Alicia Faubel Conquers the Universe Through the Best of Both Worlds

There is a particular kind of person who enters a room and quietly shifts its atmosphere — not through force, but through presence. Alicia Faubel is that person.

On set, she arrives with a soft smile and an easy “Let’s begin?” and within moments, everyone’s attention naturally settles around her.

At 26, Alicia has already lived several lives within one career. She is the reigning Miss Universe Spain 2022, a model who has spent nearly a decade working across cities, cultures, and industries that demand constant reinvention. She has walked runways, fronted campaigns, and appeared on magazine covers. Yet beyond the polish and precision the industry requires, what stays with you after speaking to Alicia is not the image she presents, but the person shaped behind it.

Her story can be understood in two defining moments.

The first is fashion. Scouted at 14 and working professionally by 17, Alicia entered the modeling industry early and learned quickly what it demanded: discipline, adaptability, and resilience. Years spent moving between countries taught her how to constantly adjust — to new people, new expectations, new versions of herself. But fashion was never something she simply fell into. She genuinely loved the craft of it.

The structure, the creativity, the ability of a single image to communicate emotion without words.

I always knew I wanted to do something creative, whether that was acting or modeling. I’ve always been drawn to that world, I enjoy being in that scene because I love putting on a show. I’m comfortable in front of the camera, I know what works for me, I know my body, and I’ve developed my own sense of style. It is an advantage, and I can use that to boost myself up.

The second one is the Philippines.

She arrived with little expectation and initially struggled with the distance from home. The unfamiliarity settled heavily at first. But over time, through friendships and everyday experiences, the country slowly became more than a temporary stop in her career.

What was meant to be a short stay turned into three years.

In the Philippines, Alicia encountered a kind of openness that changed the way she understood connection. She speaks less about places and more about people — their warmth, sincerity, and willingness to make others feel welcome without asking them to change who they are. It was not simply a matter of adapting to a culture. The experience reshaped her perspective entirely.

Today, those two chapters meet at a pivotal moment in her life as she prepares to represent Spain on the Miss Universe stage in New Orleans. Interestingly, the crown itself was never the original goal. And perhaps that is exactly what makes her stand out.

The industry that shaped her

Watching Alicia work on set, one thing becomes immediately clear: nothing feels accidental.

Every movement is deliberate without appearing rehearsed. She understands angles instinctively, shifting between frames with the kind of ease that only years of experience create.

But what stands out even more is her attentiveness between shots. She remains aware of the people around her (photographers, stylists, crew members ), carrying herself with a professionalism shaped by years in an industry where discipline and respect matter as much as appearance.

Pageantry, however, was never part of the plan.

In Spain and much of Europe, beauty pageants do not hold the same cultural prominence they do in countries like the Philippines. Alicia herself once viewed them through the same outdated stereotypes many people still associate with the industry. When the opportunity to compete arose, she hesitated.

What changed was not a sudden fascination with crowns or competition, but the realization that the platform gave her something larger: a voice and an audience willing to listen.

She entered Miss Universe Spain without years of formal pageant training or a carefully engineered strategy. There were no childhood dreams of winning titles, no extensive coaching background, no polished pageant persona waiting to emerge. What she had instead was clarity. She knew why she was there.

I think if I have to be similar to any beauty queens, it would have to be with our reigning Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu. We both share the same battles when it comes to our bodies and her winning made me want to tell my own story, like I want people to know me. I want to be appreciated because of who I am because I feel that my persona is better than my actual physical appearance.

And in a competition where many contestants are trained to perfection, that sense of honesty became her edge.

Now, as she learns to navigate a world she never originally intended to enter, Alicia is making a conscious choice to prioritize authenticity over performance. She is not interested in appearing flawless. She is interested in being remembered for something real.

I want to be an “Ate” to many girls because I was alone. I want to be that person that someone reached out about their insecurities, about what they feel, about their problems because I didn’t have that. Since I already experienced all of it, so I want to pass on the message, pass on the knowledge.

The country that changed her

Modeling had already taken Alicia to cities like New York and Dubai — places that sharpen independence and teach you how to keep moving forward. By then, arriving somewhere new was something she had learned to navigate with ease.

But the Philippines was different. It was the farthest she had ever traveled for work, and the distance revealed itself in ways she did not expect. What surprised her most was despite the country’s familiar values — its warmth, openness, and strong sense of community — settling in did not feel as seamless as she had imagined. Instead, home felt more miles away.

Understandably, homesickness lingered quietly in the background. But then familiarity took its place. Friendships deepened, routines formed, and the space between visitor and belonging slowly disappeared.

I think anyone that comes here will say that they become a better person. When you come here, you just really learn how to appreciate things and be happy. Because you see people being so happy with so little and they appreciate everything that they have. And the energy is so infectious like I feel energized recharged here. You’re motivated, you’re inspired, you’re happy at life and for me, I would recommend everyone to come and stay at least two weeks just to observe the culture. You just feel so much lighter, and you don’t appreciate it because you live here but for me, everything becomes lighter.

What remained with her most deeply was the way people made space for her naturally. There was warmth without expectation, kindness without performance. In a career often built around appearances and constant movement, that sense of genuine connection became deeply grounding.

By the time she left, the Philippines no longer felt like just another chapter in her career. It had become part of who she was.

That influence now follows her onto the Miss Universe stage.

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Making those Two Worlds Collide

Spain has not placed in the Miss Universe semifinals since 2017, and the country’s last crown came nearly five decades ago. Alicia is fully aware of that history. But she does not approach the competition burdened by it.

For her, success is not measured solely by placement.

Of course, winning would be meaningful. But if the crown does not come, she says it will not erase the purpose behind her participation. More than anything, she hopes people connect with her sincerity — that they remember not just how she looked on stage, but what she represented beyond it.

Even if I don’t win, if I can make an impact, if I can help one person to get out of the pressure, to prevent them from doing anything, and just for them to be inspired, then I feel like I’m accomplished. I feel happy because every single life matters. If I was that girl when I was seventeen and I was lost, and I felt insecure about my life, my weight, my body. If one girl would have inspired me the way I want to inspire, it would be enough.

Designer | Gown (Arhon Macaraig) Filipiñana top (Job Dacon)

And if she does win, Alicia knows the victory will not belong to Spain alone.

Her sash may carry her country’s name, but the Philippines has become inseparable from the woman standing behind it.

The pressure is higher, but the love is higher, I’m very happy. I always say that If I were to win the crown, it can’t just be about Spain. I owe the Philippines my training and everything, so, if necessary, I won’t think twice about chopping the crown in half.

As our conversation comes to an end, I find myself thinking about how easily women in pageantry are reduced to symbols: beauty, elegance, national pride. But Alicia Faubel feels far more human than symbolic.

What emerges in conversation is not simply a polished titleholder, but a woman shaped by the places she has lived and the people she has encountered — someone now trying, in her own quiet way, to leave a meaningful impact in return.