Malvern teenager aims for top spot
Malvern teenager enters for Miss Teen Universe South Africa 2024.
THE opportunity to represent her country on a world stage, empower women and give back to her community are just some of the reasons Malvern teenager Swara Goli entered the Miss Teen Universe South Africa 2024 competition.
The competition is a girl-child empowerment programme that uses pageantry, arts and culture.
The 15-year-old, who is a finalist and Grade Nine learner at Eden College, recently chatted to Queensburgh News about her hopes and motivation for entering the competition.
“What I love about Miss Teen Universe is it empowers women while also embracing everyone and every culture. That really appealed to me. It is also a way to give back to my community. I have a few ideas planned around free blood-pressure tests for the elderly at my mom’s pharmacy and volunteering at local orphanages to help in any way I can.
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“While I’m still at the beginning of my journey, my family have been incredibly supportive of my dreams. That has really boosted my self-belief and confidence that I can do this. If I am selected to represent my country on a world stage, it would be the ultimate honour. Not many people have that chance, so that would be an amazing opportunity,” she said.
It also been a busy year for the teenager who was selected as the young female lead in the upcoming film, Sugar Cane Boy.
The film wrapped up filming at the end of last year and is based on the 2008 book of the same name.
“I have a background in speech and drama, and that was my entry into the world of film. Being involved in this project has been such a wonderful experience, and I cannot wait for people to see the finished product. I’m the young sister of the female lead in the movie. It is also the directorial debut of Rubendra Govender, who has been a joy to work with,” she said.
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The movie will be released later this year.
Swara is also a member of her school’s Interact Club and has been involved in various charitable outreach programmes.
“As a member of the Interact Club, I’ve had the opportunity to make meaningful change in a number of charitable projects. We’ve made sandwiches for the Salvation Army and collected clothes for shelters around Durban, to name a few. I feel if you are in a position of privilege, it’s important to give back,” she said.
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