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00:37 We're incredibly honored to have all of you here tonight.
00:41 The Council of All Women of Influence recognition day is a perfect occasion for us to celebrate women
00:47 who are the embodiment of the world's most poignant figures of our heart.
00:51 Thank you so much Council of All Athletes of the Philippines for making me part of the Women of Influence list in 2024.
00:59 Having gone through everything that I've gone through and now being able to use it for a purpose beyond myself
01:07 to hopefully inspire another, even just one woman, or even just one 19, 20, 21 year old girl who was just like me back in the day
01:20 to really believe in herself, to love herself more, and to also know that I'm still a work in progress and I have such a long way to go.
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01:35 It is an honor for me to receive this prestigious recognition. So a big thank you to Cosmoportive Magazine and thank you to GLOW Business.
01:44 So partnering with GLOW has been a joy and working with the people of GLOW have been a joy too.
01:50 I think I also really believe that when it comes to looking at digital transformation and innovation
01:56 and I've had the pleasure of meeting a few AI and machine learning implementations the last few years,
02:02 the diversity, equity, and inclusion in the team that you have really matters.
02:07 And you have better transformational and innovative outcomes when you have a diverse team.
02:12 So that's also I guess one thing that we are celebrating this month when it comes to that.
02:17 As a woman of energy, I do believe we can have a sustainable future, but it can only be sustainable if it is equitable as well.
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02:25 I'm very honored to be here as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
02:33 I'm honored to be here as one of your honorees and most especially I'm honored to be here to be a woman.
02:43 Alam nyo po, it's very difficult to be a transgender woman in this society.
02:50 Every day we face so many challenges and tribulations.
02:57 In fact, when I posted that I'm one of the women of influence in 2024,
03:03 may mga taong nagsabi na bakit siya nandyan eh? Hindi naman siya babae.
03:10 I think she's taking up space not meant for her, but meant for other women.
03:17 But I don't care because Cosmopolitan Philippines thinks otherwise.
03:24 I am standing here right in front of all of you as myself, as my true self, and I am so proud of that.
03:35 And nothing can take that away from me, no matter what other people say.
03:41 I am me. I am Khaled Karen and I am proud to be myself.
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03:50 So I believe I am not extraordinary.
03:54 There are so many people who are more capable than me, smarter than me, prettier than me, sexier than me.
03:59 It's never ending. There's always someone else.
04:02 But there are some things I've learned in my 33 years of existence that make me different from a lot of people.
04:08 Consistency, discipline, showing up when you want to cry, and being there for your loved ones, for people you don't know.
04:17 Just being kind to everyone. There are days I'm not kind. I snip, you know, I trigger.
04:22 But it took me a lot of time to learn that I will never find myself in this lifetime,
04:29 but I will create it, recreate it, reinvent it, then go all over again.
04:35 So see, that's the thing. You try and try and try because life is about showing up,
04:41 being consistent about your dreams because nobody is going to give it to you unless you came from a rich family.
04:46 And that's also okay. I took my master's in Madrid, then I realized I was classmates with the son of CEO of this from Paraguay, Uruguay,
04:55 and I was just Angelita of Access Travel. And that made me proud because that was mine.
05:01 It was not given to me by my parents or anyone. That was mine.
05:05 And it will be always. And this is my story to tell. I don't need a script or anything because this is my story.
05:11 And that's what I want to leave a mark here. Create your own story no matter where you are from.
05:16 A woman of influence has the courage to use her voice no matter how terrifying.
05:25 If it's for the truth, if it's for what is right, and if it's for a cause she truly believes in.
05:34 Thank you very much, Cosmo PH, for recognizing my passion and advocacy.
05:39 I dedicate this award to all women animal welfare advocates, volunteers, rescuers, fighters, believers, adopters, donors.
05:49 May you continue using your voice and keep shining your light.
05:53 Keep making a positive impact in my life and in the lives of animals and other women everywhere.
05:59 So thank you very much. Thank you, Cosmo PH, for this recognition.
06:07 I can't believe that I'm standing here today with all of these amazing women.
06:12 You know, the women of influence, the women of love, behind GLOBE.
06:16 Thank you so much for recognizing me because it means a lot.
06:20 Especially that my sport isn't as recognized in the Philippines.
06:25 My sport is a martial art. So for Taekwondo, it's Korean. In Karate, it's Japanese.
06:31 So naturally, my sport is Chinese. You know, just being with all those strong men and just being with them and training with them,
06:39 I think mentally and physically, I've gotten stronger, even though I don't look like my Bruce.
06:45 You know, we don't have to look strong to be strong.
06:48 And I think that's a really important thing that I want to deliver to everyone here in this room.
06:54 You know, you don't have to look strong. You don't have to be masculine to be strong.
06:58 So thank you so much, Cosmo PH and everybody in this room.
07:02 Thank you so much, Cosmo PH. I've been here for so long and there's been so many high moments.
07:14 And there's also been a lot of low moments. But I've come to realize that a lot of them are really just moments.
07:21 A lot of, you know, a lot of life, we highlight the big stuff.
07:26 I think social media has made life about virality, you know, millions of views, the trends.
07:33 It's about big achievements and awards. And I'm very thankful for this one.
07:37 I realized that life is not only about virality, but integrity and consistency.
07:43 I have this honor and I share this honor with seven other amazing women.
07:47 But I want to share this honor as well to the women who are in the 99 percent,
07:53 the mothers who tirelessly parent their children without the recognition.
07:59 All of these women and girls who won't get the recognition, I share this with them.
08:03 Because, you know, this is the one percent and they're working and the 99.
08:09 So I think I want to say just I'm proud of all of the women here,
08:14 the media who's working hard to tell important stories, everybody here who's here making a difference.
08:20 I share this recognition with you.
08:23 What was your first impression of your school bus?
08:28 When I was seven years old, I was waiting for my school bus at home.
08:35 I was in front of the TV and a man entered our house.
08:41 He stood right beside the television set.
08:44 He unzipped his pants, pulled out his genitals and performed an act that would change my life.
08:55 And at that time, because I was too young, I didn't have the words to describe what was happening.
09:03 And so not having the words effectively silenced me.
09:08 And this is why I have learned that words hold power.
09:14 And this is why I am in this field of journalism.
09:17 Because while I may not undo the trauma that was inflicted upon me,
09:23 while I might not be able to undo other people's trauma, I can inform.
09:29 I can uplift. I can inspire. And I can empower.
09:34 This is the reason why women of influence and other people should be more responsible about how they talk,
09:41 how they write, how they use social media.
09:45 Because we can maintain power in society, we can hurt people, but we can also empower, we can also uplift.
09:53 Congratulations to all the women. You guys are so great. I'm so proud of you.
10:02 And I'm so proud to be part of this group of women of COSMO Women of Influence 2024.
10:10 It's really such a diverse group of women.
10:13 And it's so nice to be included in this super wonderful set of women.
10:18 As a dermatologist, I really deal with women every day.
10:22 In the clinic, I empower women to be the best version of themselves.
10:26 And of course, in my advocacy, the Beauty Beyond Borders, I'm so proud that we help women in the communities.
10:33 We give free treatments. We help bring back their confidence and give them a service that they cannot afford.
10:40 So I'm truly honored to be just with all of these women tonight.
10:45 Thank you, COSMO, for recognizing all our efforts.
10:48 And I really am so happy to celebrate the success of every woman in this room
10:54 because we are paving the way for women achievers in our society.
10:59 So let us continue to celebrate women and let us continue to celebrate each other's successes.
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11:29 you
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