Miss Teen International Australia Elise Gitau wants people to know the pageant she won is not like every other beauty contest.
This is the first time the 13-year-old Wyndham resident competes in a pageant, and subsequently her first win.
“It’s not about who’s slimmer and all of that kind of stuff,” Ms Gitau said.
“It’s for queens with hearts, the ones that want to raise their voice for the voiceless.”
Instead of focusing on the outside of its contestants, the Miss Teen Australia International Pageant looks within, at the personality and societal contributions of the girls competing.
Each participant selects a worthy cause to fundraise for, Ms Gitau chose Make a Wish Australia.
“I had a friend who was bullied very much because of a neurological disorder due to an incident.”
Ms Gitau was also a victim of bullying, and the two formed a very close connection.
“We threw him a party with Make a Wish and he just completely lit up. He was shining, and I want to make as many kids around Australia and around the world feel the exact same way.”
In mid-July, Ms Gitau will travel to the U.S to compete in the next half of the pageant but said the outcome isn’t something she stresses over.
“There was many, many, many times where I thought, you know, there’s not really a point in me putting as much work or maybe I should just stop now,” Ms Gitau said.
“I would feel the same if I both won and if I lost because I’m very proud of myself of what I have done. I have still made a difference and I can continue to make a difference with or without the crown.”
