s many accomplishments are the donations of fire trucks, hospital equipment, medical supplies, wheel chairs, books and computers, and relief goods to victims of calamities such as floods and earthquakes. Its scholarship program has helped many poor but deserving students obtain a college degree which they could otherwise not achieve. Last year, it sponsored a three-day medical mission in the towns of Calapan, Roxas, and Puerto Galera. With a total number of over 2,000 patients served, it is arguably the biggest and most successful medical mission ever held in the province. Membership to OMASC is open to all Mindorenos in Southern California and other parts of the nation. For more information, please visit our website at www.omasc.org. To order tickets for the September 18 event, please call Erli Conti at (818) 425-5926 or Hermie Maramot at (626) 289-7607.
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