SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology (Practice) Paulin Straughan shared her thoughts on Singapore’s first-ever held dialect-based beauty pageant. Prof Straughan said, "Younger Singaporeans now are curious about the language and cultures of their past, especially as the world becomes more globalised. They want to understand their roots and what defines them as individuals."
19 young women were trained as part of the search for Singapore's first Miss Teochew. SMU undergraduate Angele Chan, who spent three months practicing hard at the dialect, emerged as the top winner.