He was overweight, bullied, battled years of depression when he realized he could transform himself, and be the person he wanted to be.

The pandemic came and it was his epiphany moment, and it’s when he started working on himself and eventually his weight goal.

At 38, Filipino-American Dave Valeriano became a professional fashion model. This year, he won two pageant titles consecutively – Mr. Washington D.C., and Mr. Gay America - Washington D.C.

Just recently in Las Vegas, he also finished third in the Mr. Gay America competition.

"I want to tell them that nobody can stop you, regardless of your age," said Valeriano in Filipino. "That has always been the problem with the mindset of people, because they think they might be too old already. But no."

Valeriano shared that he was just a boy when he dreamt of joining pageants.

Little did he know that in the four decades of Mr. Gay America pageant, he will become the first FilAm to finish at third runner-up.

Valeriano, who has been singing since he was 13, credited his passion for the performing arts for his victory.

During the course of the pageant, Valeriano made sure that his Filipino roots were showcased.

The clothes and costume he wore during the pageant were designed by Filipino designer Carl Andrada.

"I paid homage to my Filipino culture by wearing Ibong Adarna, which is a mythical creature in the Philippines," he said. "To have a Filipino representation in the America system is truly such an honor. I hope I did justice. I hope I was able to homage to our culture."

Valeriano is the only contestant of Filipino descent among the dozens of contestants.

He urged his fellow FilAms in the LGBTQIA+ community to show up, compete and represent the country in the Mr. Gay America pageant.

"I did this because I want to see more diversity in pageantry and in Mr. Gay America," Valeriano added. "I want to see more Filipinos, more Asians."