Story and photos by Linny Folau.

Telesia Kaitapu (20) the reigning Miss Heilala loves to sing and dance, and to fly, and this month she will be representing Tonga in the Miss South Pacific Pageant 2004-05 to be held in American Samoa, October 24-29.

Telesia was an air hostess with the Royal Tongan Airlines before it ceased flying, but since has been dreaming of the day when she will be able to fly again and see the world. Her goal is to one day work for Emirates of Dubai.

Telesia is a daughter of '‘Aloisio Kaitapu and the late Lusia Kaitapu of Longolongo, Tongatapu - the second of their daughters to have won the Miss Heilala title. Telesia said that she thought that having her older sister Christina as Miss Heilala 2000-01 was already enough from one family, but since she was crowned Miss Heilala she has been holding the title with pride.

Telesia currently works and studies at the 'Unuaki 'o Tonga Institute, Nuku'alofa. She was interviewed by Linny Folau for Matangi Tonga Online.

You are Tonga's Miss Heilala for 2004-05, what is it like?

So far it's all quite new, there are a lot things to prepare myself for, the upcoming Miss South Pacific contest in October 24, and at the same time be a good role model for the Tongan youth. It takes a while to get used to, but basically I am still myself, I am still Telesia. But there just a little more that I have to add to myself, there is a bit more responsibility. But so far it's okay.

I am now an Ambassador for Tonga promoting Tourism in the country. So I have to keep it in my head that I am the Miss Heilala and that there are some things I can do and some things I cannot.

Was it what you expected it to be?

Honestly, I did not expect to be the Miss Heilala, so I had no idea nor had any plan of what it would actually be like. I am the Miss Heilala now and it is different, there are more responsibilities that I have to take care of.

Do you find it hard having all these responsibilities that come with being Miss Heilala?

I think if I was doing it by myself, but I have the support of my family, friends and the people of Tonga to keep me on my toes. Right now there is not much I am expected to do. But if it comes to a time when I have to devote myself to the tourism part as Miss Heilala, I suspect its going to be hard. I just have to do my best and I only hope that in the end it would turn out all right.

How do you keep true to yourself and still stay grounded to what you believe in?

Being around people that I know really well, for example, my family, my close friends, and my colleagues, people who have helped me through the pageant. I think it is just a matter of remembering who you are and being around the people that I know really well.
 

How about changing your personality to fit in the job description?

I have to smile a lot more. That is the obvious change, I have to put on a smile for everyone ...— not that I force myself to, but I am getting used to the smiling hobby idea. With personality, no.

How do you describe yourself?

I am kind and sweet and everything that comes with it, but at the same time I have that strong headed quality - if I want to do something I am going to do it. I am not someone who just has a pretty face. I have talents and a love for singing and dancing. There is always a little wild side of me, like any other girl, and I am very open, talkative and love being around people. Also I am the type of person who does what I think is right, regardless of what other people may say or think, I don'’t take in what other people think of me as long as what I am doing is right.

What is the ultimate career path you would pursue?

Travelling, and basically anything that relates to travelling. Being an airhostess is one of my dreams and being with Royal Tongan I got to see other airlines. I want to join one in particular, The Emirates of Dubai. To me that would be an awesome job to do.

What attracted you to travelling in the first place?

I have always wanted to know what it is like outside of Tonga. And the first time I left Tonga was when I joined Royal Tongan in May last year, and the first place I went to was Brunei. It was really different and it was not just what I expected, it was a lot more. I thought to myself that this is really, really good and I fell in love with travelling right there and then.

I love just getting away, being just in a whole different country, environment, society and just different, everything. It is always good to go out and see the world. And the good thing is meeting different kinds of people and then you tell them you are from Tonga, It is just that exchange of differences that makes everything great.

When in school did you have an idea of what path in life you wanted to pursue?

When I was in school I couldn'’t make up my mind what I wanted to do in life. But one of the subjects I really liked was computer studies and a bit of science and biology. And then later I got to Form Seven and everything was all right, but then I kind of stumbled back when my mum passed away. And my studies did not really turn out the way I wanted it to be.

But back then I wanted to be either a nurse, or a bio-technologist, which is something that we do not really have here in Tonga. And it was hard for me to actually decide what I wanted to do because one of Tonga'’s weaknesses is that they don'’t have that variety of fields and employment that you dream to pursue.

So I only got to Royal Tongan as a break from school and it turned out that I fell in love with the job and everything that comes with it. And that is when I decided that this is what I want to do.

What is the ultimate travel?

Well, I have two destinations in mind, Europe and Sydney. I am just fascinated by speaking their names.

How do you juggle being the Miss Heilala, your job and still have time to do your family obligations?

It is not easy but I am just your average Tongan girl that goes to work and comes back and does what I am required to do at home. The only difference is that I am Miss Heilala, but then I manage. It is the family part that I have to try to be around more and to be able to carry out my part in the responsibility.

What inspires you?

It is the dream, and the goals that I have inside of me. To me everyday is a stepping stone to the next day.

I want to achieve what I have always wanted to achieve in regards to my future career.

Can you comment on some of the views made public after the pageant that your winning the title was already pre-determined and unfair?

To me it is sad that some of the girls thought of that, because I went in for the experience and the fun of it. And it is funny because I got along with the girls and it is not like you are joining a pageant where you are competing for a title. It was basically making new friends and embarking on an era in my life.

To me we had fun but we got serious when we needed. We knew at the end of the day it was competition. But to me it was important to have fun. So I am actually sad that some felt this way because I thought everyone had a good time. And I was actually surprised but I am not the type to let things get to me and I was sad because Miss Appraxus disagreed with the outcome because she is a wonderful person. The main thing is I had a good time and when it came out I just thought of the positive things that I got out of the pageant.

I didn'’t ask for the title, even in my prayers I asked God to help me do my best, so that is what I did.

So where do you see yourself five years from now?

Well, I want to do a bit of study about relative fields in travelling and simply because I want to first learn more about what are the opportunities before getting out there. I am thinking about pursuing school in New Zealand or Hawaii because there are more options to choose from. But now I am just concentrating on my work, my family and my preparation for Miss South Pacific.

How does it feel being the third Kaitapu to hold the title of Miss Heilala, first your cousin Tafolosa then your older sister Christina?

It is funny I did not really think about it, I thought God probably thinks that two of the Kaitapu, as Miss Heilala is enough. That was what I thought, so when I joined I just went in for the fun of it, but at the end I was wrong. I think God must have other plans. And I think my cousin and my sister were just with the right people at the time, just like me. But still I am happy for it.