MANILA, Philippines ? Even if she wasn't born into showbiz royalty as the daughter of megastar Sharon Cuneta and `80s heartthrob Gabby Concepcion, Kristina Cassandra (aka KC) would no doubt still manage to keep those flashbulbs popping.

At 23, an age when most young people are hell-bent on partying and sowing their wild oats, KC is publicly championing the cause of the less fortunate as the World Food Programme National Ambassador Against Hunger. Knowing full well the power of being a role model, KC has lent her name and looks to the ?End Hunger: Walk the World? campaign launched at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on June 1. This global walk against child hunger hopes to raise public awareness and funds to feed 59 million poor children.

Despite the pressures of growing up in the public eye, KC has bloomed into an honor student and recording star with effortless grace, and is now on the brink of a movie career. With acting hardwired into her DNA, she has made the leap from television and the stage presentation of ?Beauty and the Beast,? into the big screen with ?Binondo Girl,? opposite male lead Richard Gutierrez. The much anticipated movie opens on August 27, 2008, and will soon be followed by another romantic number, ?When I Met You,? due in theaters on February 11, 2009.

When not inking million-peso endorsements for popular clothing brand Human or French beauty brand Garnier, KC finds time to bond with her mom at home just watching movies and cooking. Breeding shows, and thanks to her mom and stepfather Sen. Francis Pangilinan, KC has remained down to earth and approachable despite her pedigree. Is it any wonder that she's got multinational companies and movie studios lining up for her services?

What keeps this rising star so grounded? What keeps her happy? What makes her tick? Here's KC, in her own words:

SIM: What's the most Filipino thing about you?
KC: Mababaw lang kaligayahan ko! (I'm easy to please). Almost anything can make me smile or laugh out loud.

SIM: How do you bond with your mom?
KC: We watch DVDs together at home; she cooks and bakes from time to time.

SIM: Describe your relationship with your dad.
KC: Dad to me is my stepdad. He's always there to lend an ear, he's my shoulder to cry on, our mediator at home. He's a real-life superman and I always tell him that, meaning it every time.

SIM: If you aren't into the Family Biz, what other career would you have chosen?
KC: Something that still has a lot to do with travel, brands, corporations, and competition.

SIM: Is being beautiful an effortless or a time- consuming process?
KC: The best is when you have clear, soft skin, you smell good, and you have a bit of color, not too pale. So beauty with effort makes sense because it doesn't necessarily mean putting on too much make up, but it can mean you're always conscious of choosing the right things to eat, wear or use on your skin.

SIM: What beauty product do you swear by?
KC: Garnier Caffeine Stick

SIM: What's the last book you've read?
KC: ?End of Poverty? by Bono and Jeffrey D. Sachs

SIM: What five things do you want to accomplish by the time you're 30?
KC: Wow! I go step by step, day by day, honestly. There's no way I'm thinking that far ahead just yet, but there's always something up my sleeve.

SIM: Who is your fashion icon?
KC: Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie

SIM: What do you feel strongly about now?
KC: Getting regular food supply within the reach of starving children in Mindanao and keeping them in school through food.

SIM: What makes you smile?
KC: Brett Dennen's song titled ?Blessed?

SIM: What's the best thing you ever heard about yourself?
KC: That as an actress, I don't have any qualms about looking silly on screen.

Blessed

I welcome the sun
The clouds and rain
The wind that sweeps the sky clean and lets the sun shine again
This is the most magnificent life has ever been
Here is heaven and earth and the brilliant sky in between
Blessed is this life and I'm going to celebrate being alive (4x).
I dwell in the darkness
I let in the light
I sleep in the afternoon and become the noise in the night
I trespass in temptation suffer in sacrifice
But I awake each day with the new sunrise.
Blessed is this life oh, and I'm gonna celebrate being alive (4x)