2004–07: Early acting career in GMA

Young's first showbiz break was through the second season of the talent reality search StarStruck,^[9] where she placed in the top six. Her first acting job in GMA was in Love to Love Presents: Love Ko Urok, where she played the role of Meg. She then played the role of Anna in Asian Treasures and the role of a fairy in Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.

2007–15: Transfer to ABS-CBN and TV5

After more than two years with GMA Artist Center, she moved to ABS-CBN following her sister, Lauren Young. She is the first StarStruck alumna to transfer to GMA's rival station, ABS-CBN.

Young first appeared in ABS-CBN in the youth oriented show "Star Magic Presents" Astigs and Abt Ur Luv. She also played the role of Shane in Kokey, opposite Zanjoe Marudo. She became well known when she appeared as one of the celebrity housemates in Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 2, dubbed as "The Princess of Charm".^[10][11] After PBB, she portrayed the villain Marcela in ABS-CBN's remake of I Love Betty La Fea opposite John Lloyd Cruz. In 2009, she was one of four personalities introduced as video jockeys for the relaunching of Channel [V] Philippines.^[12] Young also became an occasional host in several shows in Studio 23. In 2012, Young had her big break as a lead actress in Hiyas, reuniting with Zanjoe Marudo as her love interest. In 2013, she switched to TV5 but still made appearances in the Kapamilya network.

Aside from television, Young has also starred in a few films, one of which was The Reunion, where she played Toyang, opposite Xian Lim.^[12] Young was nominated as Outstanding Guest Star on Dahsyatnya Awards 2014.^[13]

2015–present: Return to GMA Network

In March 2015, Young returned to GMA Network after four years of exclusive contract with ABS-CBN.^[14] Her comeback project in the Kapuso Network is the most anticipated second adaptation of the hit Mexicanovela MariMar^[15][16] where she plays the title role. She is paired with Tom Rodriguez who plays the role of her love interest Sergio.^[17][18] Her sister Lauren Young is also part of the show and plays the role of MariMar's main antagonist Antonia. This marks their second project together after Star Magic Presents: Abt Ur Luv Ur Lyf 2.

Young is also one of the hosts in the sixth edition of the reality talent search Starstruck which launched her career as an artist.^[19] She's working alongside Dingdong Dantes as main host, and her co-Starstruck alumni Mark Herras, Rocco Nacino, Miguel Tanfelix, and Kris Bernal, who serve as journey hosts. The show premiered on September 7, 2015.

Miss World Philippines 2013

She was crowned Miss World Philippines 2013 during the pageant coronation night on August 18, 2013.^[20] She also bagged the Best in Fashion Runway, Miss Sports by Fila, Miss Reducin, Miss Olay, Miss Laguna, Miss Figlia and Miss Bench Body awards.^[21]

On October 12, 2014, Young crowned Valerie Weigmann as her successor at the Miss World Philippines 2014 pageant held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines.^[22][23]

Miss World 2013

Young was crowned as Miss World 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, making her the first Filipina to win the title of Miss World since its creation in 1951.^[5] During the preliminaries, she also won the "Top Model" competition, placed second in the "People's Champion," placed fourth in the "Multimedia Challenge" and fifth in the "Beach Beauty" contest.^[5]

In the final question and answer portion, the contestants in the Top 6 were asked the same question: "Why should you be the next Miss World?" and Young replied:

I treasure a core value of humanity and that guides people why they act the way they do. I will use this to show other people how they can understand each other. … as one, we can help society.

Young also received the Continental Queen of Beauty title as Miss World Asia 2013, the highest ranked contestant in the Asian region and was featured in the Dances of the World segment of the final show.^[24]

On December 14, 2014, Young crowned Rolene Strauss as her successor at the Miss World 2014 pageant held at the ExCeL London in London, United Kingdom.^[25]

Subsequent events

Young co-hosted the Miss World 2023 pageant held in Mumbai, India on March 9, 2024, which was won by Krystyna Pyszková of the Czech Republic. During the final round, Young was seen fixing the hair of Miss Botswana, Lesego Chombo, prompting her to apologize publicly after she was accused of invading personal space and cultural insensitivity.^[26]

Television

Film

Music videos