Winning Miss Teen Crown

Aditi Koirala

That time, I did not realise what had happened to me though I was crowned with the Miss Teen Nepal 2021 title organised by Kathmandu Jaycees. 

I had decided to step into the Miss Teen pageant with tonnes of doubts in my head, unsure and confused. But the confidence and the amount of self-belief I had within myself was many times larger than those tiny questions; and, therefore, I made up my mind to give a try as one of participants. 

Confidence

My experience throughout the journey was wonderful. Walking onto the audition room graced with confidence and my head held high, I was determined to give my best. When I walked in I came across a panel of judges, they were welcoming and all of them gave a smiley glance which made me more confident. The audition was much more interactive with various question-answer rounds as well as knowing one's capabilities and flaws. 

One of the major tips for the audition that I wanna give you all is to be presentable and then just take a deep breath and express yourself to the fullest. After I got selected after the audition I was called for the press meet and then the real journey began. 

I still remember the first day of training. I had to give my exams early in the morning and then leave for training. I didn't want to be late on that day but I did become quite late. Yet I saw different faces filled with immense potential and hunger for the crown. 

Within every session, all girls including me were trying our level best to show the best version of ourselves. Days passed by and I could see myself growing, learning and becoming better. I am an extrovert girl by nature yet I could see myself blending way too fast with a 

bunch of strangers I probably met for the first time in my life.

 We all know that learning is a never-ending process, I would not say that I've learnt so much from the journey that there is no more to learn but these 21 days of training have definitely taught me things that will help me in my journey of life in one way or the other. Today's youths are tomorrow's leaders and we cannot limit our future leaders within the four walls of a room. Especially in a country like ours which is developing and requires major youth participation for progress and further movement organising programmes to motivate and encourage youths is vital.

Being the pillar of our society, girls ought to be strong, independent and mindful. They are provided with various opportunities around us and all they have to do is grab the right one for us.

 With time, we can see female participation increasing in development and many other sectors of our country. But this thing seems to be limited within urban Nepal. Still, the rural section of Nepal constitutes the majority of girls filled with immense capabilities yet deprived of opportunities and for this section organising activities like this could be a major game-changer. 

Being the pillar of our society and 21st-century girls ought to be strong, independent and mindful. We are provided with various opportunities around us and all we have to do is grab the right one for us. Limiting ourselves within small territory hides our potential and it is a loss to our society.

 Women never get a proper chance to come in front of their point of being free to talk but pageants as such are milestone opportunities for young girls out there to speak their hearts out in front of a large group audience. Also, it is not just about the surroundings that we live in rather it is about ourselves. Participating in events as such gives us insight into our interests as well as abilities. 

There are times in life when we feel lost and we do not quite understand what we want from life or what we like getting engaged in. So, participating in events as such may also help us find our field of interest. 

Wonderful Opportunity

Pageants act as a medium where young girls like us are given wonderful opportunities to just step up in the outer world and present our views and opinions. 

It is a perfect platform to let the world know about our capabilities and thinking. It teaches us that girls shouldn't hide behind the shadow of men and that we can stand up on our own to speak up about the burning matters around us. 

This sort of pageant gives young girls a huge amount of confidence and teaches them the right way to practice feminism. One of the things that I learned in this pageant that I'm gonna take with me forever is that either we are winners or learners. I won, but with me, several girls learned who I will be seeing as leaders engaged in different fields in the future.

 So participating in such a pageant gives birth to new leaders of the society. Today I am thankful for my decision to participate in this event and I've heard the same from my friends as well. I suggest that every one of you highly encourage people around you to actively participate in such events being held in your area.

(Aditi is a bachelor level student who has won Miss Teen title)