AHHH! I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I was just crowned Miss San Bernardino County Teen USA 2015! I've been a huge fan of pageants all my life and have been watching Miss USA pageants ever since I was a little girl. My grandmother always joked about how I would pretend to strut across her living room as a child and pretend that I was being crowned. However, it was always a dream for me and something that I never thought that I could accomplish. I was always extremely shy as a kid and had very low self confidence and esteem after I was bullied in middle school. My mom and grandmother knew how important pageants were to me, and they always tried to convince me to join, but I always refused and came up with an excuse. It all changed last year when I was watching the Miss Universe pageant and I found myself having a longing to be like one of those girls. I was tired of just watching other people achieve their dreams and goals, so I decided at that moment that I was going to join a pageant and I made myself make a promise to not back out of it.
In February 2015, I attended the Miss Los Angeles County pageant. I was excited yet nervous, but the idea did not really hit me until I was standing backstage. All of a sudden, I got really nauseous and was so close to telling the backstage directors that I wanted to quit. A voice inside my head told me to stop overreacting, and before I knew it, I found myself walking onto the stage. As I walked on stage, my nerves loosened and I was no longer afraid. I did not win, but I received the title of Miss Congeniality and I was beyond happy and proud of myself for doing something that always seemed impossible.
As summer came around, I decided to try again because I had truly enjoyed my first pageant experience and had met some amazing girls that I still talk to to this day. I signed up for the Miss San Bernardino County pageant, and things moved fairly fast. We had our meeting and rehearsal, and pretty soon, the pageant came around. I was still a little nervous, but definitely a lot better compared to the first time since I kind of knew what to expect. Walking on that stage, I gave it my all and simply just wanted the judges to be able to see who I was. I had practiced a lot for that moment, from learning how to walk to learning how to talk. There would be nights where I would be walking in the living room at 3 in the morning, trying to break into my 6 inch heels and training myself to become a better speaker. As they called my name at the crowning moment, I was shocked and overwhelmed. It was truly a dream come true to be able to accomplish something that I have been dreaming about for so long. I'm going to be heading off to Miss California later this year, competing alongside 80 plus girls! I cannot wait to walk the Miss CA stage and represent San Bernardino County. It's just the beginning and I know that there's a long journey out ahead of me, but I'm excited to see what the future has in store.
Biggest thanks to my family, coaches, and sponsors for always believing in me! I promise that I will make you guys proud.
xoxo,
Kaitlyn
I hope you enjoy a spam of pics from the pageant! They're not all the same size which kind of bugs me, but some were just impossible to crop so I just gave up. Hope you guys like it!! (:
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| Woke up at 7 AM for hair and makeup! Thank you J for always doing the best makeup for all my events, whether its pageants or dances! |
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| Just got out of hair & makeup. Packing up to leave for the pageant! |
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| Waiting backstage after rehearsals ((-: |
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| A picture that was taken just a few minutes after I was crowned! My dad had to zoom in a lot so it's pretty blurry HAHA |
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| Miss San Bernardino County Teen USA 2015 |
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| With my amazing family, who has helped me through everything! Beyond thankful for them and for all the love and support that they've given me. |
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| First selfie with the crown |
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| Crown & sash |
