Anne Longakit is a quiet and shy young lady. With her sweet smile, you cannot tell that this young woman is a beauty queen, a Biology major at the University of British Columbia, a civic worker, and an admirable example to young girls all over Canada. What makes her special is that she is Filipina-Canadian ready to make a difference.
Anne was born and raised in the Philippines and came to Canada with her parents when she was only six years old. She is now nineteen years old but still speaks fluent Tagalog, and is not shy to speak it when she is in the middle of friends and family.
“My parents always talk to me in Tagalog, and I like speaking it especially when I am at parties and get-togethers,” Anne says. Her parents are from Mindoro and Pinamalayan, Cebu, and she is an only child, so she is the apple of mom and dad’s eyes. “They have supported me in everything I have done, and I am very grateful for that.”
Joining a beauty contest was exciting for Anne, but she also had her nervous moments. She was crowned Miss Teenage Surrey, along with other lovely young ladies who represented other cities last August 2015 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
“What I do appreciate about it is that I am able to make a lot of friends and meet a lot of people with very noble causes they want to help in,” Anne adds. She has participated in a number of charity events, including Variety’s Picnic at the Park, the First Annual Sparkle Gala, the Run for Women at UBC, a fundraiser for Fort McMurray, as well as some Philippine Independence Day celebrations, and she continues to help at the Surrey Food Bank.
Her platform as Miss Teenage Surrey, though, is the SOS Village, which is an organization that helps permanent homes for foster children.
“This is really my passion because I believe children have the right to have loving homes and families, just like I do,” Anne says. She hopes to continue this work even after her reign as Miss Teenage Surrey.
The Miss Teenage Canada is on its fifth year and it was formed by former Miss Canada – World 1996 Michelle Weswaldi, who is now its current director. The official charity it supports is Free The Children, and last year, the girls raised over $65,000 for the Canadian organization. The Miss Teenage Canada will receive over $20,000 in cash and prizes.
Anne will be competing with other teens from all over Canada on July 16 in Ontario, and is hoping to get the support of all the Filipino-Canadians. To support her, visit her Facebook page, Miss Teenage Surrey 2016 – Anne, her Twitter account @TeenageSurrey16 and her Instagram @MissTeenageSurrey.2016. Also visit her blog http://missteensurrey.com/ and email her at missteenagesurrey2016@gmail.com