How Miss Highland's time in a shelter encouraged her to advocate for women's safety
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International Women's Day takes place on March 8, so we are sharing some incredible women's stories from across the Highlands. Meet Tegan:
There is something special about seeing a young person chase after their dreams. It is even more extraordinary when they take other people on this journey with them for the wider good.
Twenty-one-year old Tegan Smith is living out this mission, as she not only runs her own beauty business but she is currently Miss Highlands International.
Beauty pageants can get a stereotypical bad rap (think Miss Congeniality and Toddlers and Tiaras) but Tegan tells me that there is a deeper reason to why she enjoys holding this title.
Meeting up with her for a coffee in between a busy day of doing client’s nails, Tegan said: “Pageants are not all about beauty and looks, but the majority of it is about how you help others.
“I really want to use this title for advocacy, and to create awareness of an issue that I am passionate about.”
Tegan’s charity of choice is Inverness Women’s Aid because she wants to give support back to them, like they gave her when she was a child.
Opening up, Tegan said: “I spent some time there when I was a child, and the people there were so helpful and nurturing.
“I feel strongly about giving back to them, as they were so lovely to me.”
This personal experience has provided Tegan with a salt-of-the-earth perspective for life.
She said: “When I was in the shelter I was still going to school everyday and nobody knew what was going on.
“I think it taught me that we all just have to be kind to one another, as we don’t know what is going on behind closed doors. People can be dealing with anything, and we need to make sure that we are just being the best we can to others.”
Resilience and adaptability were just a couple of the character traits that Tegan gained during this period of her life, which has no doubt helped her when she established Tegan Smith Nails, last year. Based in Rumours salon, she specialises in creating intricate and delicate nail designs. She also works part-time at Superdrug to keep the bills paid!
She said: “I love what I do, and it is my wee happy place! I hope one day that I will be able to do it full-time and stay self-employed.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself in the last year, especially the strength that I possess, that I didn’t know I had.”
Tegan now hopes that she can share her journey with others, and provide a space where people can talk freely about their experiences with domestic violence.
She said: “When I was younger I thought I was the only one dealing with those struggles, but there are so many people going through similar experiences.
“I hope to go into schools one day and speak about relationships, and how abuse can start at a young age.
“The more we talk about it, the more people can ask for help and be able to share what they are going through with someone else rather than doing it alone.”
When asked what advice she would give to her younger self or a teenager who is struggling, she said wisely: “Keep going and pushing through - it always gets better.”
Tegan will be heading to Manchester on June 10 participate in Miss International United Kingdom, and if she gets through this she will be then off to Japan for the International title. We are rooting for you Tegan!
