On February 25th and 26th I was lucky enough to attend the Miss Utah Outstanding Teen Competition in Provo, Utah. Where do I even start? It was so much fun and so cool to see our very own Miss Garfield Outstanding Teen Nadia up on that stage.
I don’t think I stopped smiling once while at the Covey Center. What I learned while at the Miss Outstanding Teen competition is that you have to set goals, and not just the goal to win (as much as we really want to). I could tell that every single one of those girls had a goal when they first competed in their local competition.
When I first got into pageants, I did it to dance. I had done dance since I was six years old and cheer made me too busy to dance. But when I was in a competition I had to make that time.
Little did I know how much I would grow from it. If you would have been in the room with me for my first interview you would have been so embarrassed for me! So I made a point to fix my interview skills. I did just that and walked out of my next interview with the biggest smile on my face because I just did that. I have since done many interviews and public speaking events and have felt good about it simply because of my achievements.
When I did the Miss Garfield Competition I had no goals set. Since winning the Miss Garfield title I have made a number of goals. Some of those goals have included bettering my community, getting more involved, and not just focusing my time in Tropic–but going to Escalante and Panguitch. I have made a goal to be better each day because that’s what a leader would do.
While we are all human and slip up, I have definitely made myself better. While at Outstanding Teen I saw every single girl up there thrive in her own way. Someone might not have done great in fitness but done really well in talent. Or might not have done well in talent but did well in evening wear and onstage questions. You could see what each girl had focused most of their energy on.
Each girl had a goal when they went up there. Going up on that stage is scary and hard. The amount of time and effort that is put in is beyond comprehension. Every single girl on that stage deserved to win because they put the effort in. They all did amazing and it blew my mind.
I can’t wait to compete in June for Miss Utah. All these young women inspired me to be better. They all inspired me to work a bit harder. I want to be like every single one of those girls when I grow up. They were all beautiful and great examples. To say I am proud is an understatement. I am proud of Nadia and how amazing she did. I am proud to be from Garfield and I am proud to be Miss Garfield.
– by Kym Roundy, Miss Garfield
Feature image caption: Kym Roundy, Nadia G., and Trinity Whitfield pose after the MUOT ceremonies in Provo, February 26.