October 24^th, 2020, the night that I was crowned Miss South Africa, was the fruition of a lifelong secret dream and the start of the wonderful journey that has taken me to the Miss World stage.

You see, I have always been more of a thinker, a bit of a nerd with my head buried in books than a glamour girl. My family have teased me my whole life, calling me “book girl”. So the night of my crowning was magical. I had put my shy self out there and the result was completely affirming of me being exactly who I am… a girl with no hair, who looked different from everyone else. As I stood in my glittering evening gown, I said a quiet YES! to myself. At last, I would have a platform from which to work to fulfil my lifelong ambition: to put an end to the stigma associated with mental health. I also wanted to tell my story – a girl from a humble rural beginning whose life changed because of education.