Fourteen-year-old Udoulinda Tshililo says she wants to use beauty pageants as a platform to encourage young rural girls to look out for themselves and be the shining stars in their communities. Udoulinda is originally from the rural village of Tshipako, near Thenzheni village outside Thohoyandou, but currently lives in Centurion, Pretoria, where she is in Grade 9 at Littleton Manor High School.
She currently holds the title of first Princess for Miss Teen Redefined SA 2023 and is an ambassador for the pageant. "I am also entering the Miss Teenager South Africa 2023 pageant, where I will compete with 100 other finalists from different provinces across the country." The crowning ceremony takes place at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park on 8 October, and she says she is confident about bringing the title home.
Udoulinda has nominated the Litshani Vhana Orphanage at Muledane Block J as her chosen non-profit organisation. "I am also an ambassador for anti-bullying and have a podcast called 'Power to the Teens', which is available on social-media platforms like 'Spotify'. The podcast looks at how to avoid and deal with bullying when it occurs," she says.
The young beauty queen devotes a lot of her time to helping others deal with crime and bullying and she was appointed as the school's representative at Littleton Police Station. Here she tries to assist with crime-awareness programmes, especially those that affect teenagers.