What are you competing for?

I’m Miss Carmel Teen USA and I’m competing for Miss Indiana Teen USA, and it’s through the Miss USA organization. I’ll be competing in April, and you have to have a platform to be able to profit off of it and be able to spread awareness.

What’s your platform?

My platform is the Single Mom Project, it’s basically just something that I want to educate people (about) because there’s struggling single moms that aren’t able to provide for their children and sometimes have their children taken away from them, so I want to be able to help those families and be able to educate others on that.

How did you find your platform?

My mom is a single mother so I’ve grown up in a single-mom house, and I’ve seen her have to strive and work really hard to be able to give me what I want and need, so it’s a very personal issue that I really want to be able to help others with.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

I’m pretty new to pageants, so it’s been having to find coaches and being able to know what I’m doing specifically for the pageant, but I’m really excited and I think I’ve progressed a lot.

What makes the pageants so important to you?

Pageants aren’t just about beauty; it’s mostly spreading awareness for your platform and being able to have confidence and speaking skills, with not just with the judges but other competitors and people in your community, so I’ve been able to really build my confidence a lot. It’s been a great aspect for me.

What’s your favorite part of the pageants?

Probably picking out my dresses and stuff. Obviously, it’s been really a really fun part just to have the glitz and glamour of it all.

How does the pageant work?

It’s a two-day pageant, and there’s interviews, which is like 50% of your score, so just talking with you and a panel of judges for three minutes. There’s Evening Gown, so you pick out your own dress and you walk and show your elegance. There’s Fitness Wear for Teens, which is where you wear leggings and a sports bra and you show your confidence and your fitness.

How are you setting yourself apart from other competitors?

I’m really just bringing my diversity into it. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia; I moved to Carmel when I was young. I am from a single-mom (family) and I’m of mixed descent. I think I’m really bringing the diversity aspect to it when it comes to being your own and having to be able to advocate for yourself as an individual.