Filipino-American drag queen Manila Luzon did not think her career would last this long.

She gained international attention in 2011 for finishing as the runner-up on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Unbeknown to her, the show would become a cultural juggernaut, bringing drag to mainstream attention and spawning over 100 seasons across its spin-offs globally.

“We were the pioneers of the sisterhood. So all of my future sisters got to have an idea of what to expect,” Luzon says.

“I did not know how long the show would go for, but I definitely did not expect that my career would be able to survive, or thrive, for this long.”

Manila Luzon grew up as Karl Westerberg in the US state of Minnesota. Her stage name pays tribute to the Philippine capital and its largest, most populous island.