Lausanne, Switzerland, June 8, 2020: The Philippines’ Mary Joy “Majoy” Baron has gone from the volleyball courts to fashion's catwalks and back - and aims to conquer both.
In this interview with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), she talks about her ambitions and how she pushes herself to improve.
The 24-year-old middle blocker plays professionally for the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers in Manila and also works as a model. She represented the Philippines at the 2018 Asian Games, 2019 Southeast Asian Games and at the ASEAN Grand Prix, where she was named the Best Middle Blocker twice.
Majoy says: “Honestly, I didn’t know what opportunities volleyball would give me. It would provide me with a ticket to good education at the De La Salle University, which allowed me to be seen on TV and also see some parts of the world. I didn’t know it could be a full-time job. I simply played it because I enjoyed it.”
She admits her volleyball skills in high school were far from exceptional. Her main attribute, she adds, was her height - and only two colleges offered her a place in their volleyball programme.
“But before I became a volleyball player I used to enjoy joining beauty pageants. In the Philippines, beauty pageants are very popular. Miss Universe is our Super Bowl and is one of the major events the Filipinos look forward to every year. Growing up with that energy and enthusiasm, pageants and modelling easily became my first love.”
The modeling career was put on hold in her college days but she was able to find time for projects in between playing and training for her club. These included fashion runway shoots, magazine pictorials for the likes of Vogue Italia and magazine covers.
“Volleyball has taught me to respect any craft you have chosen to pursue. That means respecting the industry standards and living up to them,” she adds.
Source: www.fivb.com