Miss Teen International 2017!

Hi everyone! My name is Carly Peeters, and I am your newly crowned Miss Teen International 2017. I’m so proud to be bringing the crown back to California, and am extremely humbled by this opportunity that God has given me.

This year I will be a senior at Granada Hills CHarter High School (go highlanders!), but I only moved to California from Hawaii 5 years ago. I have one sibling, my older sister Storm, and she is a nurse in the army. My dad was also in the army, although he retired this year after serving 30 years. My mom is a physical therapist, and her expertise comes in handy a lot due to various injuries from the many different interests I have pursued.

I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, so it will always be like a second home to me. Hawaiian food is definitely what I miss the most, from malasadas to spam musubi to poke, because it’s very unique and it’s hard to find authentic food off the island. The Aloha Spirit of the island communities taught me to be kind and accepting of everyone, and spreading a message of acceptance is something that I still feel is important and needed in the world. However, I love California and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

California has provided many opportunities for me to pursue my interests, from pageants to horseback riding to performing arts. The arts have always been my passion - I have been singing and dancing since I was 4 years old, and my preschool teachers used to tell my mom how I would come and sing songs with them instead of playing on the playground on breaks. Dance was also a huge part of my life when I was younger, I remember my very first performance was to the song “Pineapple Princess” and the plastic pineapple on my head kept going lopsided while I was dancing. Ballet is my favorite style of dance, though still enjoyed other styles such as jazz and hip hop when I was fortunate enough to compete on a team. Horseback riding creeped into my life when I first moved to California and I just fell in love with the sport. Now, I compete in show jumping with my half-arab, Bosco, and he is one of my best friends.

My pageant journey started 2 years ago, but that’s okay because you only need a passion for a cause, and the drive to work hard to be successful. My parents and my state director were extremely supportive, and I couldn’t have done this without them. Throughout my year, I plan to advocate for the platform I created, Literally Literacy. Through this platform I work with multiple organizations such as Jumpstart and BuildOn to emphasize the importance of literacy, especially from an early age.

As Miss Teen International, I am excited to be able to reach a broader audience and promote the importance of literacy, as well as work with Go Red for Women. I know this year will be full of opportunities, and I look forward to meeting and impacting as many people as I can.

One book, and one child, and change the world,

Carly Peeters

Miss Teen International 2017