My Summer: Part 2- Why I'm a Pageant Girl =]

So before I was talking a little about why this summer is so important to me...

The gist of my summer is becoming the best ME that I can be. Accepting who I am and changing the things I can't.

 Part of this came from my decision to start doing pageants-starting with Miss Black USA. I think it's important to show that a beautiful woman does not always come in the same package. Which is why these pageants are so important to me. My platform will come from how special I think all girls are... because these girls will all turn into women.

And a woman is worth so much in today's world. A woman is a mother, a nurturer, a friend, a wife, business associate, a role model and so many more things. All of these things make the instillment of core values and the correct idea of beauty and a woman's worth even more important. How can a woman make her daughter feel like she is the most beautiful girl in the world if she doesn't feel the same about herself?

That's where my journey this summer begins. I think that it is important for people- men and women- to believe in themselves and to understand the value that they add to this world and to make sure that everyone they come in contact with understands the same.

As a future pageant contestant I want to begin working towards making myself the best version of myself that I can give to the world. Although i believe every person on this earth was made beautiful I also believe that this beauty can be taken advantage of if a person does not harness and nurture what they've been given. For me this means getting in-shape, eating healthy and presenting myself to the world as the best "Kayla Package" that I can.

Many people think that a Pageant is simply about outer beauty, that they are simply a group of pretty girls walking around the stage and answering questions (sometimes not very well) and winning prizes. On the contrary, a pageant is so much more than that. A Beauty Pageant has many aspects, first being scholarship- most pageants provide a fiscal reward that is directed toward the winners education. Pageants are also about providing positive female role models and representatives. For me this is where many pageants have gone wrong. I think that a positive role model does not have to be the same type of "model" young girls already see on TV.

My reason for doing pageants is simple: Miss ________ (fill in the blank) should be someone who truly embodies the people she is representing, whether it be her state, her country, or the world.

All of this to say that part of my summer is getting ready for Miss Black Ohio and beginning to speak out about how important I think women are in this world and why pageants have and continue to be a great way for women to stand up and show that they are proud of who they are- and for me... I want to make others proud of themselves as well.