You will compete at the 2018 Miss California USA Pageant, how will you prepare the contest ?
I have prepared by really getting to know myself and my values. Pageantry makes a woman take stock of herself and understand what she brings to the table. After all, if you don't think you deserve to win, no one else will.
Tell me something about yourself and your work. What do you actually do, and have done in the past?
I am a doctor in residency in Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine. Each day I get to meet people with seemingly mystery diseases and work my best, "Dr. House" impression. I work with pain patients, diagnose oral lesions and oral cancer, and perform surgeries for diseases of the head and neck. It's an honor and a privilege to be with a patient in some of the most stressful moments of their life and because of my Masters Degree in Health and Strategic Communication i'm uniquely trained to give sensitive information to patients and their loved ones in a humane and compassionate way.
What would you advise any young girl out there who has a dream of being a queen one day?
For the little girls who are wondering about pageants I have this to say: be authentically you. Pageantry is evolving every day and the previous trope of the "World's Most Beautiful Woman" is gone. Pageants seek out women who know their unique brand and have a passion for self-development. You are perfect for the crown if you know yourself, have an opinion, and are thoroughly in love with how you are impacting the world.
Who is your ideal beauty queen and how has she helped you to evolve as a beauty queen?
My first and favorite beauty queen was (and is) Crystal Lee Miss California 2014 and first runner up to Miss America 2014. She had a crazy ripped body with amazing abs, threw down harder than the boys in STEM at Stanford, was a classically trained ballerina, and a fellow Delta Delta Delta sister. She opened my eyes to the possibility that Beauty and Brains really do win crowns.
She was (and is) the total package. Her megawatt smile, incredible work ethic, and unabashed intelligence made me say, "Hey i'm smart, maybe I could do that too!" I hope to serve as an inspiration to all of the smarty pants girls out there who don't see as much representation for highly educated women as they would like. Pageant girls are no longer Barbies. They are Amal Clooneys, Amy Poehlers, Katie Courics, Kamala Harrises, and Doctor Laurels.
Thanks to the beautiful Laurel for the interview. Pageants News wishes you all the very best for Miss California USA pageant.
