Have you ever met anyone so skilfully versatile and beautiful that you just wonder – How is this human being even real? Well, I am lucky enough to know someone who is. His name is Prince. He’s one of my good friends here in California but he flew over to LA from SFO for a quick visit. And so we caught up and I asked him a few questions about himself and his future endeavors.
Who is Prince?
I think you can say that Prince is an ambitious person who pursues things that he is truly passionate about. He is a go-getter, a (Special Education) teacher, an entrepreneur but overall, he is a loving son and a loyal friend.
The thing is, there’s lots to add in the already long list of things he can do and has accomplished. He is an international model who fronted billboards alongside Lee Min-Ho. Yes, the Kdrama star whom we’ve all swooned over during his Boys Over Flowers era. Needless to say, Prince is a looker.
In his (very limited) free time, he likes to play volleyball professionally as well. He’s always been athletic while growing up. So yes, not only does he have a chiselled jawline, he also has the bod of an athlete.
What is something that nobody knows about you?
One of my closest friends actually called me a Jack of all trades and a master of none.But I strongly opposed this sentiment by highlighting the fact that he has indeed “mastered” all the “trades” he has put his mind into.
What are your current ventures?
Currently, I own a clothing company that is sustainable and eco-friendly. It’s called F-SXY. F is open for interpretation.
I recently got into candle-making where we have involved a lot of independent artisans from Singapore, London and Amsterdam. Our aim is for our fragrance line to create a social impact using subtle activism.
All the cofounders of Candle Movement, including Prince, are proud Filipinos and LGBTQ+.
What’s your skincare routine? How do you stay youthful?
I was never really particular about what I put on my skin but then after reaching a certain age it had become a conscious effort [to take care of my skin]. I need to stay hydrated all the time by drinking more water. I avoid the sun and caffeine because both speed up ageing. I stick to products that my skin loves. Exercising a lot also helps with looking and feeling young.
What is Prince up to now? What is he excited about?
I am excited about a lot of things but I recently got into UC Berkley’s Doctoral program in Special Education.” It will be a 4 year commitment but he knows that this will be a life changing decision for him. Prince decided to pursue a Doctorate in Special Education because he has been in the same field in both the US and Singapore. He has seen inequalities among countries in terms of resources, knowledge and the law. It is unfortunate however, that the Philippines is behind in terms of providing support for special needs students and their families. Doing this PhD will help him focus on reforming education and working with legislators to make permanent changes in the Philippines’ system.
Having achieved a lot of milestones at such a young age, what are the factors that attributed to your success?
I used to never believe in luck but now I can say that it played a huge part in all the things I have achieved.” He considers himself lucky to be born in a family of entrepreneurs where his late dad taught him business acumen. He feels grateful to have met all the people who continue to support his dreams. But most importantly he notes that his success is from making the right decisions for himself.
Hiraya means fruit of one’s hopes, dreams and aspirations. What do you dream about? What do you hope for? Who do you aspire to be?
Prince is still very hopeful for change in order to solve the earth’s ongoing problems like climate change, hunger, racism etc. His dream is for more people to practice kindness and compassion. But as a small town boy from the Philippines, he wants to make a huge impact through his vocation as a teacher and entrepreneur with simple advocacies.
Follow this soon to be doctor’s endeavours on instagram @prince.estanislao
