Bolton girl tried out for Miss Teen Canada

Casandra Debartolo A young Bolton lady put her best foot forward Sunday, but she was unable to advance in the Miss Teen Canada competition in Toronto.

But Casandra Debartolo, 15, a Grade 10 student at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School, was still glad for the experience.

Casandra was among 42 girls vying for to be one of the 15 to advance.

"It was a good experience," she commented a couple of days later. "I think I did well, but what can you do?"

"I am very glad I did it," she added. "It was a lot of hard work, but it was a lot of fun."

Late last week, as she was looking ahead to the event, Casandra was convinced this was going to be a useful experience for her.

"I think it's a great opportunity to just allow myself to grow into a mature young woman," she observed, adding he motto of the competition is "Be your own kind of beautiful."

She also admitted to being a little nervous going in. "Of course, everyone's going to be nervous," she observed, adding she planned to be as confident as she could.

"I've always been kind of confident in myself," she added. "I'm a very outgoing person. I love meeting new people."