Miss Teenage Chatham-Kent is back from Toronto, after representing the municipality on the national stage this weekend.
15-year-old Tori Gyles was one of 56 finalists from across the country competing for Miss Teenage Canada -- a feat chosen only for those who placed in the pageant at the provincial level earlier this year.
Gyles says she hopes to inspire other girls to step out of their shells and enter the contest.
"I'm excited to see any other girls from Chatham-Kent decide to go into it, and I hope they do, because it's a really great opportunity, and Chatham-Kent is such a great area to represent," she says.
Although Gyles didn't bring home the national crown, the high school student has been invited to take part in Top Model Search Canada on a scholarship.
She's also preparing to compete for the title of Miss Comber Fair, before passing down her Chatham-Kent crown at the Miss Teen Ontario pageant, come Janurary.
"I just want to be [at the next Miss Teenage Ontario] to help the other girls because I know it helps a lot having other girls that have gone through that experience," says Gyles, "being there to tell you what to do and helping you and giving you pointers."
While Gyles doesn't think she'll run for Miss Teen Canada again, she says she's made the most of her title.
"I do a lot of volunteering with the youth centre in my town, and I've done parades in Chatham, and Thamesville and Tilbury...I also volunteer with the Tilbury District Kinsmen," says Gyles, who ran on a platform to prevent animal cruelty.
"You can do nothing at all with your title, or you can do as much as you want."
