Welcome! I'm Miss Atlantic Coast Petite 2023, Alix Clise.
Miss Atlantic Coast what...? Who?
Hi there! If this is a question you're asking, you certainly are not the first person. Let me introduce myself. My name is Alix Clise and I hold the crown of Miss Atlantic Coast Petite USA 2023! Petite USA was founded in 2009 as the official USA preliminary for the Universal Petite pageant circuit. All Petite USA contestants are required to be under 5'6" standing barefoot. Petite women are often overlooked in the beauty and fashion industries for the sole reason of their height. As Miss Atlantic Petite 2023, I represent the entire eastern coast of the United States. I was born and raised in Maryland, attended college in Florida, and have traveled extensively along the I-95 corridor! I am a graduate of Florida State University and consider myself half-Floridian, half-Marylander. Okay, so who is Alix Clise?
I am a multilingual Human Resources Assistant for Penguin Random House USA specializing in corporate and distribution center recruitment, data and records management, benefits enrollment and recruitment marketing. I graduated from FSU in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in English- Editing, Writing and Media, and another in German- Language, Linguistics and Culture. In 2021 I competed as Miss Finksburg in the Miss Maryland preliminary to the Miss USA pageant. I am fluent in German and American Sign Language, having studied the former at FSU and spent a semester at Universität Oldenburg. As a kid, I competed at the Pulse on Tour, Ticket to Broadway, StarQuest, Thunderstruck and Starpower dance competitions over the course of 16 years, as well as several local, regional and state cheerleading competitions. Dancing won me two choreography awards and a teamwork award for a self-directed duet. I grew up on a farm in Carroll County, Maryland, but I wouldn't consider myself a "country" girl. I love to travel, with Amsterdam, Barcelona and Toronto being some favorite spots. My heart belongs to my three fur babies: Otis, (9 months), a Bichon-Shih Tzu who acts more like a real-life Sour Patch Kid, Luna (7-9?), a designer Pomeranian-Chihuahua princess introduced to my college family on the day we moved in to our first house, who is better traveled than most people and decided to retire to a quiet farm; and Princess (10), a cantankerous Tabby who was originally a rescue from the humane society and is very lucky she is loved so much that her behavior hasn't sent her back yet. So Why Pageants?
Pageantry isn't just a glorified game of dress up, or a competition of who's the prettiest. What I've found is a community of strong, education, ambitious, and brave women who are willing to throw themselves on a stage in their best swimsuits and gowns to tell the world about their passions. Each pageant contestant selects a cause, or platform, which serves as the basis for their competition. The platforms range from social causes to disease research, awareness campaigns and grassroots activism. Each woman prepares for the competition not only physically, but rehearsing monologues, practicing rapid fire Q&As, and educating themselves on the intricacies and nuances of their platform. Yes, pageantry does include playing dress up. You get to wear shimmery cocktail dresses, elegantly flowing gowns, bright and flattering swimsuits and six-inch heels. You walk in a specific rhythm and specific order to best complement your appearance as well as the others around you. Music blasts from the wings, your heart races, and your face freezes into a smile less variable than Barbie's. But, at the end, you get to take all of your makeup off, climb into sweatpants, and hang out with the most inspiring women you'll meet. Your roommate runs a tech start up, the girls across the hall each raised six figures for a rare illness, and your partner on stage speaks six languages fluently. At the end of the day, yes, you are all presenting yourselves as the best version you can be on the outside, but you are maintaining that appearance to match the inner beauty you've had before the stage lights turned on. Okay, so what do you even do then?
My platform as Miss Atlantic Coast 2023 is to promote diversity and accessibility in literacy. The books we read help shape the way we learn and better understand the experiences we have in the world. Not only is literacy a fundamental skill necessary for life-long success, but diverse and accessible literature opens the door for so many more opportunities. Representation in media is everything. Being able to pick up a book and read about someone like you gives young readers the confidence to explore their world like the characters they read about. Representation only matters, however when the media is easily accessible to multiple demographics. This means that readers have the ability to learn to read at a young age, choose from a wide selection of works, find media that can meet accommodations, and can use critical reading skills to translate to real-life. Without these tools, readers are at a severe disadvantage. My goal is to shed light to the multiple book bans across the country, particularly along the Atlantic Coast. With local governments censoring diverse works, limiting funding for public libraries, and restructuring curricula to exclude diverse texts, inclusive and accessible options are at a shocking low. |
Platform, Causes, Initiatives and Fundraisers
Platforms and causes
Accessibility
Diversity
Inclusive Literaure
Equal Opportunity
Diversity
Inclusive Literaure
Equal Opportunity