The Crown
Hsu wins SF Miss Teen Chinatown
Elizabeth Hsu ’24 won San Francisco’s Miss Teen Chinatown on April 8.
May 24, 2023
The stage was beautifully arranged, and the lights shone brightly, almost as radiant as the smiles of the young women who competed for the title of Miss Teen Chinatown. Despite the tough competition, the judges were particularly captivated by one smile that shone brighter than the rest. It belonged to none other than Elizabeth Hsu ’24, who was crowned the 2023 Miss Teen Chinatown queen.
On April 8, Hsu participated in the 2023 Miss Teen Chinatown Scholarship and Charity Gala, hosted by the San Francisco Chinatown Lions Club, and won the official title of Miss Teen Chinatown San Francisco, earning a total of $3,000. Out of this amount, $1,000 will be donated to Riordan by the San Francisco Chinatown Lions Club.
Participants also have assigned duties such as raising funds, by selling raffle tickets, which will then be donated to various charitable organizations.
In addition to fundraising, Hsu dedicated approximately 10 hours to rehearsing for the pageant talent show–in which she danced in a hip-hop style to Diva by Beyoncé–and writing and memorizing a speech regarding her interpretation of the past, present, and future.
Initially, Hsu believed that she “actually never imagined that I would compete in a pageant until one of my parent’s friends informed us of the pageant and suggested that I participate.”
“But what really motivated me to compete was building new friendships and gaining new experiences. I wanted to challenge myself to be more comfortable when on stage, to practice public speaking.”
Her motivation for developing new friendships evolved gradually into a memorable highlight. “This year, there were 15 girls, and I had a lot of fun meeting and getting closer with them,” said Hsu.
With the title of Miss Teen Chinatown San Francisco comes the responsibility of upholding the values of generosity and kindness, which Hsu deems most important, and she plans to demonstrate these values by volunteering at charity events, donating to non-profit organizations, and presenting new topics regarding Asian culture at Asian Students Association meetings as she takes on the role of its president for the 2023-2024 school year.
Mandarin Instructor and Asian Students Association moderator Yinshan Yang congratulated Hsu. “It’s wonderful to see people who are not only talented but also have a heart for their community,” said Yang.
She added, “Her success can serve as a motivation for other students to participate in community events and showcase their talents as well. It’s important to have role models like Elizabeth who can inspire others to make a difference in their community.”
Hsu concluded by lending future contestants her own advice: “Overall I’d say just have fun. The event goes by so fast, and before you know it, it’s already over.”