Inge Carolus cuts a striking figure as she strides across an east Auckland car park wearing a long white dress and her Miss Auckland sash.
The former professional ballet dancer was crowned the pageant’s winner at a glitzy event staged in conjunction with Miss New Zealand on Auckland’s North Shore on May 5.
Carolus recently took time out of her hectic schedule to visit Botany for an interview with the Times about her life, her pageant success, and what drives her.
The 27-year-old, who works as a registered occupational therapist, moved with her parents and brother from South Africa to New Zealand in 2004.
She’s a former professional ballet dancer who trained with the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the New Zealand School of Dance.
“I won a ballet competition when I was 10 years old and I love the stage,” she says.
“Being able to express myself on stage is such a special thing for me.
“Growing up I was super shy so when I went on stage it brought out this new person in me.
“I fell in love with performing for audiences and being able to tell my story through art.
“It’s also helped me to cope through hard times.”
The toughest challenge she’s faced include experiencing racial discrimination from a young age and in her early 20s.
Competing in the pageant helped her to become more resilient, challenge traditional beauty standards, and show that “no matter where you come from you can achieve anything with hard work, a good heart to help those in need and self-belief”.
She says she’s been inspired by her brother’s unwavering support.
“He’s always been super supportive of my ballet career and he always encouraged me to keep going with it,” Carolus says.
“I realised through the tough times you have to make the most of every day because life is so short. That’s what he taught me.
“He also taught me to always aim high and live each day to its fullest.”
Amazingly, this year’s Miss Auckland was the first pageant Carolus has entered, so she’s obviously a fast learner.
“I was one of the oldest I was one of the oldest contestants and I was in it to win it,” she says.
“From the first day, I put my head down and worked hard for the last five months.
“My goal was to be Miss Auckland and I made lots of sacrifices, even socially.
“You have to focus on what you have to do for this pageant.
“People don’t realise what goes on. There’s a lot of hard work and sacrifice and dedication behind the scenes.
“Having been a competitive dancer my whole life I know I can deal with the pressure.
“You need to be thick-skinned, and I’ve developed that from being a professional dancer, and being resilient and able to bounce back if things don’t work out.
“You try again you get up and keep going. That’s what you need to succeed in pageantry.”
As well as being the pageant’s overall winner, Carolus was also named its Charity Queen as the contestant who’s done the most charitable work in the community and raised the most money for their chosen charity.
She threw her support behind Mike King’s well-known mental health organisation I Am Hope.
Carolus also earned the pageant’s prizes for Best in Evening Wear and Best in Interview.
She says she felt ecstatic to hear her name announced as Miss Auckland but she also felt at peace.
“In the moment I was calm because I knew I’d given everything and I thought whatever happens I’ll be happy, and I’ll be happy for whoever it is [who wins].
“I was just ecstatic when I heard my name. I started to cry tears of joy.
“It was indescribable and I heard my family screaming. I was so overwhelmed.
“My whole family has been with me every step of the way. It’s also a dream come true for them.”
Carolus says she wants to change the pageant industry in New Zealand relating to how it’s perceived by society.
“Beauty is not just skin deep. It’s about how you help and serve people, our youth, and how you empower them to achieve their dreams.
“There’s also a need to introduce it into schools, like in other countries, or even just have beauty queens as spokespeople around our schools to help empower our youth.
“Especially because there’s a lot of youth these days who struggle with mental health and they get discouraged.
“They don’t know they’re lost, or where to go in life, and beauty queens are an example of how we can help our youth to feel inspired.
“That no matter what you go through or where you come from … I never thought growing up in a small town I would be Miss Auckland. I never thought it would be possible for me.
“So it’s not just about beauty and looking good, it’s also about promoting education, showing our kids it’s important to go to school and get your education and take it seriously.”
