After years in the spotlight, Rabiya Mateo is stepping into a very different stage, one far from cameras and crowns.

The former national titleholder recently shared that she is returning to school to pursue a dream she carried long before pageants and showbiz. For her, the decision was not sudden but deeply personal.

“It’s a calling, and I’m so happy to let everyone know that I’m going back to med school. I’ve always wanted to become a doctor,” she said in an interview with DJ Chacha.

Before entering public life, she completed a degree in Physical Therapy with academic honors, but her path shifted when opportunities in pageantry and entertainment opened. Now, she said she feels ready to return to the direction she once set aside.

More than ambition, she explained that the choice is connected to self-understanding and purpose.

“Siguro isa rin sa fact because I really want to understand my situation right now. And aside from that, gusto ko rin makatulong overall,” she said.

(“Maybe that is also a factor because I really want to understand my situation right now. And aside from that, I also want to help overall.”) “I really wanna use my knowledge to help people.”

Years of work and financial preparation made the decision possible. With savings, investments, and business ventures in place, she said she can focus on studying without hesitation.

“I am also blessed na at least nandito na rin ako sa point ng life ko na I think I was able to save enough, may mga investments na rin ako, some businesses na would support my studies. At ito po talaga ’yung gusto ko, parang I have been praying for this,” she said.

(“I am also blessed that I am at a point in my life where I think I was able to save enough, I also have investments, some businesses that would support my studies. And this is really what I want, it feels like I have been praying for this.”)

For Mateo, the next chapter is not about leaving her past behind, but about expanding it, turning public recognition into a renewed commitment to medicine.