Congratulations on being crowned Miss Earth Michigan United States 2018, how do you feel?
Thank you so much! I am so excited and thankful to have the opportunity to represent Michigan at Miss Earth United States in Washington D.C this summer. Being apart of an organization that is so active and motivated to make a difference not just within the earth, but with people as well, is one that has already inspired me greatly to get working on what I can do to help. I am mostly excited for the role within the environmental part of my community, as this propels me forward to have a voice and start a bigger movement within society that I could have ever imagined.
You already competed in 2016. What do you think you have to "improve" to win the crown in 2018 ?
After the competition of the summer in 2016, I realized that I had a lot of learning to do, mainly about myself. Confidence in a woman is something that only the woman herself can attain, and that is one of the main things that I am coming back with; a true-to-myself, confident young woman, ready to make a difference attitude.
Photo by Emily Gualdoni
Any advice for girls who want to compete in the Miss Earth U.S system ?
I would highly recommend competing in the Miss Earth U.S system for a couple of main reasons. To start, the intentions of this pageant are wholesome and instill a sense of purpose within these beautiful women who have competed, and/or are competing currently. I know for myself personally, I have gained that sense of purpose while learning who I am and how I want to leave my mark on this earth and the people surrounding me. Additionally, I would recommend that each woman competing have a true passion for the environment, and helping those in need. Everyone is equally responsible for taking care of the earth that we live on, but it takes leaders like us, to light the torch to start an ongoing movement that will preserve the planet earth. The best way to gain from this experience is to just have fun and enjoy the ride along the way. This is a learning experience and at the end of the day there can only be one winner, so just embrace the things learned and relationships made in the process!
Social media seem to play a major role in pageantry nowadays. Do you think this is advantageous to you? Why or why not?
I absolutely think this is advantageous to me, because social media has become a platform for all types of topics within life today. Ranging from fashion, to food, then politics and environmental topics, practically anything can be discussed and heard on social media. Simply being a titleholder on social media will give me a slight advantage, and with that I plan to start a lasting movement within my community that will increase environmental awareness and positive action.
Photo by Charan Singh
Did you face any moment of disappointment with yourself during the pageant journey, and how did you overcome it?
I think just like any great journey in life, we might all face some type of disappointment in moments. But there is no way to learn from an experience unless we fail once or twice, or even more times, first! The biggest disappointment within myself overall from my pageant journey has been comparing myself to the winners after the pageant conclusion. I would dwell on the things that I thought I lacked, and it really put me in a slump for some time after. I have learned that by dwelling and comparing, I will only make things worse for myself. Everyone gets her or his chance at winning in life, beauty queen or not! Of course we all want to win, but I believe the true winner in the pageant experience, or any experience in life for that matter is the woman or man who finds the courage within them to try something new. If we never try something new and step outside of our comfort zones, we will never grow. And so that is exactly how I overcame my personal struggle, by allowing growth to happen.
Thanks to the beautiful Jasmina for the interview. Pageants News wishes you all the very best for Miss Earth United States pageant.
