Get To Know Your New Miss South Africa, Tamaryn Green

23-year-old Tamaryn Green was crowned Miss South Africa 2018 at the spectacle pageant in Pretoria last night. She tells KDanielles Media about her new journey, as well as her success tips to young people

Hosted by Bonang Matheba, the stage at the Sun Arena at Time Square, Pretoria crowned final year medical student, Tamaryn Green. She shares:

As a little girl, was this the night you had always dreamed of?

As a little girl I have always dreamed of helping people and giving back and that is why I wanted to be a doctor. I grew up watching Miss South Africa and loved the beauty and the grace that the pageant carried and thought wow, this is something I’d like to be a part of. I knew that Miss South Africa would provide a different and even bigger platform to help other people. As a sixth year medical student, I know, somehow I could help others through both platforms, which is amazing.

When you heard your named called, as the new Miss South Africa, what went through your head, and what would you say to a young person, especially a young girl, who watched you being crowned this evening?

The first thing I said, was ‘thank you,’ to my Creator and the second thing was ‘thank you’ to my parents. It was a surreal moment for me! To any young person who saw me crowned to take this message of, try to embrace who you are. we are all different and we should learn to be comfortable in our skin. Find your strength and embrace your individuality.

You spent weeks preparing for this night (27 May 2018), what were some of the lessons you have learned during that time?

It was an emotional rollercoaster, but there was a lot of exciting times as well. What I have learned is that when I am passionate about something I want, I remain driven and will work hard to get there, no matter what comes my way. I also used my faith and my relationship with God to get to this point. Also, I learned a lot from the beautiful eleven finalists who are so diverse and driven. I gained friends and the qualities I know I will give back throughout my reign.

Can you share what your insecurities were?

Sure, I grew up being made to feel guilty about being beautiful, that alone made people think I had more privileges, which wasn’t the case. I only became comfortable in my own two years ago.

What are you looking forward to the most with your title?

I am looking forward to getting to know more about my country. I love getting to know people and learning new cultures. I believe it’s my purpose to give back and I can’t wait to do that through my new role.

With the current high level of violence against women and children happening in our country, what would your message to women be?

Yes, this is a very big problem in our country and I believe that now there are organisations in society that are providing a safe space for women to speak up. I would encourage women in that situation to reach out and ask for help to get out of it.

What are some of the misconceptions that people have about the pageant, which you also had at some point?

The biggest conception is that it’s all about beauty. When I grew up that is the first thing I saw. It’s not about that at all. There’s more that Miss South Africa offers than her looks, she has a story to share that can inspire others, and importantly, she’s intelligent.

How would you define success and your success tips to young people?

To be successful is living to your fullest potential and living according to what you can give back. Another part is making your loved ones happy and being proud of who you are. My success tips is, we all go through challenges, I had my own insecurities and felt very vulnerable when I was younger. It’s okay to be vulnerable and to ask for help because making the mistake of not reaching out when you need help makes things more difficult.