Penticton’s Alyssa Watkins walked away from last week’s 2009 Miss B.C. Pageant, with a new title.

From this point on, she’ll be known as Miss Interior B.C.

“It means I can go to different charity events and fundraisers representing not just this city, but the entire Interior,” she said, adding she’s looking forward to donning her new tiara and helping raise funds for worthy causes.

While she didn’t take the title of Miss B.C., she’s content with just having the experience behind her and if given the chance, would do it all again.

“It was fantastic, it was such a good experience,” she said. “It’s not only the confidence you get from this entire program, it’s just the fact you get to meet a whole bunch of new people and learn from them.”

And, she’s gained a bit more confidence from the whole event, she said, adding that initially the idea of running for Miss B.C. was a bit out of her comfort zone.

“To all the young women out there, don’t be afraid go out there and do it,” she said.

The Miss B.C. 2009 crown went to Richmond high school teacher Sandra Gin, though this year’s show was overflowing with prizes for the contestants, including two scholarships to an acting school and three spots at the upcoming Faces West model search convention.

Raising $2,500 on her own, last year’s Miss Vancouver Island, Leifa Poulin, brought the crowd to their feet when she announced she would be shaving her head on stage in her efforts to raise awareness for the Cops for Cancer charity. Reaching into their pockets, the audience in attendance instantly donated a total of $2,200 to add to Poulin’s achievement.

In total, the Miss B.C. 2009 show raised over $16,500 for Cops For Cancer.

For more information, or to apply for next year, visit www.missbc.ca.