Joey Roman (19) from Kuils River was recently announced Miss Teen Supranational South Africa 2022 at a World South Africa Pageants event held at the State Theatre in Pretoria.
She is hoping to represent South Africa (and specifically her heritage) at an international competition in Ecuador in October.
The relative newcomer to the world of pageantry was a finalist in Teen Universe South Africa in February.
“That was my first pageant – quite a big one, where I placed in the top six. After that I did a smaller local pageant, Miss Snow Queen, which I won.”
Joey says the interest started when she watched Miss SA 2017 (Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, now Tebow) win Miss Universe.
“When I watched the show and saw what its actually about, I just felt this is what I needed to do. Pageantry is all about women empowerment and women raising their voices about what they are passionate about.”
Her matric year, 2020, “was quite a tough year’’, she says.
Currently she is doing a financial management course at Northlink College as her eventual goal is to become a chartered accountant.
”I rewrote my matric exams last year to get into university but fell 1% short. So, I am doing college first and then hopefully I will get into the field I want.”
Joey’s Heart
Joey is clearly not one who just gives up. Pageantry prompted her to start her own foundation.
Joey’s Heart Foundation – started in December last year – has become the biggest part of her pageantry journey, she says.
“Basically, working in communities to motivate our youth to get up and go after their dreams.”
Some of the projects included a visit to Rockabye Baby House delivering baby sanitary products, handing out food in Kalkfontein, and visits to The Ark City of Refuge, distributing care packages with sanitary products.
Joey says the aim of her foundation is “not to just give people stuff. I want to go further than that.”
It’s about engaging with people, she explains.
She’s been approached to register her foundation. She envisages hosting her own local pageant, or a day where people can be assisted with various applications or options.
“What I want for Joey’s Heart in future is to be a resource for our youth, so they can do something with their lives, starting with small projects and hopefully making the foundation a working force in the community.”
Proud of her lineage
Joey, who spent her early childhood in Delft, says part of her message is, “‘where you come from doesn’t determine your future”.
On the other hand, heritage is of importance. “In pageantry most of the girls are very proud of their heritage. As a coloured girl – what is my heritage? What do I speak about, what do I represent?”
In learning more about her own lineage, she says, she has “discovered this huge community of people that does not really get recognised.”
Last year for a Heritage Day photoshoot she posed in a Khoi inspired outfit with accessories made by actress Jolene Martin.
“I try to use pageantry to represent the Khoisan in a different light. I will also be wearing the Khoisan garment as my international costume when I represent South Africa (in Ecuador) – no one has done that before,” says Joey.
Her parents, Jason and Tania Roman, have been her biggest supporters on this pageantry journey.
”They’ve held my hand. This is not something you can just do on your own – especially the big pageants,” she says. There is a huge fundraising component and more to come to cover some of the costs for the international competition.
The Roman family has been living in Kuils River for almost 10 years. With a giggle Joey says, “we are quite the village”.
She has two brothers ages 24 and 11 and a baby sister (1).
She spends a lot of time at the Desire of All Nations Christian Church locally where she is a youth leader and dancer.
“I’m a proud Christian girl. When it comes to youth it’s not just pageantry but also trying to show what a Christian girl can do. (I’m) trying to be a role model.”
