(And How You Can Be Too!)

By Elizabeth Graeme

This year I entered my first pageant: Miss Collegiate USA. I was named Miss Washington Jr. High School USA 2025 and earned a spot at Nationals this July in College Park, MD this July. Because of Covid, a lot of pageants no longer have in-person preliminary pageants, choosing to hold on-line contests or use a designation system. Once selected, then you get to compete at nationals for the big crown (not to mention a scholarship and prize package) in a more traditional pageant. Nationals will be the first time I’ve ever really competed for a crown in person.

Going to Nationals can be a little intimidating, that’s why my bestie, Ryerlin Roland, offered to apply to go with me and guess what? She earned the title Miss West Coast Jr. High School USA title and gets to go with me! That’s right, the Peninsula has TWO girls representing at Nationals this year! Having a friend to build a team with has been amazing! We can train together, share information, fundraise together (thank you to Forks Avenue Real Estate for being my first sponsor!) and have someone who understands help take the pressure off. Why can’t pageants be team events? If one of us wins, our team wins, it doubles our chances of bringing home a win for all of us in Washington!

I’m not a pageant girl, twirling a baton and wearing a swimsuit on stage isn’t really my thing. As it turns out, there are all kinds of pageants out there, the one I chose is an academic-based pageant, a non-profit organization that teaches girls about college preparedness and financial literacy. Fifty percent of my score will come from a personal interview and, in my age division, I don’t have to wear a swimsuit! It’s a lot different than I thought it would be, a lot of work, a lot of public speaking, some mental health training and resumé preparations. Some people think holding a title is a job, but it’s more an internship for future leadership roles.

Volunteer With Us!

During our term, we will be posting places where you can volunteer and will be highlighting your volunteering actions too! Together we’ve launched the “Forks Mini-Mayor” contest, if you are a kid ages 4-18 here on the Peninsula, and like to donate or volunteer in your community, you can post your service using the #forkskidscare hashtag on Facebook or Instagram to be entered into being the Mini-Mayor of Forks for a day. The winner will receive a medal, a gift certificate for pizza (courtesy of Home Slice Take N Bake Pizza), along with other prizes. Let’s help strengthen our community and bring everyone together.

You can visit or follow us on Social media at:

@MissWAJrHighSchoolUSA25

@MissWestCoastJrHighSchoolUSA25

Need a scholarship?

If you’d like to join us at Nationals this July for the Miss Collegiate USA pageant, they are still looking for ladies in High School, College or Grad School to join our Team Washington! EVERYONE is welcome! There are TWO spots for each age group in our region. If you’d like more information, you can go to their website at: www.misscollegiateusa.org. Deadline for entries is May 1.

We would LOVE to have more ladies on #TeamWashington!