“Mister Venezuela” Manuel Alejandro Polanco chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about his latest endeavors, which include his philanthropy and getting ready to compete at the forthcoming 2026 “Man of the World” competition in the Philippines.
John D. Rockefeller once said: “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” This quote applies to Manuel Alejandro Polanco.
New York Fashion Week
On being a part of New York Fashion Week, he said, “It was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed it because it was my first New York Fashion Week. I feel that when you are in places that you’ve never been to, everything is about curiosity.”
“Everything is about discovering new things. I think the challenges in New York Fashion Week are different than the challenges in other areas because it has top-level models from everywhere,” he elaborated.
“Everyone is so handsome. The women are so pretty. The people are so kind. I see beautiful faces everywhere. Beautiful people. Beautiful designs as well,” he said.
“This was a whole experience for me. There were a lot of emotions,” he added.
Mister Universe competition
On representing Venezuela at the 2024 Mister Universe competition in Los Angeles, he shared, “That was a really great experience. It felt like I was living a dream. When I did Mister Universe, I gained more confidence, and I didn’t feel scared. I always felt confident.”
“It was a whole new experience connecting with models from everywhere. To be in the Top 15 was cool,” he admitted.
2026 ‘Man of the World’ pageant
Manuel noted that he is looking forward to the 2026 “Man of the World” pageant, which will take place in the Philippines. It is expected to run from May 28th to June 8th, 2026.
Manuel is really excited about this pageant because its main focus is on advocacy, education, philanthropy, and leadership. “This is more different than other pageants due to its humanitarian and charity component to it,” he admitted. ‘That is a passion of mine as well!”
“I learn from every experience, and I am working hard,” he said.
Indigo Group
He also serves as a founder of Indigo Group, which is fueling the future of internationals and building educational platforms and opportunities for community leadership.
“With Indigo, I combine modeling with philanthropy. I am able to help children or bring water to different places.
“I have always helped children in my country and other countries. I’ve donated more than 100,000 meals in eight years to the children of Venezuela. Now, I’m doing educational programs and projects in LA, and community colleges for students and their parents who are immigrants,” he said.
“We really want to help the international and third generations to become successful,” he said. “I want to be a role model for them to have a stage, voice, and a platform to help other people. Sometimes I have good causes to support, but I don’t have the channels.”
“One day, I will have the channels to change the world. I will make an impact on this world. I really believe in these projects, and I really believe in myself,” he noted. “I love supporting the youth always!”
Future plans
Regarding his future plans, he remarked, “I’m going to work in every single aspect of my life. I really think I feel confident about myself right now. I think my plan is to grow my organization to help the young people, not only in LA, but in the world.”
“I would also like to become the 2026 ‘Man of the World,’ and I want to pass the California Bar exam so that I can become a lawyer in the state of California. I like to push myself more and more each day,” he added.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as an influence
Manuel listed Arnold Schwarzenegger as an influence in his life. “While I’m not big like Arnold, I am a good Latino with a good heart from Venezuela and I want to change the world,” he said.
“Perhaps the ‘Man of the World’ competition is going to give me the platform to be a good leader,” he noted. “That is what I want to do!”
Advice for young and aspiring models
For young and emerging models, he encouraged them to “believe in themselves, always!”
“The future grows in what we decide to do today. We are building the future today. We cannot think about the future if we don’t start our actions in the present,” he said.
“Every action that we are building right now is what we build ourselves,” he said. “This is the reason why I always try to make consistent decisions in the present… to have a better future. I feel like I really want to retain the future for the young generation.
“I feel the young generation needs to focus on the important things. Sometimes they are focused more on superficial things. Don’t compare yourself to others. Compare yourself to the person you were yesterday,” he elaborated.
“Right now, I speak four languages… You always need to focus on what will build your future, and the future of others,” he added.
Success
On his definition of success, he said, “Success means arriving at my place after a long day and seeing my dog happy. I feel like success is the small things in life that people don’t see. For me, success is having freedom.”
“I come from a country (Venezuela) where we don’t have freedom,” he said. “Venezuela is beautiful, but we don’t have freedom. When we have the freedom to do what we want and what we’re supposed to do, then that’s a success.”
“Success is not about having millions of dollars in your bank account and being depressed in your life,” he said. “Success is not about being in Dubai but being healthy. Success is being yourself whenever you want, and doing the best that you can, and seeing the small things.”
“It’s enjoying the process… you need to enjoy every single moment in your life, even the bad emotions. That’s success,” he added.
Message for his fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, he expressed, “I really value my fans every single day! A lot of people message me all the time, and they’ve really been following my process for a long time ago. I feel like they will see more about Manuel Alejandro in the future.”
“I’m thinking that I’m going to take social media very seriously now,” he admitted. “I really want the fans to see that I’m not just a regular person that they see in the media. I really want to be their friend.”
“I really want to be there to listen to the fans, to inspire them to become better and stronger. Every person has dreams, and I really care about dreams, and I hope they turn them into a reality,” he concluded.
To learn more about Manuel Alejandro Polanco, follow him on Instagram.
