The newest Miss Teen Bermuda Islands 2006, Selita Crockwell has learned that wearing a crown isn?t all it?s cracked up to be.

?It gets heavy sometimes,? she admitted during an interview with . ?I don?t wear it everywhere, but when I go to specific places I have to wear it. Older people come up to me sometimes and ask me about it.?

Miss Crockwell took over the Miss Teen Bermuda Islands post recently when another girl resigned for personal reasons. Miss Crockwell is 16-years-old and attends the Bermuda Institute. She is the daughter of Mark and Selena Matthie Crockwell.

?This is the first time I entered the competition,? she said. ?I was asked to enter by contest organiser Tee?L Smith, and I thought it would be good fun to meet people, and it would be a nice experience.?

Miss Crockwell said that she was relaxed about the competition, and that her main goal was to have fun.

?I got to meet new people,? she said. ?I was kind of laid back about it because I was just in it for the experience. It ended up being really nice. I wasn?t expecting to win.?

She said entering a competition like Miss Teen Bermuda Islands is completely out of character for her.

?I would never have seen myself going into this, because I am very shy, and everything,? she said. ?I didn?t speak in front of people before, but now I obviously have to.

?So it allowed me to come out of my shell, which was nice.?

Contestants were required to memorise a creed, and to put together a personal platform. They also had to learn things like how to walk and talk, project their voices and be elegant.

?The competition isn?t sexist,? she said. ?They have things for boys as well. They have cotillions where boys go and show off their talents. The Miss Teen Bermuda Islands is a competition that allows the girls to show off their talents.?

During the competition, Miss Crockwell was required to answer a series of questions from the judges.

?The judges asked questions about the housing crisis and how we would represent our peers. I said I thought I would be a good role model because I would carry myself properly, and when people look at me they would see how to act, as I wouldn?t go around acting obnoxiously.?

As Miss Teen Bermuda Islands, Miss Crockwell is required to attend various functions and set a good example to younger children. She is often called upon to represent Bermuda?s young people.

During the competition she spoke out about youth violence, and she was later asked to speak more about this topic at a forum held to support the development of a new West End youth community club.

?I think that the community needs to get involved with young people,? she said. ?Most of the time if you see these people sitting on the wall, or they come into your backyard, you say, ?get out of my yard?.

?You could give them some food or give them a job like sweeping the street or something. Give them something to do, because most of the time people have nowhere else to go so they go to the street. If you give them something to do and somewhere to go, then they wouldn?t be in the streets anymore. I think that would help them a lot. Most of them want to be helped, but people don?t want to help them. A lot of people don?t speak to them, they just walk away.?

Miss Crockwell has also been called upon to hand out scholarships at one event, and recently rode on a float in the annual Christmas parade.

She said: ?When I was little I had never thought about riding on the float. I just liked catching the candy. It is nice to be one of the ones handing it out now.?

She aims to one day become an actuary in the finance industry. ?I love maths,? she said. ?I am taking Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus at the moment.?

Miss Crockwell is no stranger to responsibility as she is the oldest of four children. Naturally, she said her parents have been the biggest influence on her life.

?My parents have been a big influence on me,? she said. ?They show me which way to go. They have had the most impact on my life. My friends also have a big impact, because it is who you hang around with that influences you.

?My mother works for Government in accounting, right next to the Post Office. My father is the president of Nomura Securities (Bermuda) Ltd. He deals with trading and things like that. He likes maths too.?

In her spare time, Miss Crockwell likes to play the piano, sing and play sports. She had a hard time picking out exactly which sport she liked the best.

?I like tennis, basketball, netball,? she said. ?I play football on occasion, but I don?t play for a team. I like running; I like practically all sports. My favourites right now are probably basketball and tennis.?