Local pageant princess wins big title
She is currently a Grade 1 learner at Curro Primary Serengeti
LOCAL talent and seven-year-old pageant queen, Nikita Marie Swartz, was crowned as Miss Junior Queen Africa 2016 on June 25.
The one-day pageant was hosted at the OR Tambo Protea Hotel in Rhodesfield where Swartz walked away as the overall junior winner for age group three to 12 years old.
The Miss Junior Africa pageant is proudly owned by Pageants South Africa among other prestige pageants like Miss Africa.
The day consisted of a casual ramp walk which she modelled in jeans and white T-shirt, as well as evening wear and traditional heritage outfit. Interviews followed where she had to introduce herself and tell the judges more about herself as well as explain her traditional outfits.
Swartz was awarded the highest mark in the interview, ramp and photogenic categories.
She is currently a grade 1 learner at Curro Serengeti.
“Every pageant win has been a stepping stone to her achieving her dream of holding a prestige title one day. She has been working hard towards winning a big title for the last year with the help of her teacher, Angie Bryant, who will be representing South Africa overseas in the Ms Universal Contest,” said mother, Chantal.
Swartz has been modelling at Model Manifest in Benoni since she was two years old and holds various other Pageants SA titles which she has won in the last year, as well as other smaller titles.
As Miss Junior Queen Africa, Swartz will be doing fundraisers for her choice of charity, Child Welfare in Kempton Park, as well as other charity work that Pageants SA request her to do.
“We have also approached her modelling school who has agreed to get involved with helping us arrange dresses, hair, make-up and so forth for two matric girls at Tembisa Child Welfare for their matric dance this year,” said Chantal.
“She will also be working hard for the Miss Junior South Africa 2017 title which will be happening in April next year as a four-day competition.”
Not only does Swartz excel in her modelling career at such a young age, but she also does ballet, sings in the school’s choir, takes piano lessons, plays tennis and does drama.
“I let her do pageants because it is something she wants to do. I also think it has helped her become a confident little girl who is always eager to try out for anything. It has taught her discipline and that hard work pays off. This has moved over to everything that she does, even her schoolwork and it has taught her, at her age, to be compassionate towards others,” said Chantal.
Swartz is described as a confident and loving girl and knows how to separate being a kid from being a “pageant princess”.
