My Journey With Pageants (And What I've Learned)

How I Got Started

When I was a little girl living in New Orleans, I was a dancer and singer which lead to me performing on stage.  I would say I was pretty girly - I loved dressing up, getting my hair and makeup done for performances, and all of that fun stuff.  This is where I overcame most of my fears of talking/singing/performing in front of large crowds.  After moving to Texas, I decided to get into sports and ultimately decided to stick with volleyball.  I played for school and club for about ten years until my senior year of high school.

When I was a junior in 2015, there was a flier posted in the cafeteria about the Miss Magnolia Pageant.  The contestants got to be a part of the Magnolia Christmas Parade and then would compete in the pageant in the high school auditorium later that night.  The winner would get a college scholarship and get to attend events around the city.  The reining Miss Magnolia at the time was actually previously on the volleyball team with me (she was 2 years older than me) and encouraged me to compete.  I thought it would be a fun opportunity, I loved dressing up and being on stage, and there was a scholarship involved.  I thought, why not give it a go?

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