It seems everyone knows about Miss USA and even the bigger contest, Miss Universe, but did you know about all the changes? Pageant contestants can now have children and even be married. I have found this interesting, and these pageants are now less about external beauty and more about inner sophistication. We see inventors, athletes, scientists, doctors, veterans, and more competing hard for various humanitarian causes. Here is one such contestant who, only a few years ago, would have never been able to enter the contest, let alone win it all.
Q: What has been your experience with Miss Universe over the years?
As a little girl navigating the world with the many expectations and standards young girls are held to, I aspired to be a leader, to grow beyond the limitations I saw for many women, and I looked towards powerhouse women that I could find to understand how to carry myself. I remember being at the holiday parades in town with my family and seeing the powerful women in evening gowns, riding in convertibles, waving gracefully as they passed. My mother told me stories of her days in pageants and of these women’s impact on their communities. I thought how amazing it would be to be respected like that, walking through life as a queen where people take you seriously and want to help you reach your dreams. At the time, I wasn’t aware of Miss Universe or Miss World, but I knew of the local pageants and the title of Miss USA. Growing up, I found other pathways to develop my leadership qualities and forge my path as I grew into a woman I was proud to be. I have traveled the world, built businesses, and found projects and ways to use my voice that I believed in, and until recently, I wouldn’t have thought that a pageant could be the next step for me to make a difference. To stand as a mother and be on this journey to share my gifts with the world feels like a full-circle moment and is divinely orchestrated.
Q: What’s your understanding of how it’s changed or evolved in recent years?
The Miss Universe Organization has recently evolved from an old set of ideals to a more open and inclusive set of rules. Most recently, they have taken off the age limit of 28, allowing a broader spectrum of women to participate. Over the last few years, they have also shifted to allow mothers, married women, and pregnant women to compete for the title. I am a new mother and will be 29 at the time of the pageant. I also plan to be married before the event, so without these changes, I would not have this opportunity to join their mission of empowering women. To truly exemplify the totality of a woman’s beauty, power, and ability to impact society, it seems evident to me that women would be represented at all stages of their journey. Each unique and radiant in its own right, these stages of life represent the dynamic transformation of women as they evolve, with evermore beauty and wisdom as life transforms them.
Q: What made you decide to enter the contest?
I chose to enter the Miss Universe Pageant based on a prompting from spirit. I have navigated some incredibly transformative experiences over the last few years, and lately, it has been on my mind to start a new trajectory to launch the movements I have been designing. In meditation, Miss Universe popped into my mind one morning in January this year. Honestly, I was unsure that there was a Miss Universe pageant at all and was pleasantly surprised to see there was. I am fascinated by this universe and bringing people together to create change. To see that there was a competition for our universe that had such a massive platform for social impact on this planet lit me up, and I began researching if it was even possible for me to join.
Q: Have you ever done a pageant before, and what are some of the things you’re doing to prepare?
I have never done a pageant before, but I have been in a global competition for innovation, where I was the only female team captain. Throughout that experience, I was involved in many press and media opportunities and learned to share my vision in a way that served the audience. I value innovation, youth education, peace projects, social impact, and philanthropy as a whole. To prepare for Miss Universe, my focus is on the gift I can provide humanity by participating in their wide-reaching platform. This has involved engaging my contacts who are involved in social impact movements, creating a schedule for the best way to reach the most people while on this journey, and launching projects and partnerships that will carry out philanthropic programs. I intend to channel the attention raised through my involvement in Miss Universe to launch some new programs and acquire a new interest in the long-standing organizations I believe in. Currently, I am bringing together a change network in the US and will extend to Africa, India, the UK, UAE, and beyond in the following years. This opportunity is an access point to exponential impact around the world.
Q: How many women from various places are competing, and how do you think you fit in?
Women from around the globe participate in this competition. Last year, they had women from 90 countries represented on their stage, and it has yet to be released how many will be there this year. With a demographic of that size, it is promised that each contestant will be gorgeous as they represent their home countries. Each of these women has a common golden thread of purpose and spark in creating impact in the world. Miss Universe is not just a beauty competition but a gathering point for voices from around the world to collaborate in a shared vision of a more beautiful future.
Q: What do your family and friends think about this?
My family and friends have been very supportive of this journey. They are accustomed to my wild ideas and love to encourage my ambitious goals. Family is vital to me and I am grateful for their encouragement as I embark on a path that looks different than what most of society expects from women and especially mothers. I stand as a representation of the new world, a healed nation of Earth, and an example of what a woman is capable of when she has the courage to embody her dreams.
To cover different events and add a variety of expertise to the news and stories we report, we have several staff writers who contribute to our publication.