Miss Teen NL

Taylor Vincent has been thinking hard and long about what she may do if crowned this year's Miss Teen NL.

The Springdale youth is among 32 young women from across the province who are competing for the title, including contestants Emily Hamilton of Springdale and Cassidy Paxton from South Brook. If the 14-year-old wins the pageant, she hopes to use the travel opportunities that come with the honour to promote relief for Haiti.

"Right now our student council is helping out for Haiti and raising money, so I'm hoping to continue raising money for that," said Ms. Vincent, who is a student council representative for her Grade 9 class. "We were watching videos from there in our science class and it's just awful. I think about how they were already in poverty, now this has made it a whole lot worse."

The Miss Teen NL pageant takes place from March 25 - 28 in St. John's, with the final day of judging being held on stage before an audience at the Arts and Culture Centre. The top 10 finalists will have to recite a speech from memory and the top five will be asked to answer impromptu questions. Ms. Vincent, who in is the drama club at Indian River High, isn't intimidated about being on stage, but is slightly nervous about the off-stage academic test they have to complete.

"The questions are of current events and the history of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Ms. Vincent. "I was talking to one of the girls from a previous pageant and she told me to study and watch the news."

Ms. Vincent enjoys outdoor activities such as kayaking and hiking, and participates in after school dance lessons. For the optional talent competition, she is thinking about performing a dance routine or reciting a poem. But she is mostly looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying the company of the other contestants. The girls will room together in St. John's and enjoy planned activities such as having a tour of the Confederation building. As per tradition, they will also be guests on local TV and radio shows.

The teen also noted that it was her mother and her principal who convinced her to take the chance and apply for the pageant. She also thought it would be a great way to support her community.

"My mom seen it on an ad at our school and we talked about it while we were shopping one night," said Ms. Vincent. "Then I told my principal about it and he really wanted me to do it and encouraged me to go. So I thought this was something I should do. I thought, 'I should go and give it a shot, and go for Springdale.'"