Pageantry has taught her to be respectful and represent herself as a young, confident, and strong woman. Morgan Cox will have the opportunity to compete at the 2018 Miss Texas Teen USA Pageant later this year. The beauty queen started competing in pageants at age 8 and haven't stopped since.

Recently she has gotten into modeling and is signed with MMG models in New York and LA and The Ross Agency in Fort Worth. She plans to attend Texas Tech University and major in Public Relations and Communications with hopes of becoming a Broadcast Journalist.

Here we bring you the untold facts about Morgan’s life and also her ideas, objectives and opinions… Have a look!

 Today, youth in America are making strides to change the world around them. From powerful social media movements, to political organizing and protesting on the ground, the voice and passion of young people have convinced society to take us seriously. One major component in youth engagement that is overlooked is youth empowerment. When youth are “empowered,” they have the skills, critical awareness, and opportunities to positively impact their own lives and the lives of other individuals, organizations, and communities.

Stephanie Matheson, who'll be competing for the crown of Miss Oregon USA next weekend, chooses to advocate for this cause. She is currently a high school teacher with an endorsement in Social Studies - "I do my best to empower my students by making my classes about more than just the specific subject. Relationships are everything, and when students know you care about them, it gives them a sense of confidence. It's important for them to be aware of what's going on, and when they're informed, they tend to care more. I want them to find their passions and do something with it; whether that is starting a club at school, fundraising for a cause, and getting involved in their community.  I periodically will have them do other activities such as Dream Boards - we then talk about the importance of having our goals visible and what we need to do to attain them. I try to give them as much choice as possible so that they have a sense of ownership" - she explained.

As someone who struggled with anxiety and depression in high school, she wants her students to feel empowered and know that she's there for them - "I want to make sure they know I believe in them and I am in their corner; that way they learn to believe in themselves and have confidence in who they are. It's important to me that they leave my classroom as passionate, caring, contributing members of society" - she added.

In the past Stephanie has worked for a mentoring non-profit, as well as interned with Mercy Corps - an international humanitarian organization.  Her other platforms include Women Empowerment, which ties in perfectly with her company EmpowHER Apparel, Mental Health Awareness, and Building Cultural Bridges -  "I have thousands of community service hours working with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Oregon, Klamath Basin Youth Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, Children’s Cancer Charities, and countless other organizations, as well as serving as a mentor" - she added.

If she wins the crown of Miss Oregon USA the beautiful Stephanie will have the opportunity to represent her state in Miss USA 2018. The state has never won the competition however the highest placed Miss Oregon USA was Gail Atchison who finished 2nd runner-up to Barbara Peterson in 1976. The most recent finalist was Jennifer Murphy in 2004. 

Check my interview about her preparation for the upcoming pageant below!

The beautiful Somaia Farakesh, who'll be competing for the crown of Miss California USA, wants to be a role model to women all across the world. She would like to encourage women to leave their mark, strive for their wildest dreams and never stop until they reach their biggest goals. Through many aspects in life as well as pageantry she wants to influence woman to be the best version of themselves.

Somaia has always been very ambitious - "Growing up I found in interest in almost everything I’d come across. I’m a hopeless romantic, but I can’t find myself dating anyone until I’ve reached a level of self fulfillment, I find that it’s important to go after your dreams and follow your heart because ultimately, that is how you will attract who is truly meant to be in your life" - she explained.

Currently she is a full time student majoring in physics and biology. She is studying to be a nurse, and doing personal training on the side - "In the passed I’ve volunteered at the sunrise senior living center and grew a liking to working with seniors."

I had the opportunity to interview the beautiful Somaia on her pageant experience and on her preparation for the Miss California USA Contest. If she wins the pageant she'll have the opportunity to represent her state at Miss USA 2018. California has produced a Miss USA every decade (except the 2000s) and is ranked second highest among states in terms of placements.

The Fourth of July celebrates the birth of the United States as a country. Yet teenagers who have enjoyed its rights and privileges seldom understand what it takes for a country to become and remain an independent nation. A recent poll states that only 35 percent of millennials are patriotic. That's why Presly Pedigo, has started a nonprofit organization called "Freedom Fighters. "I help instill respect for our country’s service men and women in young kids. I work closely with my local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars Chapter) for community service as well." she explained.

Who is Presly Pedigo ? She is a junior in High School and she's involved with student council, FCCLA, and BETA. She was her sophomore class president, and she plans to run again for office in the fall. She is dually enrolled in college, and she takes pride in her academics. In her spare time she loves to travel, paddle board, and hang out with her friends.

Presly will have the opportunity to compete at the 2018 Miss Tennessee Teen USA Pageant in October. Tennessee is among the most successful states at Miss Teen USA in terms of number and value of placements. In the 1990s, they were placed first. They have the third (equal) highest number of semi-finalist (or better) placings and are one of only five states to have received more than three awards. Additionally, Tennessee is one of only three states (the other two being Oregon and Texas) to have won the Miss Teen USA title more than once.

I had the opportunity to interview Presly about her preparation for the pageant. I appreciate her sharing her story. I hope you will enjoy this interview!

Have you ever heard about Usher Syndrome ? It is a genetic condition involving sensorineural hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa. Although considered a rare disease, it is the most frequent cause of deaf-blindness in humans. In developed countries such as the United States, about four babies in every 100,000 births have Usher syndrome.

Usher syndrome was first described in 1858 by Albrecht Von Graefe, but was named for Charles Usher, a British eye doctor who focuses on the disorder’s hereditary nature.

If she wins the crown of Miss Louisiana Teen USA Jillian Maxwell would like to use her voice to be able to spread more awareness about her platform - Usher’s Syndrome - "I have a classmate, Jake, who has the syndrome. I see him overcome obstacles to function normally at school and in his daily life. He is a true inspiration to me" - she explained.

I had the opportunity to interview the beautiful Jillian about her preparation for the 2018 Miss Louisiana Teen USA Pageant. It will be held on October 21, 2017. Notable former Miss Louisiana Teen USA titleholders are Miss USA 1996 Ali Landry, Miss Teen USA 2004 Shelley Hennig, Miss Teen USA 2015 Katherine Haik, and Jennifer Dupont, who placed first runner-up at Miss America 2005. Landry and Hennig have gone on to successful acting careers. 

Miss Louisiana Teen USA is produced by RPM Productions, which also produces the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA state pageants for Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Generally Iranians have very high esteem for Zoroastrianism as a faith and regard Zoroastrians as genuinely authentic Iranians who preserved the ancestral faith. It is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. Found by the Prophet Zoroaster in ancient Iran approximately 3500 years ago. This religion makes Shiva Abadi proud of being Persian-American - "Zoroastrianism believes in three things: Good thoughts, good words and good deeds. This is how I was raised and still practice to be the best version of myself through this phrase." she explained.

Shiva Abadi, who'll be competing in Miss California USA later this year, graduated from the University of California-San Francisco at the age of 25 with her Masters of Science in Dental Hygiene. She has been practicing Dental Hygiene for the past 5 years in clinical, advocacy, volunteer, and educational setting. As an educator for Waterpik, she gives continuing education units to Dentists, Registered Dental Hygienist, and Registered Dental Assistants. She practices Dental Hygiene 4 days a week at a state of the art dental office in San Diego and enjoys preventing diseases, improving oral health, educating and connecting with her patients.

In her spare time she loves hiking, camping, swimming, playing the piano and taking her motorcycle or manual car out for a ride in the canyons.

Here we bring you the untold facts about Shiva’s life and also her ideas, objectives and opinions… Have a look!