Miss Virginia USA Recap

Finally recapping my experience competing for Miss Virginia USA and what an adventure it has been!

From Charlottesville, Virginia to the Miss Virginia USA stage, I am so proud to have represented this city as an ambassador for women of all ages, showcasing that beauty and brains can coexist throughout our lives. Stepping back into my pageant shoes as Miss Charlottesville USA has been nothing short of amazing.

People have asked me "Why pageants?" but the real question is "Why not pageants?" Pageants are a chance for you to challenge yourself to be the best version of you both inside and out.

From public speaking, on-stage presence, networking and interview skills to community service, confidence building, and sisterhood, pageants are an opportunity for professional and personal development. They empower you to use your voice for positive change and advocate for platforms you are passionate about, inspiring others both in and outside of your community.

I'm so grateful to have brought my experiences with the Miss America Organization to the Miss USA system, channeling my energy into my platform Healthy Habits: encouraging health literacy, accuracy, and advocacy.

This led me to publish my first children's book: An Apple A Day, Unraveling Online Myths For Kids, which teaches readers about preventing the spread of misinformation, especially medical misinformation (order your copy HERE).

Miss USA in particular is focused on elevating inclusivity and diversity, having recently expanded several eligibility requirements including the lifting of age restrictions.

INTERVIEWS

The first day of Miss Virginia USA began with interviews featuring an incredible panel of judges. These interviews are only about two minutes long, which means you have to know who you are and why you are competing to your core in order to provide authentic, well-thought-out, CONCISE responses. The key is to answer the question directly, explain why with supporting remarks, and emphasize how the answer is important not just to you but to the judges, the audience, and the community at large. Think "KISSS" - Keep it Short, Sweet, and Simple.

During my interview, I spoke about my experiences as an Emergency Medical Technician, my platform Healthy Habits, my children’s book An Apple A Day, which teaches kids about preventing the spread of online misinformation, my sub-specialty of cancer rehabilitation, and my favorite: the koalas I met at a recent international medical conference I attended in Australia.

The day ended with a gala benefiting the Best Buddies charity featuring Miss USA and an Ashley Lauren Fashion Show as well as an Award Ceremony.

The best part is my friends and family got to attend as well.

PRELIMINARIES/FINALS

Miss USA is different from Miss America in that there is no talent component. Instead, it focuses more on stage presence, public speaking, elegance, and confidence. This part of the pageant includes a swimwear presentation as well as evening gown. Finals night also includes On Stage Question and of course, the crowning moment!

After trying on countless dresses, I fell head over heels for this Sherri Hill number. With its front cutout and one-shoulder long sleeve to balance the opposing slit, I felt absolutely REGAL.

I had so much fun putting my pageant walk training to the test on stage, something I've been preparing for all year. Let me just say, walking in a floor length gown with six inch heels is no joke!

While I didn’t win the crown, I did win the Miss Virginia USA Social Media Award for my online advocacy and platform Healthy Habits. I am so incredibly appreciative of this recognition. It is the first award I have ever received acknowledging all the time and energy I put into content creation and online advocacy. It means so much to me and I still cannot believe it. Hard work pays off and I cannot wait to continue growing and building my brand.

The highlight of the entire pageant weekend was sharing all of it with my friends and family who came out to cheer me on. And now I get to share it all with you readers!

Thank you to my friends and family for believing in me, to Orange Theory and Blogilates for helping me on my fitness journey, to The Bronze Collective, Axel Makeup Academy and my amazing hair/makeup artist Mirna Olivares as well as my sponsors Relax CVille and Cloud 9 for making me look and feel my best, to my coaches at Reigning Beauties, my photographer Reza, and to the FAVulous team of directors at The Fav Group who helped bring all of us pageant queens together.

Congratulations to all my pageant sisters and to our new Miss Virginia USA, Himanvi Panidepu, who absolutely SLAYED at this year's Miss USA. Excited to follow her journey promoting women in STEM while representing Virginia! And congratulations to our new Miss USA, Alma Cooper (Miss Michigan) - an army officer, data scientist, and Stanford graduate student. Best of luck competing for Miss Universe!

Of course, my journey doesn't stop here. I was recently featured in the QBN documentary Limitless on QueenBeauty.TV.

Limitless  "explores the historical context...rule changes...and spirit of Miss USA as [we] break barriers and redefine what it means to be a true pageant queen." Available for streaming online now!

And if you're interested in learning about competing in pageants, check out my blog post: How To Compete In Pageants