A young Durbanville woman who has been crowned Miss SA Junior has no plans of slowing down.
Nineteen-year-old Tiffany-Amber Moses beat a number of hopefuls to clinch the crown in a prestigious ceremony held in Pretoria, in April.
She started her modelling career when she won a talent competition at the age of 5, and since then she has dreamed of being crowned Miss South Africa.
“I plan on winning Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, but first I am aiming for the Miss Seven Continents taking place next year,” she says.
Tiffany says she is missing this year’s Miss Seven Continents because she wants to focus on her charity work, and she needs to find a sponsor to help her attend.
“It requires a lot of travelling and planning, we don’t have a sponsor now which means it would come out of our own pockets.”
During her reign, she hopes to highlight the plight of the less fortunate.
She works with non-governmental organisation Out of Africa, which supports parents and children with life-threatening diseases.
“During my reign, I have to work with at least three charities a month, and Out of Africa is one that does great work,” she says.
“I also started a pageant-training agency for girls and boys of all ages, where I teach them modelling, interviewing skills and ramp techniques.
“It’s a way to give back and also keep them busy so they don’t get into bad things.”
She admits that being a beauty queen has an ugly side.
“I keep to myself. I only speak when spoken to. Some people can be mean, but I know it’s just business. We’re all there to win a competition.”
Her mother, Heidi Moses, whom she calls her biggest fan, agrees.
“We’re proud of her; she works hard to achieve what she has, but at the pageants, the mothers can be very nasty. I have experienced that.”
But there’s more to Tiffany than winning crowns and beautiful gowns. She is also studying forensic psychology.
“I consider education very important, I want to get a doctorate one day in forensic psychology because I have always been fascinated by how people think.”
Tiffany says it’s important for young people to realise they can do anything they put their minds to. And she understands that there’s other young people out there who are faced with difficult challenges.
“We’re all from different circumstances and facing challenges as young people, living at a time with a difficult political climate, but with the right mindset, we can do anything we put our minds to.”