PageantLIVE's Red Carpet Award of the Week goes to National American Miss Pre-Teen Shayla Montgomery

National American Miss Pre-Teen

by Shayla Montgomery

I am a fun, intelligent and super friendly 13 year old. I live in Portland, Oregon with my parents, Chris & Sheila and our two dogs. I love to go to church and play volleyball. My goal is to make a difference in our world by ending bullying and spreading my message to "Be Brave and Be Yourself"!

Around February of 2014, I received a postcard in the mail, it was an invitation to an open call for National American Miss. I remember my dad saying, "Shay, do you want to try pageants?" I wasn't interested. A few weeks later, my dad said "Shay they are having the open call this weekend for the pageant do you want to check it out?" I said sure. I remember my mom being totally against me getting involved, however, she went with me and my dad to the open call. I received a letter in the mail from my state director, Matt Leverton inviting me to the state competition. I didn't take it seriously and did not prepare for my very first pageant. I

had fun. I loved meeting girls and doing casual wear. I placed in photogenic and casual wear and was in the top 10. I was so upset that I didn't win. I know crazy for it being my first pageant and me not practicing. I said I would never do pageants again as we drove home. My parents told me that they were super proud of me and I remember my dad saying to me what do you expect you didn't take it seriously and you didn't practice. The next day I told my dad I am going to go back next year and win. I loved everything about NAM. I loved the staff and I loved the girls that I had build relationships with during the weekend. My dad went crazy and signed me up for several pageants to give me practice. All I could think about was getting back to National American Miss.

Over the next year, I practiced with my dad a lot. Some days I would get frustrated with him because I didn't want to practice. He would remind me of my goal and I would do what he was asking me to do. My dad found another person who could also coach me Netty McKenzie. I worked hard over the year. I won the High Point Queen at my very next pageant which was Regal Majesty. I then went on to another pageant system and not understanding how you compete at Nationals went up an age division to Jr Teen and won state! We thought if we won at state and I turned 13 that I would have to compete at Nationals as a junior teen so my dad wanted me to compete with girls in the next age division. We met Andrea Walters there and I had a few coaching sessions with her. I lived, ate and slept pageants the past year. I worked with all three coaches my dad, Chris Montgomery, Netty and Andrea. Right before state we purchased another dress and I love that the owner, Aaron of Simply Grand by Aaron Michaels says to me "you won state in a David's Bridal gown". Which is true. I laugh at that now. We didn't know anything about pageants let alone where to buy a dress.

My hard work paid off and I remember when I was on stage and they were calling the runner ups and it got down to who they were going to call to be the queen and seeing some amazing girls still standing out of the top 10 and thinking either I got the same place as I did last year which was top 10 or I am about to be queen. When they called my name as the Miss Oregon Pre-Teen tears filled my eyes. I was so excited to represent my state.

My mom obviously came to love NAM. She loved that they had an emphasis on volunteering, that there was not a swimsuit competition and that they believe girls need to dress age appropriately including no makeup in my division. She also loved that I was being able to express myself individually and developing my speaking. I went from being a shy girl last year into a girl who is confident and able to talk to anyone this year.

Winning state I knew I would be going to Nationals and my goal was to win nationals. NAM was all I talked about. I watched Bralyns video of being queen every night before I went to bed. I stopped playing volleyball so I could focus on NAM. Life revolved around volunteering and practicing for nationals. I spent countless hours practicing with my dad. In September, we found Greg Solomon and I began having interview coaching online every week. It was so tiring to be asked question after question after question for an hour straight. There were days I would say do I have to do interviewing today and would be reminded of my goal and gladly I would face-time my coach. Thankfully, I was able to work with Andrea the month before going to Nationals too as she helped me fine tune what I had wrote for my introduction and my spokes-model.

Arriving at Nationals I was excited. I did not feel anxious. I felt I was prepared. I just wanted to have fun and build life long friendships with girls from around the United States. I had a lot of fun touring Hollywood, going to Disneyland, spending Thanksgiving with my family and participating in casual wear and spokes-model as well.

I will never forget the moment I looked on the wall to see who made top 5 in optionals. When I saw my name listed for Spokes-model tears filled my eyes and I fell to the ground. My speech was a personal story in which I was very vulnerable. We were not sure if it was going to be age appropriate for NAM yet I made the decision that I wanted to share for nothing else than to possibly help another girl. We re-competed and then when they called out the runner ups and then said my name as the National Spokes-model I was elated.

The life long memory didn't end there. I continued bonding with some amazing girls and then it came to our finale. I was sad that the week was ending. I had a lot of fun doing our opening numbers. Top 10 was called and I was excited when they called my name. Next they called out the top 5. I began to cry. I was in shock and walking around crying with such joy. I was ecstatic that out of all the girls in our country I was in the top 5. I will never forget the next moments. It was down to Miss Nebraska and me. I reached to hug her and then we held hands. When they called first runner up Nebraska. All I could do was thank God. I held on tight to my crown (my crown fell at state and I didn't want it to happen again) as I walked around thanking the judges and looking out at all of my family who came to watch me from Oregon and all around California.

There have been many who have been against "pageants" and often times it is due to a lack of understanding and thinking it is like toddlers and tiaras. I love to get to explain to them what pageants are all about and that a part of my score comes from volunteer service and then the rest is from my interview score, formal wear and personal introduction. These are core skills that we all need to be successful in life whether it is public speaking or interviewing for a school or a job.

Being queen to me is more than just a crown and a sash to sit upon my shelf. Being queen means that I am a role model to other girls and I am a servant shed my light and love to my community. I strongly feel that if you bring a smile to others or help those in need that you are also bettering your own life. My favorite quote is kind words are short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless by Mother Theresa.

I plan to help spread the message of Continue to Find Kindness across the country to Stop the mean girl phenomenon and revolutionize kindness! Not only is this personally important to me as I was once a victim of bullying it also goes along with my career goal to become a psychologist for children!

You may contact Shayla for appearances at:

shaylamontgomery2015nampreteen@gmail.com

And follow her reign at :

https://m.facebook.com/pages/NAM-Oregon-Pre-Teen/1687451931484837

PageantLIVE's Note:

National American Miss is rated the #1 Pageant System in the United States.  Find out more information at:

http://www.namiss.com/
Unleash Your Potential

Miss Asia Pacific World USA

There is a new competition in town open to everyone who is interested in advancing their career in modeling, pageantry, or the entertainment industry

MAPW USA

You DO NOT have to be Asian or of Asian Descent to compete. This competition is open to all ethnicities. Two winners will be crowned; MAPW USA and MAPW USA SuperTalent (1st runner-up).

This is not your traditional pageant. It adheres to modeling standards on the catwalk instead of the traditional pageant walk and posing. 

The Areas of Competition: 

Photogenic - Points will be added to overall score. 

Evening Wear - Couture, high-low, or pageant gowns are acceptable. Cocktail attire is not permitted. 

Fashion Swimsuit – High energy catwalk modeling, Victoria's Secret style...you own the runway in boots, heels, feathers or whatever suits your fancy…just own it! 

Top 12 will also compete in Self Expression; a performing arts or a spokesmodel presentation. 

Top 6 will compete in On-Stage question.

Evening Wear

Fashion Swimsuit - Victoria Secret Style

Self Expression 

Commitments, Benefits and Awards:

** Title is non-contractual. You can compete in other top tier pageants, such as USA, MAO, United States, World America, etc. If you win another title, you are only required to come back to crown your successor and compete at the International Pageant in Europe or South Korea.

** If you do want to compete in another pageant, coaching and preparation is provided to you at no cost.

** The USA National winner wins an all expense trip to compete in Paris, Zurich, Milan and Geneva for International finals. Your competition wardrobe is provided to you at no cost.

** The USA National first runner up will receive: an invitation to the Miss Asia Pacific World SuperTalent 2015; and an invitation to participate at the International competition in South Korea (they receive an invite, but will have to pay their own airfare), all other expenses are paid.

** The  International winner will reside in Seoul, Korea in a celebrity status and travel the world.

** USA National winner's prize package is valued at over $8,000.00

** International prize package is valued at over $150,000.00

Requirements:

1.  Must reside in the United States (you do not have to be a US citizen)

2.  Ages: Biological must be under 17. 17 and older: your external casting appearance must be 30 or under

4.  Not married

3.  Able to commit to compete in the two week national competition in Europe or South Korea

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMissAsiaPacificWorldSuperTalent

http://www.supertalentoftheworld.com/

Miss Asia Pacific World Super Talent (1st Runner up)
**Invitation to compete in International Competition in South Korea
**Entrance fee paid
**Wardrobe sponsorship
**Training provided
***The International winner receives exposure with international agencies in Europe and Asia, and a modeling contract for 1 year (approximate value $250K)

***Will have a residence provided to in Seoul, South Korea and will travel the world

https://www.facebook.com/MissAsiaPacificWorldUSA

http://www.missasiapacificworldusa.com/

Pageant Details

**Early Bird registration fee is $395.00 until December 31, 2014.  Effective January 1, 2015 the fee is $495.00 and fee the day of the competition is $595.00

This is a one day national pageant held:

March 14, 2015 in Washington, DC at the Kreeger Theater - Arena Stage

Would you like more information?  Please contact Stephanie McGrane at AsktheCrown@gmail.com or call her at (612) 605-9766.

  

Cassandra Kunze and Bianca Vierra -- Miss and Teen California USA Titleholders

By Wendy Lindberg -- America's SUPER Queen

Stephanie McGrane had an opportunity to meet with Miss California Teen USA and Miss California USA the day after their crowning to talk a bit about their experience. In the midst of their preparations for their official photo shoot, Stephanie was able to ask then some questions about their beauty regimen, their dresses, crowns and the winning moment.

The Crowning Moment

Cassandra Kunze- Miss California

Bianca Vierra- Miss Teen California

Crowned just the night before, the two new California queens are still having trouble wrapping their heads around the big win. "We both hardly slept so it feels like it just happened," Bianca said. "They called the first runner-up first and I was like, 'wait, they didn't call my name! That's me!' It was just an amazing feeling."

"I had a very similar reaction," Cassandra shared. "I was in complete shock and in the video I have the weirdest reaction. ... It hasn't quite sunk in yet."

Two Crowns for Each Queen!

You may have noticed that the Miss California USA and Miss California Teen USA titleholders have two different crowns during their year of reign. These are created by INTA Gems and are filled with real gems, diamonds and pearls.  The design holds a lot of symbolism and are made to represent California's love, beauty, and unity. A search online found a 2009 press release about the Miss California USA crown. You can see it HERE. 

The provided link shares this as part of the explanation of the design. "Designed by Peter Young, Creative Director of INTA Gems & Diamonds, the Miss California USA® Crown incorporates many elements of California to symbolize the beauty of the state. Sparkling stars line the border of the crown to represent the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition, the curves of the crown bring out the natural beauty of strong glistening waves that flow back and forth, just like the beautiful California coastline. 

Peter Young says, 'I based the design elements for the Miss California USA® Crown from the natural beauty of California. Also, with the controversy over Carrie Prejean’s opinion regarding gay marriage at the Miss USA® pageant, I wanted my design to present an open view for the next 2010 Miss California USA® titleholder. My wave design represents the different perspectives everybody has because of our diversity in California. I felt a strong need for people to know that although we may have different opinions from opposite sides, the one universal idea that speaks true for all of us is that love unites. Therefore, at the center of the beautifully formed sparkling wave design is a heart. I hope that speaks true to the next Miss California USA."

The Miss California USA crown.

The teen crown was created in 2010 and dedicated to the MTV Love is Louder Movement. This crown holds a number of symbols and representations of not only California, but also has pieces to represent bullying prevention and awareness. A video made by the 2010 Miss California Teen USA and crown designer, Peter Young, talks more about the tiara. You can view the video and explanation of the design HERE. 

The link from INTA Gems says the following about the design of the teen crown: "The Miss California Teen USA Crown has a similar style to the senior Miss California USA Crown; however, the Teen Crown incorporates a rising sun in the center symbolizing the dawn of a brighter day and future.  There are fancy yellow diamonds that represent radiant sun rays shining upon a curving California coastline.  The design elements derived by the natural beauty of California incorporates glistening waves and vivid sun rays which together form a heart outline to symbolize LOVE.  

In addition, there are natural purple sapphires that are set in the crown in memory of the teens who have taken their own lives because of bullying.  The purple color is a reminder to the Miss California Teen USAs who wear the crown to not forget their pain and to speak out on their behalf. The Miss California Teen USA Crown is crafted of precious gems, diamonds, platinum, silver, and gold and is valued at $200,000.  

Peter Young said, 'The heart that symbolizes love of the Miss California Teen USA Crown is not noticeably visible at first, but if you look closely at the waves and sun rays of the crown, you will see that they together form a heart in the center. To young people who are bullied and harassed for any reason, we encourage you to seek out and share your feelings with your friends, family, school faculty.  Together, loved ones in the center of your life can actively speak out and find ways to stop the bullying.'"

The Miss California Teen USA Crown

Stephanie McGrane hanging out with Miss CA USA and Miss CA Teen USA 

To see more about the crowns, healthy living tips, and more about these titleholders, you can check out the video below. Please be sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss a blog or video!

Brooklynne Bond Miss Oklahoma Teen USA

By Wendy Lindberg, America's SUPER Queen 2013-14

Struggles with Body Image

As I was listening to this interview with Miss Oklahoma Teen USA, Brooklynne Bond, I thought of a recent video I had watched. The timing seemed perfect.

See the Buzzfeed video here

 The video's statistics are scary:

81% of ten-year-olds are afraid of being fat. 69% of American School girls who read magazines say the images influence their concept of the ideal body shape. 49% of them say the pictures make them want to lose weight. 1/3 of non-overweight girls report dieting.

And many of us struggle with body image, feelings of being less than someone else, and comparing ourselves to others.

"I want to go and speak at schools. I think that girls really get caught up in the look aspect of everything. I just want to encourage them to be who they were created to be." Brooklynne said, "Whenever I was growing up, I always struggled with comparing myself to other girls. I always wanted to look like them and be like them. As I kind of grew into myself, I just learned that it was really important to stay true to who you are, no matter what the situation is. Ultimately that is what makes me feel beautiful. I just want to show girls that that is how I feel myself. I want to speak about that, especially at schools."

Preparations for Miss Teen USA

"I am only going to have one chance to compete at Miss Teen USA and that is something that I have dreamed about my entire life. Not only being a state titleholder, but making it to the next level and making a bigger difference. Just having the opportunity is such an honor to me. To get ready I just want to continue to keep working on my interview skills because it is important to keep learning more about yourself everyday. I love walking and modeling so I will continue to work on that, and just have the right mindset whenever I am going into the pageant" Brooklynne said. "I want to show the judges who I am and what I stand for. ... Just really prepare myself mentally for that week that I compete."

Brooklynne's Role Model

Who does Brooklynne really look up to? "I really look up to Alyssa Campanella. She just happens to be Miss USA 2011. I think she has just such poise and confidence. She just radiates whenever she is on stage or just standing in a room. And so I just really look up to her for the confidence she has and just how she leads people. I think she was a great Miss USA."

Two Brooklynnes???

In a strange twist of events, the Miss Teen and Miss Oklahoma USA winners this year happened to have the first same name! "Never in my life met someone with the same name with the exact same spelling. It's just hysterical. The first morning after we won, we had a photo shoot and our directors were trying to call us in for who is shooting and who is not and so it would (get really confusing)." Brooklynne shared, "I love her so much so I am excited for my year with her."

To hear more about Brooklynne's Tips for pageant day, her advice to contestants, and how to follow her, you can see the video below.  

If you would also like to know, THIS is where you can find Moleskin. :) 

Be sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss a blog or episode. 

Cassidy Wolf, Miss Teen USA

--Wendy Lindberg, America's SUPER Queen


 Stephanie McGrane took a moment to interview Cassidy Wolf, Miss Teen USA.

 The Crowning Moment

Stephanie asked Cassidy about her crowning moment and what it felt like to become Miss Teen USA. "First of all, I couldn't breathe. ... My first thought when they called my name was, 'okay, take a deep breath, take a deep breath,' and I couldn't and all I could think in my head was, 'oh my gosh, oh my gosh, it's me!' ... it was a whole whirlwind of crazy emotions." Cassidy shared with excitement and smiles, "All I wanted to do was hug my family because they were just so amazing the whole time I was up there."

Cassidy credits a lot of her successes to her support team who helped her feel confident going into the Miss Teen USA competition. "Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today."

A Nightmare Extortion Case

Unknowingly, Cassidy found herself in a scary case of cyber hacking and extortion when an anonymous email arrived to her asking her to send inappropriate photographs to the emailer, or he would release photographs of her undressing in her bedroom: something she did not know he had done.  The investigation revealed that Jared James Abraham, a former high school classmate, had hacked the webcam built into her laptop and had been turning it on remotely to watch her and over a dozen other women.

I found this news article and interview with NBC exploring the case a bit more.

http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/12/21422496-suspect-in-sextortion-of-miss-teen-usa-other-young-women-pleads-guilty?lite

"One of my biggest tips is to change passwords every couple of months and always keep track (of your password) on a piece of paper, not on your phone. ... Change them (passwords) as often as possible. ... When you are not Skyping somebody that you are friends with, cover your webcam. If I would have known that, I probably wouldn't have had what happened to me happen." Cassidy shared, "It happened to me and it could really happen to anybody."

A Year as Miss Teen USA

"I've been focusing a lot on school." Cassidy told Stephanie. "I got to do New York Fashion Week, which was absolutely amazing. I did Project Sunshine visits and I look forward to doing those in the future. ... When you go to a Project Sunshine visit, it touches the kids, but I feel like it touches us even more. ... When you leave a Project Sunshine visit it makes you feel so good. That has definitely been my favorite part."

When asked about her highlights and challenges, Cassidy told Stephanie that the company and the time balances have been some of her highlights and challenges. "Getting to work with Miss USA and Miss Universe (has been great). They are so sweet and I love working with them. Getting to meet new people everyday (is a highlight). This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so blessed to have this opportunity." Cassidy said. Speaking on her challenges, Cassidy also shared the challenges of balancing school and the Miss Teen USA title. "I am a full time student and I go to school five days a week. When I am not in school, I am Miss Teen USA. .. but I am learning a lot about myself, so I am loving it."

The final recipient of Chinese Laundry Tippy Top Shoes (an official sponsor of the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageant) is also announced in this episode, so you want to be sure to watch all the way through to see who it is!

To see more on the Cassidy Wolf interview, you can view it below. 

Be sure you follow PageantLIVE and Ask the Crown on Youtube so you never miss an episode!

Erin Brady-- Miss USA 2013

-- Wendy Lindberg, America's SUPER Queen 2013-14



Stephanie McGrane met online with Erin Brady earlier this week to talk about being Miss USA.

Time at Miss Universe

Erin talked a bit about her experiences at the Miss Universe Pageant finals. "Honestly, it's a very mental process because you are there for such a long period of time and it's exhausting." Erin shared, "you need to go there and enjoy your experience, which is exactly what I did...I just loved every moment of it. You are only onstage and on camera for a very short period of time so you have to make sure you that you absolutely live it up because you never get a second chance to go back."

National Costume

When working on finding her national costume for the competition, Erin thought steering away from the "traditional" costume was part of what she wanted to do. "I had done my research and looked at years previous... I am a bit out of the box and an abstract thinker so I said, 'You know something, why don't we do something very modern, very over the top, like a transformer?' And I loved it because I obviously was about eight feet tall so you had this essence of this beautiful, strong, empowered woman which is really what I feel this whole position is about, being Miss USA."  Erin shared." I got good feedback and bad feedback, but any feedback is good feedback in my eyes."

And how tall were those boots she wore? "They were sixteen inches. So they gave me a good foot and then some."


The Evening Gown 

Erin was able to work with Sherri Hill to find the perfect gown for her competition at Miss USA. "Red is my color. I love red. So I knew that I wanted to go with a red gown. ... I put this gown on in black first and I said, 'can you make this gown in red?' and she said, 'absolutely'. The liquid beading is something that when you are on stage and the lights hit it, it makes you look so elongated and it really just fits my body. ... I  just fell in love with it. I think picking the gown is one of those things that you just put it on and know that this is what you want to compete in."

Photo Sessions With Fadil Berisha

Erin had the pleasure of working with Fadil Berisha for the "Ice Princess" contestant photo session.  "He is so good." Erin said, "Every year (he) comes in with this amazing concept, so he wanted to embrace Russia and his concept of what he thought would be a great really, really unique photo shoot. So he said, 'why not ice princess?'. ...They had two mirrors that were kind of fogged with the blue lighting and the make-up was different shades of blues and silvers to make it look really icy." 

"It is great to see somebody work with him for the first time and to see how they embrace his creativity." Erin recalled. 

Preparing for Miss Universe

Stephanie asked Erin what some of the preparations she took to get ready for Miss Universe. "A lot of it is mental. ... Really just making sure you can keep in the best fit shape that you can."

The Top 5

What did Erin think of the top five at Miss Universe? "Honestly, I was so excited. All of the girls that made it into the top 5, I had the opportunity to speak with personally. Obviously with so many girls, it gets a bit tricky especially with the language barrier. I thought that they were all deserving and had a great performance. You never know, when you get into the top five, before the questions are asked, it could go either way. I would have been happy with anybody. It's a unique situation for me because the winner gets to move to New York City and be my roommate, so of course, I am sitting there going, 'oh please be nice.' ... And Miss Venezuela (the new Miss Universe) is fantastic and extremely smart."

Tippy Tops and Chinese Laundry

Erin wore a pair under her evening gown. As an official sponsor of the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants.  Ask the Crown was able to team up with Chinese Laundry to give away three pairs to our viewers. To find out who the winners are, you need to WATCH the show! ;)

A big thank you to Chinese Laundry for the sponsorship of this prize!

To hear more of the interview and see what else Erin has to share and what she thinks was the secret to becoming Miss USA, you can watch the show here:

Interview with Miss Alabama Teen USA Lorin Holcombe

-- Wendy Lindberg, America's SUPER Queen 

Stephanie McGrane met with Lorin Holcombe this past week to discuss her year as Miss Alabama Teen USA.

Determination

When asked what she thought the secret was to capturing the crown, Lorin told her that she thought it was "pure determination".

"I had no pageant experience. I just wanted it so much that I was willing to work hard and give up a lot of time to get into shape. I actually lost 20 pounds." Lorin shared, "So, I think determination is the secret. And a lot of prayers and a lot of focus."

A Whirl-wind 

Lorin went on to talk a bit about her title. As she prepares to give up her crown on November 16th, she is reflecting on some of the things that have happened over the past year.  "It was a whirl-wind. At first there was so much to learn," she noted. "I didn't know how to do photo shoots, and social media... learning how to handle all of that was difficult, but once I got the hang of it, it turned out to be one of the most amazing years of my life."

Lorin also highlighted some of her favorite parts of her reign. "There has been so many great things (about my year). Probably the best thing is that my platform was about self-esteem. So I got to go to speak to girls in a lot of low income areas. ... The impact you get to make on those little ones and getting to experience being a role model is certainly a highlight of (my year)." She continued, "I think when you are crowned you are put into a certain position of power. You have the ability to influence others. I think that it is every titleholders' responsibility to use that in a positive way."

At Miss Teen USA

"It is so much fun. Meeting all the girls is great." Lorin shared her experience on the national stage, "It really brought me to tears almost every night just because it was such an amazing, humbling experience." 

The pageant week was filled, and Lorin said to expect a lack of sleep if you are fortunate enough to be a part of the national experience. "You can definitely expect not to get much sleep... It is morning to night and you are constantly going."

The Next Miss Alabama Teen USA and Beyond

Lorin will be giving the crown to the next Miss Alabama Teen USA this coming weekend. When Stephanie asked her for her advice to those thinking about competing, Lorin said, "You should go for it.... You walk away with confidence, you walk away with great friends. You should do it, no matter what." 

"(Practicing your public speaking and confidence) are very important and the interview skills as well. In a competitive job market ... you have to be able to communicate well with others."

Lorin is starting her path to her future as a dentist or orthodontist. She is beginning her major as a bio-medical student. "I hope to go to UAB for dental school and maybe start my own practice."

"I've (also) been dabbling in some petite modeling recently and I had never been really open to that world before until pageantry. I have been enjoying it." She added, "I am also in a sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, so I would like to become one of the officers in that sorority as well." 

Beauty and Brains

Lorin was asked to share a little bit about what she would like to share with others who think that pageants are just beauty without the brains.  "Of the many girls that I have met, you have talented musicians, you have girls who are interested in the sciences and mathematics like I am. Many that graduated high school two and three years early out of merit." Lorin added, "I graduated high school with a 4.2, and I am making straight A's in my first year of college in a very hard major. So I think if you really paid attention, you'd realize that pageants draw the most determined and driven girls, and typically determined and driven girls do very well in academics."

Whatever her next moves may be, I am sure they will be amazing ones. 

You can see the interview in the video below. 

Fashion Hero Website and Registration to Launch! PageantLIVE Hosts a Special Presentation

--Wendy Lindberg, America's SUPER Queen   @SUPERqueenWendy

"It's practically universal. Girls discover their own beauty at a young age, and many dream of becoming models," says the official YouTube teaser, "but not every girl can be a super model."  

But that is the mission of The Fashion Hero, a new website and television project, launching November 14th, 2013. 

This is where Sheree' Walcher, Chelsea St.Pierre, Susan Hoover, and Ava St.Pierre Cogburn join PageantLIVE to talk about their big project and launch of:

Not the Usual Supermodel

"I think in a nutshell as well, it really opens an avenue to help everyone's dream come true, that may not have thought that they had an opportunity in the fashion industry," said Chelsea. 

"I think some new doors will be opening for people, especially like Susan and myself, who are short." Sheree' added. "I modeled as a child with my mom in fashion shows for JC Penny and large department stores. As I got older, I was told I was too short to model. So this will be a great opportunity for people of every race, color, or size. It doesn't matter. Everyone can participate and register for The Fashion Hero."

The Fashion Hero has an official teaser on YouTube that seems to sum it up pretty well. You can watch it below.

Roll the Cameras 

Some of the filming of the show has already begun, but the finale is preparing for next fall and will be shot at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort & Spa in Mexico, who is also a sponsor of the program. "A panel of judges will be picking who will be going on to the finale in Mexico," Ava shared. "There is (also) a panel of judges that will follow the website as well as the companies that will be also sponsoring and are a part of The Fashion Hero TV show and series. They will be following the website. Each and every person, male and female, that goes onto the website will have the opportunity to go ahead and have their own page on the website. Once they do that they will be able to have their bios, career goals, pictures..."

The excitement of The Fashion Hero grew as Chelsea shared that the events and program will be not just national, but international.

The Events and Website

"We will be posting all of our events on The Fashion Hero website," Ava told PageantLIVE interviewer, Stephanie McGrane.

"And we ask that you keep checking," Susan recommended, "because every time we go to an event, we are going to have the opportunity to meet so many fascinating new people and new friends. We will be updating the events. We will have all the events we can possibly have."

"We have a team busy working on the website launch.... so do please check back," Sheree' added.

You can also find The Fashion Hero on other social media sights. "you can find us on Pinterest, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

You can see the website here as it prepares for its official launch November 14th:

The Fashion Hero Website

With Thanks

As the team begins work for the events and tours, there were a few people and brands (companies) they wanted to thanks for a lot of the initial work and sponsorship being put into the program.


The Founder and CEO, Caroline Bernier "(She) brought this concept to all of us to see and have a vision of what fashion and beauty should really be about." Ava Shared. "I also want to thank everyone (on the team in Canada) for bringing us in on this side to help out."

Some of the sponsors being added to the program are: 

Sirenis Riviera Maya Resort & Spa in Mexico

MEXX 

Planet Beach

Tocara Canada

Style SO Original

Laboratoire Dr Renaud

and Elle Sunglasses


To see the full interview, and celebration of the launch (coming Novemeber 14th), check it out here!

PageantLIVE presents The Fashion Hero

Julie Lee Smith -- Ms. Missouri Classic Beauty Ask the Crown (Ep 15)

--Wendy Lindberg, America's SUPER Queen 2013-14

What a great PageantLIVE/Ask the Crown program to be sharing in October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

PageantLIVE hosted the very energetic and wonderful Julie Lee Smith- Ms Missouri Classic Beauty on October 21st, 2013 as she joined Stephanie McGrane in a show featuring her journey as a breast cancer patient and survivor.

Many people who get their yearly exams and physicals don't anticipate the kind of whirl wind of events that happened when Julie made it to her July appointment. Only anticipating the usual hour or so in the doctor's office, she was surprised to find herself still in the doctor's office, 6 hours later, going through the gauntlet of tests for the abnormalities picked up in her usual testing.



Growing technologies in breast cancer research

Julie had a 3D mammogram as a part of her diagnosis process. She talked to Stephanie and the viewers about the benefits this test had for her and the benefits it can have for women 50 and older. She says that she believes that this new technology is what has helped save her life. With only about 300 clinics in the US having the technology in their hospitals, Julie says it is very new and may be hard to get with your insurance etc, but is very worth looking into if you are faced with the need to have one done. 

As Julie had suggested, I looked up a little information on breast tomosynthesis.  

www.ahchealthnews.com reported some of the benefits of a 3D mammogram include:

1)    More accurate detection 

2)    Earlier diagnosis 

3)    Better detection in dense breast tissue

4)    Less Anxiety

5)    Safe and Effective

Be your own advocate!

Julie highlighted the importance of being your own advocate for your own care and to know what your insurance policies cover before you head into treatment and surgery. 

"If they (the insurance companies) can get by without having to put you up in the hospital, they will do it. And so many things were running through my mind." Julie said, ".... so many questions, and I was so relieved to had thought to look all that up before I had gone into the hospital."  "Definitely look at your policies if you have to have surgery." 

Mutation of BRCA1 and BRCA2, AKA: the "cancer gene"

Julie had also found out in the process of her testing that she had the "cancer gene", a series of mutations of tumor suppressor proteins that gave her an estimate that with her genetic testing and family history, that she has a 87% chance of getting breast cancer. 

www.cancer.gov says, "About 12 percent of women in the general population will develop breast cancer sometime during their lives. By contrast, according to the most recent estimates, 55 to 65 percent of women who inherit a harmful BRCA1 mutation and around 45 percent of women who inherit a harmful BRCA2 mutation will develop breast cancer by age 70 years."

"I was just doomed to get it. ... Those are horrible Las Vegas odds!"  Julie joked, "My parents always said I was special!" 

But Julie also warned that when you are considering getting tested for the "cancer gene" you should be sure you already have a life insurance policy. "Once you get tested a lot of life insurance policies will not cover you or accept you once they know you have that (gene)," she warned.

The BIG message

Julie wanted to really stress the importance of getting your regular mammogram and your monthly self exam. "I know mammograms hurt, but it hurts worse to know that you have cancer and you couldn't have done something about it. ... If I had skipped it (the exam) I wouldn't be here now." Julie went on to say, "you can go (to get your test) on an event like your anniversary, or something like that, so it is easy to remember."

Pageantry with recovery

Her nurses often call her "Queen Chemo". Julie wears her crown and sash to many of her treatments. 

She has found that the camaraderie and friendships that she has found in her pageant sisters has lead her to the people that she leans on a lot to help encourage her through treatment. "I have never seen such a support system in my entire life," is what her doctor told her when he saw her Facebook page with all of her pageant friends helping and supporting her. 

"I am so glad to be a part of something that has a meaning and a cause and that will help others. I like doing those charity events, runs/walks and fashion shows. ... getting out there and helping others," Julie observed "... People seem to stop and listen when there is a title behind it."

You can follow Julie on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/julie.l.smith.1272?fref=ts 

See the interview here: