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The 2019 Miss Wagga Wagga and Community Princess
Miss Wagga Wagga - Stina Constantine
Having watched the Quest for years, fear held me back from entering. Fear of whether the Quest would welcome someone who looked like me, whether the wider community would consider it appropriate for someone who didn’t fit into a neat cultural and ethnic box to enter
an ambassadorial Quest;
Whether the multicultural community groups would even consider me suitable. A number of lies that fear fed me stopped me from entering. However as I finally submitted my application early this year, I can vividly recall the words of Matthew West playing in the background:
‘Turns out safe is just another word for regret, so I step to the edge, and I take a deep breath, we’re all dying to live but we’re all scared to death… I’m going all in, headfirst to the deep end’.
These words have echoed throughout the entrant year.
To this community I call home, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your love, support, and encouragement to me and to the other entrants. You have stood by us, opened your arms to us, and encouraged us forward in whatever way you could, and you made all the difference in the way we have grown, how much we were able to support our beneficiaries and indeed give back to this City.
To Community Princess 2019 Presslea Cowan Congratulations! I can not wait to spend the next 12 months serving this city that we both admire along side you. Whether that be exploring the vastness of what our community offers, making a meaningful impact in education, young people and mental health, cultural diversity or creating a safer city away from family and domestic violence. Whatever contribution we can make, I’m excited we get to roll up our sleeves once more.
an ambassadorial Quest;
Whether the multicultural community groups would even consider me suitable. A number of lies that fear fed me stopped me from entering. However as I finally submitted my application early this year, I can vividly recall the words of Matthew West playing in the background:
‘Turns out safe is just another word for regret, so I step to the edge, and I take a deep breath, we’re all dying to live but we’re all scared to death… I’m going all in, headfirst to the deep end’.
These words have echoed throughout the entrant year.
To this community I call home, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your love, support, and encouragement to me and to the other entrants. You have stood by us, opened your arms to us, and encouraged us forward in whatever way you could, and you made all the difference in the way we have grown, how much we were able to support our beneficiaries and indeed give back to this City.
To Community Princess 2019 Presslea Cowan Congratulations! I can not wait to spend the next 12 months serving this city that we both admire along side you. Whether that be exploring the vastness of what our community offers, making a meaningful impact in education, young people and mental health, cultural diversity or creating a safer city away from family and domestic violence. Whatever contribution we can make, I’m excited we get to roll up our sleeves once more.
Community Princess - Presslea Cowan
The Quest has taught me a lot about myself that my heart belongs in this community and I can honestly say I will always put the Wagga Wagga Community before myself. I can’t express the amount of times I have been overwhelmed with gratitude this year, our donations from the local businesses was truly amazing, the willingness to donate from guests at our events left me gob smacked, special guests at events who gave up their own time, like Carly Salmon who left me with tears in my eyes after her empowering speech and the Army community at Kapooka who supported my every step. These are just a couple of those finer moments where I would literally think
“I am so proud to be a part of this Quest and this community”.
So, what is next? I stand before you as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a soldier, a soon to be aunty and as Community Princess 2019 with a promise;
– To represent the community proudly
– To put the community before myself
- To be a voice for members of our community
– To mentor young men and women and act as a role model to those who need.
I will endeavour to push individuals out of their comfort zone and encourage empowerment . I can and will only ever speak highly of this city and what it has to offer. I look forward to representing the Quest and this community in 2019