Why pageants?
Every time I'm asked this question, my answer changes. There are so many facets to pageantry hidden behind the glitz and glamour- it's nearly impossible to select a singular reason as to why I choose to compete in pageants.
Pageants always seemed like the fun thing that pretty, rich girls did when they had too much time on their hands and too many compliments from the same people, right? Wrong!
In 2001, Kelly Glorioso was competing for Miss Maryland America and needed to find a sound engineer to help strip the vocals from Sheryl Crow's Soak up the Sun for her talent performance in the pageant. The wife of my mom's boss, at the time, was the state director for Miss Maryland America, so my father offered his recording studio as a sponsorship for Kelly, who went on to win Miss Maryland finish in the top 20 at Miss America. A few years later, my grandfather was invited to judge the Outstanding Young Miss pageant, a scholarship funded by the local Lion's Club, of which he was president. My mother and I joined in the audience for a few years to support, but it never crossed my mind that I could potentially compete for myself.
Fast forward a few more years, I got an email with an invitation to apply for Miss Maryland Teen USA- which I brushed off as a cruel prank. Who would think I would be a pageant girl?
Well, I went off to college and found a sense of confidence I didn't know possible. I realized that I had so much more potential than my hometown bullies had led me to believe. I got another email in 2021 for Miss Maryland USA and decided to fill out the application. The rest is history....
Or is it?
In 2001, Kelly Glorioso was competing for Miss Maryland America and needed to find a sound engineer to help strip the vocals from Sheryl Crow's Soak up the Sun for her talent performance in the pageant. The wife of my mom's boss, at the time, was the state director for Miss Maryland America, so my father offered his recording studio as a sponsorship for Kelly, who went on to win Miss Maryland finish in the top 20 at Miss America. A few years later, my grandfather was invited to judge the Outstanding Young Miss pageant, a scholarship funded by the local Lion's Club, of which he was president. My mother and I joined in the audience for a few years to support, but it never crossed my mind that I could potentially compete for myself.
Fast forward a few more years, I got an email with an invitation to apply for Miss Maryland Teen USA- which I brushed off as a cruel prank. Who would think I would be a pageant girl?
Well, I went off to college and found a sense of confidence I didn't know possible. I realized that I had so much more potential than my hometown bullies had led me to believe. I got another email in 2021 for Miss Maryland USA and decided to fill out the application. The rest is history....
Or is it?
Truly, what I found in pageantry can't be quantified. I discovered a part of me that had a passion for advocacy, platform building and community service. I focused on the internal feelings of being on stage in front of hundreds of people, rather than allowing myself to succumb to the vortex of anxiety that is stage-fright. I made friendships that turned into sisterhood. I found a community of like-minded women who want to give back to their communities, stand up for their beliefs, make a difference in the world, and do it all while wearing high heels.
Why pageantry? Because it has changed who I am fundamentally for the better.
Why pageantry? Because it has changed who I am fundamentally for the better.
Miss Maryland Petite 2024 - People's Choice Award Winner, Top 11
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Competing as Miss Maryland Petite 2024, finishing Top 11
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Miss Atlantic Coast Petite 2023 Contestant Page
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Miss Gulf Coast Petite 2022 - Costume Award Winner
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Diversity
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Equal Opportunity