Those who have watched Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin would know her as Agatha, the best friend of Ellice (Iza Calzado) and Gabriel (Sam Milby) and rival of Marissa (Jodi Sta. Maria). But ever since her stint in this series, we’re able to find out that there’s definitely more to promising actress Aya Fernandez than meets the eye.
Portraying an apparently mature role, it’s probably hard to believe that she is just 24 years old. She may be young, but she has already achieved a lot in life and boasts numerous skills and talents, which makes her an ultimate multi-hyphenate.
With her mesmerizing visuals, as seen in her photos in this gallery, it isn’t surprising to know that she is actually a beauty queen! In fact, she was crowned as Miss Teen Earth 2015 and went to become the Dreamgirl of the Year International in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while representing the country as Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International 2018.
While these are already amazing feats, what makes Aya, whose real name is Julieane Fernandez, extra amazing is how she’s able to do all of those while completing her fourth year as Broadcasting Communication student from University of the Philippines-Diliman and triumphantly graduated as cum laude!
Besides, she’s also able to fulfill her duties as the founder of the sustainable social enterprise called Project Lily, which, according to one of her interviews, aims to “employ and empower persons with disabilities (PWDs) to manufacture environmentally-friendly charcoal made from water hyacinth, coconut husk, and other agricultural waste”.
This thesis-slash-passion project, which she funded using her savings, eventually turned into a full-blown social enterprise and got her nominated as one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Youth Leaders in 2016 and of the youngest recipients of Go Negosyo’s 2018 Inspiring Women Awardees.
However, amidst all these achievements and responsibilities, Aya is still a normal girl. In a feature published on MYX, wherein she used to be one of the hosts after winning the MYX VJ Search 2019, it was revealed that she loves listening to music and watching teleseryes, movies, and basketball games.
Aside from acting and hosting, she’s also into singing, dancing (as she used to be an active member of UP Streetdance Club), boxing, practicing martial arts, and playing volleyball. She’s a certified scuba diver as well, under the Philippine Association of Underwater Activities.
Underneath her angelic beauty is an adventurous babe, who wowed her followers when she shared a snap of her riding her bike and a video of her playing golf for the first time in 2021. According to her, she actually didn’t expect to be interested with the sport, but she learned anyway. She also amazed her followers when she uploaded photos of her at the summit of Mt. Ulap in Itogon, Benguet in July 2022. And in October of that same year, she became the newest addition to the growing list of celebrities who are now part of the Philippine Army Reserve Force after completing 45 days of training.
She disclosed, “Combat and war fighting have always been an interest, and now I can use those skills if in case the situation would call for it to fight for my country. Since I'm also a licensed scuba diver, I can be called to rescue for marine ops.”