Local beauty for Miss Teen?

MOKOPANE- Salmah Cassim, a matric learner from High School Piet Potgieter, is not one for beauty pageants. It was with a tongue-in-the-cheek attitude that she entered You magazine’s Miss Teen-competition on a dare from her aunt. But now she’s a finalist with a real chance of becoming Miss Teen 2012.
“Never in a million years did I expect to be one of the finalists,” Salmah told Northern News earlier this week.
So far her story rings remarkably similar to that of another former pageant winner in Northern News country: Lephalale's Jeanette van Deventer. She too entered a beauty contest for teenagers on a whim and now frequents the fashion pages of women’s magazines and features in music video’s – the most recent being Jannie Moolman’s latest release.
For Salmah the journey is just beginning. To become You’s Miss Teen, she has to convince the judges that she could be a role-model for other teens. She also has to be an all-rounder impressing judges with her outer beauty, but also with a quick wit, a broad framework of reference and an outgoing personality.
As a role-model Salmah says she likes to lead by example, “to inspire others to be good in everything they do, I believe anything is possible in life when you set your mind to it and of course by working hard for what you want.”
And when it comes to the personality traits, she says she loves interacting with people and believes she fits into any kind of group easily. “I have a passion for helping other people,” she says adding that she regularly volunteers as a sports medic. She holds a level three first aid qualification and hopes to become a doctor one day. She has already applied to seven universities and dreams of one day specialising in pediatrics.
Northern News finds out more about this vibrant teen.

What are your hobbies?
Hmmmm .. Does eating count as a hobby? I love working out , learning new things and dressing up as well as baking.

Do you do sports?
I did do a lot of sports in school. But this year I’ve stopped it to concentrate on my studies. I’ve played hockey, I did athletics and I did swimming for a while, but above it all I loved doing cross-country running the most!

What’s your favourite subject and why?
My favourite subject is biology, I enjoy it because I find it very interesting and its exciting to me to learn about the human anatomy as well as about plants and animals -  it is really interesting.
I also love science! Kind of nerdy, but I do!

What do you and your friends do when your not studying?
My close friends are not in Hoërskool Piet Potgieter. They all left and are schooling in different schools. But when we meet up we catch up on everything that’s going on. I’m a talkative girl.

What is your idea of fun ?
My idea of fun is sitting under the blanket with chocolates and watching TV!

How do you feel about make-up and what does your mother think of it?
I think make-up is something that you use to enhance how you look. To be honest my mother doesn’t like make-up at all. She doesn’t even allow it. All that I am allowed to use and what you will see on me is eye-liner! I can’t be without my eye-liner! I use lipstick too but mostly the colours that look natural, very rarely do I use dark lipsticks, that’s just for special occasions. I don’t like foundations and all that stuff its just so unnatural looking 

Do you have strict parents?
Yes, very strict! But I don’t mind, its because they do it out of love and I think that they do it in my best interest, so maybe I’m not allowed to attend parties and dancing, but it's just one of those things that contribute to molding me and making me a better person. I’m proud of my wonderful parents and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. I love them and I am blessed with extraordinary parents.

The winner of the You magazine’s Miss Teen will be announced on 19 July 2012. The top three entrants will each win a Gomoto Citti 150 cc scooter worth R7 999. The winner, for the year of her reign, will receive a wardrobe from Hip Hop Fashion to the value of R35 000, and a After Eden “starter kit”. The winner will win lingerie for a year worth R6 500, courtesy of After Eden.  The winner will get to attend social functions on behalf of the magazine, contribute to the magazine's teen pages, appear in cool beauty and fashion shoots and participate in You’s social-responsibility projects.