Bedfordview resident and former Miss Edenvale Tanielle Da Silva was recently awarded the title of Miss Teenager SA 2019.
Over 400 young girls from across SA entered the opening rounds, this number was whittled down to 54 finalists with 17-year-old Tanielle announced as the winner on June 1 at the grand finale.
Following her success in SA, Tanielle will travel to Guatemala in August for the Miss Teenager Universe pageant.
At the pageant, Tanielle will represent SA against 35 competitors from other countries.
During her reign as Miss Teenager SA, Tanielle will focus on child education.
She is passionate about children being given an education in a way and in the time they each need to develop to their full potential.
As someone who is home-schooled and has a rare learning disorder called dyscalculia, Tanielle has been subjected to ridicule, judgement and bullying from children and adults.
Over the years, Tanielle has seen how in the right environment and with enough care and attention to her educational needs allowed her to thrive.
She hopes to show young women from SA that they can reach their dreams and must never give up, in spite of the difficulties they may face.
Besides focusing on education, Tanielle aims to be a role model for South African girls to embody the message of girl power and empowering the youth.
Other titles Tanielle won during her pageantry career include Miss Northern Gauteng, Miss Johannesburg, Miss Gauteng, Miss Centurion Schools, Miss South Africa Youth and Miss Premier Model Supreme.