The world of pageantry is alive and well with two Prince George teens participating in this year's Miss Teen Canada World competition in Toronto in July.
Sonja Olsson, 18, and Karli Ralston, 16, are Miss Teen Northern B.C. and Miss Teen Prince George, respectively.
"I heard about the competition a couple of years ago and it didn't really work out then, and I've had a few friends who have done it since then and they really encouraged me and said it was a great experience and since this is my last year to be eligible age-wise I decided I should do it," said Olsson.
Over the next few months both girls are required to raise money for the Miss Teen Canada World's chosen charity, Free the Children, raise sponsorship funds to help with the cost of participating in the pageant, as well as getting out into the community to promote their platforms, Olsson explained.
Olsson has already volunteered at events and will continue to do so in the coming months.
She regularly volunteers with the Northern B.C. Crisis Centre, and will begin volunteering at the Salvation Army, which goes hand-in-hand with her platform of eliminating poverty in developed countries.
Ralston starting looking to pageants when she was very young, she said.
"I'm 16 now but I found out about it when I was 11 and it was something I wanted to try," Ralston said. "I wasn't really confident enough to do it when I was 13 (the youngest age at which to enter the contest) and when it popped up on my newsfeed on Facebook I thought maybe this is the year that I should try. So I tried and I'm here!"
Ralston describes herself as a shy child, without much confidence.
"For me to kind of get out there and the whole process to get out there and go to the competition and meet so many great people was awesome," she said. "There were so many nice and amazing people and we became such great friends in such a short amount of time and it showed me that there are amazing people out there and you should have faith that everyone can be great like that, too."
Ralston's platform is to raise awareness of bullying in school environments. A dance student at Excalibur Theatre Arts Co. and Dance Company, she admits she's a bit of a mother hen and spent most of last week supporting her friends at the Prince George Dance Festival as well as participating in Highland dance.
"I'm like a dance mom, without the kid," Ralston laughed.
The whole experience has already been a big positive for Ralston.
"It's been life-changing in a way," said Ralston. "I'm still shy and meeting all the people at the competition brought me out of my box and has made me more outgoing."
