Strength doesn't always look like a hardened heart. Strength can be soft, strength can be calm, strength can be compassion and can definitely be vuln… - Palesa Molefe

Representation is so important for those who never believed that social standards can be vanquished. For the little ones who need to grow up believing that they can take up space and make a difference in the world because they see a reflection of themselves everywhere.

Growing up I never quite fit into any click, I still dont. When I tried making friends in school it always felt like the group of girls I would try to befriend had made a pact or just didn't feel like I made the cut. That is what pageantry used to look like from the outside to me. Like a click of girls that didn't welcome anyone they felt didn't belong into their space. Which is why I want to take this moment to thank every single person who played a role, big and small to the contribution of pushing for inclusion of different representations of beauty in the pageant world.

We can't always control how life unfolds but we can find our super power in what we can control.