"I knew of somebody from Hawke's Bay who had taken part in the journey last year. I had followed her but had no intention of entering myself," she said.
"Another friend had done it in the past and suggested I should give it a go. I have not done any modelling, so all that stuff is totally out of my comfort zone, but I have always been quite confident and I am always up for a challenge."
Once in the Philippines, models will be put through their paces and have to pose for a bikini shoot. Resulting images will be shown on screen in lieu of contestants strutting the catwalk in barely there bathers.
On their return, they step straight into an entrepreneurial challenge. Ms Thomas-Long has organised a movie night, raffles and classes teaching youngsters about working in radio.
Any funds will be split, with half going to Variety - a children's charity supporting the underprivileged - while the rest will help fund her Miss Universe journey.
Although she moved for study and work, the pageant hopeful is a Hawke's Bay girl at heart. Her parents still live in rural Havelock North, she boarded at Iona College and returns home for regular holidays. In October, the local lass will take to the stage at Auckland's Sky City in heels and a glamorous gown for a ceremony where the next Miss Universe NZ will be crowned.
Votes count for 50 per cent of the total final, so she is keen to drum up some support.
"It would be the biggest confidence boost [to win]. It would mean a lot getting to Miss Universe and competing against others from around the world," she said. "It would open so many doors to do extra charity work, it would just be amazing."
-To vote, get along to Facebook and type Monique Thomas-Long into the search box - click vote at the top of her page. Votes come in bundles of five, with $1 donated to Variety from every bundle sold.
