Fourteen-year-old Samriddhi Singh is hoping to head to Toronto in August and compete to win a national crown in the 2017 Miss Teenage Canada pageant.
In March, Singh was crowned Miss Teenage Lower Mainland at the provincial pageant. When she won, Singh said, she felt “overwhelmed.”
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s such a big title, representing about 60 per cent of B.C.’,” she said. “I was like, ‘Now is my time to make an impact.’”
Part way through her term, Singh is hoping to go to the Miss Teenage Canada pageant. Happening in Toronto on August 6 to 13, the pageant will feature contestants from across the country — something Singh is looking forward to based on her experience with Miss Teenage BC.
“I entered the room and there was this very positive energy,” she said about the provincial pageant.
“You know how sometimes people think pageants are catty and all that — it was not like that at all. They were some of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met, and honestly I didn’t want to win at that point. I just loved the experience.”
Singh is seeking sponsorship to attend Miss Teenage Canada, since the cost isn’t covered by the pageant. She’s looking for support from local businesses in particular.
In the meantime, Singh is working to promote her platform as Miss Teenage Lower Mainland.
Her platform focuses on self-love, something she had to learn in her preteen years.
“I have very frizzy hair,” she said. “It’s like an afro. And so I had a very hard time trying to like it. I always grew up hating it.
“It was hard for me, going through my preteen years, to come to accept the fact of who I am, what I look like. Be comfortable in my own skin. I think that was really important for me to do.”
Now, she said, “I liked the way I look. I like how my hair is all — unique. You don’t find many people with my hair.”
During her one-year term as Miss Teenage Lower Mainland, Singh is hoping to use social media to help young girls learn to love themselves.
“A lot of young girls look up to influential figures like that,” she said. “So if I could make a difference to them, that would be good for me.
“I always looked up to my sister growing up, and that changed me a lot. So I’d [want to be] someone they could look up to too.”