News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

Hundreds of young women applied for the title of Miss Teen Canada, and 50 in BC were chosen as finalists. Two of them are living in Williams Lake: Savannah Davies and Evaline McPherson. After their first applications and interviews with the director of Miss Teen Canada, the two girls were chosen to go to the first pageant in Kelowna in February. 

(Photo: Evaline McPherson describes her past, present and future experiences with Miss Teen Canada.)

Miss Teen Canada-World is not an average beauty and glitz pageant: it is a chance for girls as young as 13 years of age to make a difference. This pageant recognizes one’s beauty from the inside out -- girls are rewarded for the role they play in their communities, and for striving to make a difference globally.

Evaline, 17 years old, has been a home schooling student with Anchor Academy for the past six years, and will be graduating this year. For four years, she was a member of a 4H club which sent her all across Canada, and is currently a member of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets.

Her experiences with 4H, and her ranching home life, gives Evaline a Cariboo edge other contestants may not have. “I’ve had to deal with tragedies, and crisis situations which have helped make me very witty and resourceful,” she said. “Give me a problem, and a quick second, and I can solve it.”

She said the pageant in Kelowna in February was not at all what she was expecting. “I was definitely expecting it to be just a beauty pageant, like on TV, but it is way more in depth than that. The pageant was amazing, and the bond that the girls created over two days was incredible,” she explained.

Evaline was given the first-ever title of Miss Teen Cariboo, Chilcotin, Coast-World during the pageant in Kelowna, and is moving on to the finals in Toronto in July.

She said that her main focus will be on her platform, World Vision, which is a Canada-based program providing sponsorship to families in third-world countries. Evaline’s family currently sponsors four children. “I just want to encourage other people to take an interest in this, and through Miss Teen Canada I hope to gain a bigger audience,” she said. Along with their cause of choice, Miss Teen Canada contestants will also help fundraise for Free the Children, the pageant’s main charity. Contestants receive points for the amount of money raised in the time before the pageant; the girl with the most points earned can receive a fundraiser award.

Evaline also said that there will be a website for the girls to write blogs, inviting the public to vote for their favourite contestant. The girl with the most votes will receive a people’s choice award.

Being in the public eye as an example that young girls can look up to, Evaline said she definitely wants to be seen as someone who is driven, strong, who knows what they’re going after. If she is chosen as Miss Teen Canada, Evaline said she would first and foremost like to educate people about what we have to offer here in the Cariboo. “I think the Cariboo Chilcotin is one of the most beautiful areas in BC,” she continued.

Because of her experience in the pageant thus far, Evaline said that she wants this path to lead her to encourage others to not only sponsor third-world families, but to take an interest in community work. “I’m definitely looking for any opportunities to go farther, with anything I am given,” she declared. Evaline will stay in touch with welcometowilliamslake.ca through blog and email on her progress in the weeks before, and the time during, the Miss Teen Canada pageant.

(Photo: Savannah Davies stops at Jolt of Java Coffee to talk about her Miss Teen Canada experience.)

Savannah Davies, also 17, and the other local contestant, has been an active member of the community for most of her life. “I just graduated from Columneetza Secondary last semester, where I played on the girls’ rugby team,” said Savannah. She is also a figure skater, helps with CanSkate and was a steer rider in rodeos for four years. “It made me feel really powerful as a woman,” Savannah said. “I enjoy proving that girls can do anything boys can do, and beat them at it!” Recently, Savannah has been volunteering at the local SPCA to help paint and renew the shelter’s interior.

Savannah’s communication skills, her ability to break the ‘girly-girl’ stereotype, and her overall presence were all factors in her acceptance as a finalist.

Savannah describes Miss Teen Canada as not really having anything to do with looks. “It’s all about how much drive you have, your personality, and how much you want to do for your community,” she explained. “Once you receive the title of Miss Teen Canada, you do your best to promote yourself and get your name out there, so everybody knows who you are and will want to support your platform.”

After attending the pageant in Kelowna, and although she was not selected for the finals in Toronto, she said she will definitely participate again next year. “I learned that all the girls are not just pretty faces: they’re all very nice, well-rounded, smart individuals, and I made a lot of new friends. It was an awesome time and a really fun experience.”

Now that Savannah is becoming well-known in her community, she may become a role model for other young women. “A lot of girls think ‘I want to be in a beauty pageant’ so I want to be seen as a good person that girls can look up to and say ‘I want to be like her’-- I want to do volunteer work and be a part of my community and be a good citizen.’ I think what we are trying to promote is that it’s not all about beauty; it’s about your personality and what kind of person you want to become,” she said. She explained that anyone can apply for the pageant, as long as you are from 13 to 19 years of age, and truly have the desire to succeed.

Savannah said that entering the Williams Lake Stampede Queen contest is next for her, which begins this month. The choreographer of the Miss Teen pageant will also be contacting her for a talent competition this summer.

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