It is not easy to walk on the big stage, for Miss JADS Samoa Vaelei Von Dinklage the Miss Samoa 2023 pageant is about stepping out of her comfort zone and coming out of her shell.

It is harder now without the support of her grandparents who have always been there for her, but after their passing she knows she has to do this not only for her.

She said she devotes her efforts to inspire the youth of Samoa and being a role model for her little sister.

She is from the villages of Luatuanuu, Amaile, Vaiusu, Nofoalii, Taga and Falealupo-Savaii. She never thought that she would be one of 10 beauties to compete for the Miss Samoa title.

“All my life I never dreamt of being in the pageant, I didn’t have the courage and never saw myself walking on the big stage,” she said.

”The inspiration came through my aunty Lua Salafai. I don’t know what she saw in me but definitely believed in my potential to run for the title. 

“She pushed me to join and with her help it has been great. Now that I am participating I am going to take the risk, come out of my shell and level up. This is way out of my comfort zone but it drives me to do great.” 

Her heart goes out to the youth and how she hopes to inspire them to achieve greater things in life.

“For me, I am really passionate about youth development, education, health and sports. I believe that there is a lot of talent and potential in our youth but they don’t have the drive to go about doing what they love,” she said.

“They have the ability to do much more than what they do now. They need to step out of their comfort zone to achieve this and with me stepping out on that stage it is also me showing them that if I can do it they can also do it.

"Walking out on that stage, I hope to encourage them, especially young girls, that whatever is their passion they should just go for it. Whether you lose or win, as long as you try, that’s what I want to push to our youth and the whole of Samoa.”

She grew up under her grandparents' wings. All her life they supported her with everything she has done up until they passed on.

“I get emotional when I think of them because now that I am taking one of the biggest steps in my life and I don’t have them around,” she said.

She is the eldest of two children with her sister only just five years old.

“I hope I can be a great example for her. I know that she doesn’t get the whole meaning of running or what the pageant is but when she does understand it, I hope she has the courage to take that leap of faith and come out of her shell as well,” she said.

“I hope to inspire my little sister. I know that the world is full of harsh critics but I am taking this as a challenge and with my experience I have developed a thick skin, not caring about what people say because their opinion doesn’t define your worth.”

Miss Von Dinklage shared that her strongest aspects were her abilities to communicate well with others and her social skills.