The Life of a Modern Day Multi-hyphenate | Interview with Christi McGarry

Most know former pageant queen and Miss New Jersey Teen USA Christi McGarry by face, many know her for her height and others know her for her flashing smile. However, Christi has proven time and time again that she is so much more than her looks. In fact, she is more than just one thing, period. From modeling to pageantry to DJing, hosting, and fitness, get to know this modern day multi-hyphenate and how she’s redefining success and her dream life daily.

Christi was born in Jersey City, New Jersey into a community of Filipino-Americans who remained intact with their culture. Her family found pride in being Filipino, oftentimes supporting local Filipino-American entrepreneurs and fundraising for charity through parades, events, and balls. 

“I went to a public school called p.s.#33 which was a lot of fun and extremely diverse, but the school only went up until the 5th grade. Then I transferred to a catholic school called Our Lady of Victories, where I was a really diligent student and graduated at the top of my class as valedictorian of my middle school- which made my family really proud. I was fortunate enough to get accepted to McNair Academic High School, which at the time was considered the highest academically ranked high school in the state, and ranked 14th best high school in the nation. I was the only one in my class to get accepted during my year and it was a huge privilege because it not only meant top-tier education, it also meant free tuition which would help my mom out tremendously financially while raising 3 other kids. I loved my high school experience because we were only a class of about 200, each of us from entirely different backgrounds and ethnicities, but all understanding and accepting the pressures and expectations that came with the prestige of the school we were in, and most of us tried our best. I had amazing teachers, friends and coaches. I played varsity volleyball and basketball and was a varsity-starter my freshman year. By senior year, we had won my school’s first ever county championship and I scored a triple double and was awarded as the championship game’s MVP! Glory-days for sure. I received a full academic scholarship to Pace University where I chose a marketing major in advertising and promotions with a fine arts minor.”

Amidst her time in college, Christi spent time as a waitress in New York City and dove into marketing opportunities with Samsung and several small fashion and PR agencies. Not too long after, she found herself on a flight to the Philippines to pursue a new path. 

Christi’s career in the modeling scene is a product of her grit, perseverance, and adaptability. Whether she is rocking the runway, acting for commercials, or in her flow at photoshoots, she brings her A-game and gives it her all. 

“I’ve been blessed with a very successful modeling career here in the Philippines. I’m proud to have worked with and even become a regular muse and great friends with some of the nation’s top designers, including Mark Bumgarner, Boom Sason, and rising designers like Bonita Penaranda. Achieved childhood goals of having major billboards, and landing campaigns for large brands such as Kenzo, Bench, Bayo, and Jewelmer. But one of my most memorable shoots would definitely be landing my first hair commercial with CreamSilk, not once, but twice! Which was definitely a personal bucket list check for me!,” shared Christi. 

Her years of hard work in the industry have helped pave the way to becoming one of the most sought after models across the board in ramp, commercial and print work. 

Christi’s journey into the pageant world was no surprise for a lot of people. Given her height and Filipina beauty, she was encouraged far and wide to join the esteemed world of pageantry in the Philippines. Her first foray into the scene took place in the Mutya ng Pilipinas 2010 pageant where she ultimately won one of the top crowns and went on to represent the country in the Miss Intercontinental 2010 pageant in the Dominican Republic, where she was named Continental Queen of Asia Oceania. In the same year, she represented the Philippines again in the Top Model of the World competition where she earned a Top 15 finish. 

Five years later, Christi made her return to pageantry as she competed in the Bb. Pilipinas 2015 pageant. As with her last pageant, her hard work and dedication helped her win yet another crown and the opportunity to represent the Philippines again on a global stage. Christi was crowned Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental 2015, alongside eventual Miss Universe 2015 winner Pia Wurtzbach. With this, Christi earned the right to compete yet again in the Miss Intercontinental pageant. With much determination, she made the country proud as she bagged the Continental Queen of Asia Oceania title once more, and placed 1st runner up. 

“My first pageant was when I was 15, it was a Miss Teen Philippines USA competition and I won it! I’ve always admired beauty queens with adoration, but I’ve also always been super tomboy growing up, so unsure if it was something I could ever achieve (seemed very farfetched)- but I was convinced to join by my mom, family members and my-then pageant mothers and mentors, Tito Erno, Tito Joel, and Tito Danny Pagsambugan. Then when I was 17 my mom entered me into Miss Teen New Jersey USA, which I ended up winning 1st runner up against more than a 100 girls without any real formal pageant experience. That’s when I figured I maybe do have a knack or a natural edge for it. It was also nice being one of the only Filipinas in the pageant and to have representation for girls like me competing in this very competitive statewide competition. I was then scouted to compete in Mutya ng Pilipinas where I won one of the crowns- and later fulfilling my mom’s 50th birthday wish to compete in Binibining Pilipinas, under the mentorship and training of Jonas Gaffud and Aces & Queens, where I would also win and go on to win 1st runner up in my International competition. Forever grateful for my pageant journey, what it’s taught me, and where it’s brought me today!,” she recalled. 

Christi’s passion for music has landed her jobs with some of the most respected companies of the world. Her skills as a DJ have been recognized and appreciated by top global brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Armani Exchange, Nike, and so much more. For years, Christi has been a familiar face on the scene as a DJ for events alongside her partner in crime, and love, Eduardo Lara. Together the power couple DJing duo bring life to a wide range of events in the Philippines and beyond. 

“I’ve always taken such huge and massive inspiration from music. After turning over my crown, it was a moment to rebrand and return or focus my energy onto some of my original passions, which included art/fashion and music. My fiancé began DJing first, but I had always been commended on my music selection, so I would jam and learn how to play when he was practicing. I would often tag along with him to his gigs and started being asked if I played or would like to play for other events. We eventually started booking gigs together and now have played for some of the industry’s top brands and events including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Marc Jacobs, Loewe, Armani Exchange, and more. It’s been another amazing form of expression and way to share and spread positive vibrations,” shared Christi.

Despite her busy schedule, Christi finds time to maintain a healthy lifestyle while incorporating fun ways to stay fit through exercise. From an early age, fitness was a major force in her life, and to present, it is something that sparks joy. 

“With an athlete background, physical activity has always been a huge part of my lifestyle. Aside from all its health benefits, it’s been a great outlet for stress and has taught me such importance of hard-work and life-lasting principles such as discipline, respect, persistence, teamwork, consistency, integrity just to name a few.  When I stopped playing ball with school, my partner and I joined the OCR and Spartan community which we were quite active in up until the pandemic and even co-founded a lifestyle group and community called IMPACK. During the pandemic, with the lack of physical contact or any sporting or recreational activities, we decided to reach out and engage our community online. We held online workouts that focused on bodyweight training, an introduction to wellness and meditation/breathwork. We did podcast talks with celebrities and their fitness journeys and even had and held our live workouts on REBEL, the leading health and wellness app and platform in the Philippines. It’s been so rewarding seeing people start or transform from their fitness journeys and knowing that we inspired them or were a part of it,” she shared. 

When she is not rocking the runway, djing for events, or working out, Christi can often be found behind the mic and on the stage as a host. From an early age, she had found that communicating was not something that she was one to shy away from. This is now one of many things that she is known for.

“The gift of gab I think had come a bit naturally to me since I was young. I was in student council, debate, school plays, and won oratory competitions in middle school. In high school, I shifted a lot of my focus to sports as an extracurricular, but I always enjoyed taking the lead, asking questions and speaking to people. I looked up to the charisma of public speakers and hosted my high school Pep-Rally, which was a lot of fun. But naturally getting into the Pageant circuit, we undergo a lot of speech and Q&A training and it’s known that titleholders are expected to be good spokespeople for the organization and all women. I was lucky enough after turning over my crown to be invited to host several pageants and brand events after my reign” recalled Christi. 

Since her start in hosting, Christi has expanded her portfolio beyond hosting pageants to hosting events for respected companies like BYS Cosmetics, Dusit Thani Hotel, Xiaomi, Marriott, and more. Her stage presence and ability to effectively communicate continuously wows crowds of hundreds to even thousands of event attendees. Her talent has even caught the attention of industry game changers like Metro Channel, who welcomed Christi as a co-host on their show “Beached” in April of 2022.

“I always say it's my dream job. Aside from wanting to be a rockstar or supermodel, haha- I really mean it! I feel like I manifested it because literally half a year prior, I had mentioned it was a job that I'd really want and love. I felt it would truly make me happy and satisfy and feed my multiple passions, not only for my love of nature, animals and the ocean, but it also feels rewarding to provide a service by promoting eco-tourism, sustainability and expressing my love for the Philippines and promoting its culture and communities, and for travel in general. I feel travel and experience truly are the number one teachers that provide us with the most sense of knowledge and wonder/adventure, while understanding the complexities of our ecosystem and why we should protect it and preserve it.” mentioned Christi. 

Despite all that she’s accomplished in her life, Christi’s journey is far from over. She still continues to pursue her passions and do everything that she can to make her dreams come true. With her platforms and online presence, Christi serves as an inspiration to many across the globe to own their individuality and strive for greatness. 

Her advice to those who wish to follow in her footsteps, “Keep searching for what you feel your purpose might be and the things that help drive your soul to want to pursue more of it to put yourself in alignment. I also did not follow a very conventional route. But if you surround yourself with people that uplift and encourage you and you constantly reassure yourself of your capabilities and potential while putting in the hard work— despite the doubts and the obstacles, you can definitely find yourself living that dream life you want to live. Everything doesn’t always go completely to plan, but there is always another path that you're meant to take. I’ve learned not to take the downfalls personally but to instead always learn from or pick up stronger from there. Number one rule, although it may be difficult or cliche to say- keep and have a positive outlook and always surround your thoughts and intentions from a place of love and gratitude- the rest and synchro destinies will naturally follow!”

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Written By Nico Belasco

Photographer, Writer, Speaker, Podcast Host, Creative

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