On the Finals Night for the Miss America pageant, I was ECSTATIC! Not only because my state title holder Savvy Shields WON (which she so should have, she is an absolute doll and I love her to death!), but because it relights a spark in me for my dreams.I read a post that day from Savvy as she wrote about how something she’d dreamed about doing for years is finally coming true, and how blessed she is to be where she is today.
Becoming Miss America has been a dream for me for a long time as well, not just for the crown and the opportunities and the scholarships, but for the simple fact of being proud of myself and of who I am. I have been told many many times during my journey in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen program, and even more during my Miss America journey that I can’t do it. I won’t win a local title, I won’t go to state, I won’t place, it’s a waste of time. Maybe it’s because I’m not ‘fit enough’ or my talents, not the best or I’m awkward or I don’t fit the look of a typical pageant girl. If those words and the actions toward me when I tell them how dedicated to this program I am aren’t enough to make anyone want to prove these people wrong, I don’t know what are.
Last weekend, I got that opportunity to prove others wrong. I competed in my second Miss prelim ever and was 3rd RU to an outstanding woman who won. After the crowning, I was so overjoyed to have gotten that far so quickly. Going from years of attempts to it being that close was a moment of accomplishment. It was a moment of pride, and honestly a better feeling than when I did receive a crown in the teen system.
Competing in pageants is about so much more than just a crown and title.In my 5 years of competing, I’ve grown in huge amounts as a person. I am more prepared for job interviews, I am able to speak in front of large crowds on any topic, I have made lifelong friends and mentors who I know will cheer me on forever, I have learned to love who I am and be completely myself 100% of the time. I am confident, courageous, and beautiful. I live through my platform, while promoting my sororities platform and promoting the Miss America platform all at once.
So next year, when you watch Miss America (and if you don’t oh well, you miss my girl getting crowned again, your loss) don’t tear those girls down or think that its all about looks because it is so so so much more than that I promise you. I am the woman I am today in part of this system, and I am forever thankful for the lessons it has taught me.
