A young Cranbrook woman is hoping to make her mark at the national Miss Teen Canada competition this summer after competing provincially earlier this spring.
Maggie George, a Grade 9 student at Parkland Middle School, earned her spot at the national competition in Toronto after finishing in the top five at a provincial event in Richmond in March.
“It’s a pageant about choosing girls who are strong,” said George, “and would make good role models for younger teenagers who think they aren’t good enough to be whoever they are. It’s about choosing good role models for society.”
The pageant included submitting two photos, an evening gown portion and a swimsuit model portion to show their confidence in their own skin as well as an interview.
“I didn’t know what I was doing, it was the first time I’d done anything like it,” George said, “so I just read everything that they had for information about it and I asked some of the other girls that I knew were going to be in it.
“I talked with them a little bit to see if they knew what they were doing either.”
George first decided to get involved with Miss Teen BC because of her love for acting, but also because of the opportunities for post-secondary scholarships.
And she isn’t hesitant about what she’s aiming for.
George has her eyes set on Stanford University where she aims to study biochemistry and help find a cure for cancer. It’s a cause close to her heart, as her grandmother, Evelyn, passed away from ovarian cancer when she was eight years old.
“I don’t want any other little girls to go through what I did, so that’s my main reason,” George said.
From now until the summer George will be doing some fundraising to get to nationals, which is going to cost roughly $2,500. She is also fundraising for Cardiac Kids — a charity organization that raises money for children who live with and require treatment for congenital heart disease.
If anyone wishes to donate to George’s trip to Toronto or to support her fundraising campaign for Cardiac Kids, contact her through email at: missteenagekootenay2017@gmail.com.