It’s not every day you meet an electrical engineer who has aspirations of becoming 2009’s Miss B.C.

Diksha Chellaramani, 22, a third year electrical engineering student at the B.C. Institute of Technology who is both bright and beautiful decided to enter the Miss B.C. Pageant this year.

Chellaramani entered the Miss B.C. Pageant on whim, but also for a more serious reason.

“I chose Miss B.C. because of how it supported cancer research. It is a subject very close to my heart because I recently lost a cousin to it. Once we lose our own people to this disease, it brings it closer,” said Chellaramani. “I was not taking summer courses and I thought, why not? That’s why I chose to enter the pageant.”

The Miss B.C. program’s charity of choice is Cops for Cancer, a fundraising partnership between the Canadian Cancer Society and police officers, RCMP and emergency services personnel from across B.C.

Chellaramani’s fundraising goal is $5,000. Currently, she has raised $700. Last year the contestants for Miss B.C. raised over $13,000 for Cops for Cancer.

Thirty-seven contestants are competing, including another Richmond resident, Sandra Gin.

Rohini Kumar, a family friend, is proud of Chellaramani.

“She shows the motivation. She’s one of the kind of girls that gives with an open heart. All the girls in our (South Asian) community will see that one of the girls from our culture is doing something. She’ll do a lot for her community.”

Chellaramani lives here in Richmond with her parents and younger brother.

“My mom has been such an incredible supporter and my father has helped me out with the financial part. I’m very privileged to have them,” said Chellaramani.

Chellaramani wasn’t born in Canada; her birth place was New Dehli, India where she was raised before coming to Canada in 2003 when she was 16.

“My Indian background has really helped me—the culture of it and the spirituality of it. I’m very close to my culture. I’m very proud of being Indian.”

Chellaramani has also been active in community volunteering. In Grade 11 she did over 600 hours of volunteer work.

Over the years she has helped with community youth groups, been the president of the Richmond Youth Advisory Council, volunteered with World Vision and represented students at BCIT.

She particularly enjoyed working with the youth groups.

“We wanted to create a safe place where kids could feel comfortable. It’s so difficult to be a teenager without any support and all the drugs and stuff that goes on. It was a place you could go if you felt insecure about yourself.”

Through volunteering and friends, Chellaramani said she’s encountered a lot of girls who struggle with eating disorders and it makes her sad.

“I would really encourage them to start doing yoga. It’s really transformed me. They’ll find inner peace through it. Start yoga, and believe in yourself and stop reading those magazines that portray the wrong images.”

Chellaramani encourages the people of Richmond to vote for her and support her by donating money for cancer in her name.

Humble, she would love to win, but also believes the most deserving girl should win.

“She’s not the sort of person, if she wins, will run off with her title. If she doesn’t win, the result will be that she’ll get all the experience,” said Kumar.

“At the end of the pageant, I really want to be a woman who can talk to people of different backgrounds,” said Chellaramani. “I also want to continue to work with cancer research and help teenagers get over their difficulties.”

To donate or vote for Chellaramani go to http://missbc.ca/ and click on her link on the contestants page.

The pageant will be held in Langley Fine Arts School/Cheif Sepass theatre on July 5. Tickets are $25.

For more information call 604-418-3689 or send an e-mail to info@missbc.ca.