A practising teacher, Mhlongo said she wants to lead by example and motivate young people to always follow their dreams until the finish line.

She was speaking during the inaugural Miss Acornhoek Mall held on Saturday.

“I want to use both my position as an educator and the Face of Acornhoek Mall to inspire the youth. I want to be the change they want to see and hope to achieve. If I can still follow my dreams of modelling, I am certain that they too can do it,” she said.

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The Acornhoek Mall’s management, through Lebogang Molapo said, “If we don’t help our own children here, it’s going to be a challenge for them when they go out of this area. With this competition, we intend on grooming the new queen to be our social responsibility ambassador. We are not just doing this for the sake of the crown, we want to groom young people, especially girls, and to take them from the streets and encourage them to stop engaging in things that will mess up their lives. We want to help instill the purpose of living, especially for those who are underprivileged and do not have the resources to expand and to chase their dreams.