A church minister’s daughter, Siliva Siaea decided to contest the Miss Samoa 2023 beauty pageant at a very young age when she used to travel across five villages to see the pageant on television at her uncle's home.

Her dream is finally coming true and she aspires to follow in the footsteps of former greats such as Seiuli Verona Parker and Latafale Auvaa.

She is the youngest daughter of Mariota and Rosa Siaea who are serving as church ministers and leaders of Apia i Sisifo Synod. She hails from the villages of Salailua-Savaii, Samata, Manono, Matafele and Nuuli-American Samoa.

“I’ve always loved the Miss Samoa Pageant and I continued to follow it until this day,” she said.

“It was during the 2004 Teuila festival where we went to my uncle's house which was five villages away from ours just to watch television and that is when I remember seeing it and something just clicked in me.

“I was captivated by the beautiful girls competing in the pageant. They were so beautiful, confident and I wanted to be like them, to feel like that and experience it.

“Every year after that I would beg my dad to take me to my uncle’s house to watch it as our TV wasn’t working and this quickly became a tradition with my dad. He took me to watch the pageant come rain or sunshine and ever since then I have been keeping up to date with the Miss Samoa pageant.”

She told the Samoa Observer that her favourite Miss Samoa had to be the one from 1996 who was also the first Miss Samoa to win the Miss South Pacific title in 1997.

“The Miss Samoa that I really look up to is Seiuli Verona Parker, she is so beautiful. I remember watching some of her videos and it was just the way she talked, the way she dressed and presented herself on stage and I just really love her,” she said.

“I want to be just as confident myself and someone people can look up to, someone who holds all the important values in life and isn’t afraid to speak.”

Ms. Siaea has quite the following on Tiktok where she shares her passion in crafting materials and showcasing her fashion pieces.

“I saw how my mum sewed and I picked it up from there. And since then I have continued to sew most of my clothes and other items. I make sure to reuse materials. Being able to recycle is also a valuable skill.”

She said her inspiration comes from her parents who have supported her in her interests and now as she competes in the beauty pageant.

“My parents are my inspiration and they are so hard working. The work that they do isn’t easy and as a daughter of a church minister every move I make reflects on how my parents raised me, and I try my best to be the perfect daughter as much as I can.

She added that it is not easy to be a pastor’s child as it comes with so many responsibilities and requires her to always be on both feet.

She believes her strongest quality is her kindness which does not cost a thing and is something that everyone deserves.