5 Things I Learned from Pageantry

In light of the Miss Georgetown Fair Queen Information Tea being this Sunday, I felt that it was only right that I share some of the things I learned from pageantry. Specifically, what I learned as the 2016 Miss Georgetown Fair Queen.

Some of the lessons I learned from pageantry I did not know was something I absorbed until I got to college and saw how useful they all were. So today I am going to share more than the average tips and lessons learned like smile and be approachable. I want this to truly give everyone a taste as to why pageantry is important and how there are some things you can only learn through pageantry.

#5. Speaking from the Heart

Being in any kind of public position, you certainly are asked to speak at several events and there is always an interview right around the corner. I have had the pleasure of being interviewed on the local news numerous times and I have participated in countless radio interviews. With each interview I was a part of, I wanted to make it a fun and interesting experience for the interviewer, the audience, and myself.

Of course, there were certain dates or places that I would need to remember because mainly that was the whole reason I was being interviewed anyway, but I never came with prepared talking points or speeches. The best way to approach any public speech or interview, in my opinion, is strictly with your wit and personality.

There were a ton of instances where showing up with a “ready for whatever would happen” attitude really helped me out both while being a Queen and in my normal everyday life. Although I am only halfway through my time in college, this easy-going attitude has helped me with classes, group projects, and personal projects. I could not be more thankful for how pageantry taught me to just relax and simply be myself even in situations where other people might feel a lot of pressure.

#4. Grace Under Pressure

This next lesson learned from pageantry comes with a funny little antidote, too. It was “Georgetown Night” at the local hockey game and I was the official hostess. Now, my amazing pageant directors (who always made a point to come to all events that they could to chaperone me and make sure I was comfortable and safe. I can never thank them enough for this!) were under the impression that I would be dropping the first puck.

So, I made my way past the locker rooms and there was a carpet rolled out on the ice. Suddenly, someone walks up to me and asked me if I was ready to sing the National Anthem. This really sent me for a loop because I had not practiced singing the National Anthem at all nor am I a singer in my everyday life. Nonetheless, I was handed a microphone, given a spotlight, and I sang.

The moral behind this story is that there are many situations you might find yourself in that will call for you to step up to the plate whether you are prepared or not. The wrong thing to do would be to get upset and walk out, but the right thing to do is to follow through and prove that nothing can shake your confidence. That was the decision I was faced with in the moment and I have been faced with many moments like that since then.

If it were not for pageantry, I would not have learned this lesson from pageantry or so early in life. I am very thankful for the experiences I have had because they have made me grow as an individual which is always the goal.

#3. Leadership

Leadership is a quality that many people think you have to be born with and it cannot be learned. I am sure to some degree that is true, but I also believe that everyone has at least a little bit of leadership deep down within them. It just takes the right time and opportunity to make it show!

I would never say I was a shy kid while growing up at all (I loved being around people even then), but I definitely wasn’t the person who would jump on a fire truck for a photo! Being in pageantry taught me to seize the moment because that is all you really have. There is no way to predict the future and I wouldn’t want to anyway. You have to step out of your comfort zone any chance you get because those are the memories that will last a lifetime!

#2. Dealing with People One on One

As I have stated in this same post, I am a people person. I like meeting new people and getting to know their stories. However, something that pageantry taught me is how to interact with individuals on a one on one basis. Being personable is so important in life! It really makes a difference in the lives of others, too!

The important element in all of this is to give people your full, undivided attention. I know this sounds easy, but without practicing this form of communication you won’t get the hang of it. The difference it has made in all of my conversions with people has been amazing! It really shows them how much I care about what they have to say which is always amazing!

This is especially important with children. All kids really want is to know someone cares and giving them you time and care can do wonders for them. Also, a friendly hug and wave really can make a larger impact than you would ever expect.

#1. What I Am Not

I know this sounds counterproductive and it would be much easier for me to finish off this list with saying the final lesson I learned was “who I am”, but that is just the point of this list, isn’t it? The easy thing to do would be to claim that pageantry will teach you all about who and what you need to be, but that isn’t true. Nothing but your own mind can make that decision for you.

What I can say, though, is that pageantry showed me what I am not. This final but very important lesson means that it reaffirmed everything I was thinking and hoping it would. It showed me I do enjoy meeting people, I like not being stuck doing the same thing every day, I want to be pushed outside of my comfort zone, and I love getting dressed up! I will always be a goofy, happy go lucky girl from the Midwest.

This final lesson also means that pageantry taught me I will never be the girl who sits in the corner and waits for something to happen. I want to jump right into whatever is happening at the moment! Pageantry taught me that I definitely belong at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign just like I always hoped (I learned that by being in the Homecoming parade just before I got accepted as a student there).

Of all the lessons that pageantry taught me (there are so many more than just five), these are some of the few I wish more people talked about. Pageantry may seem old fashioned, but there are a ton of invaluable lessons that can be learned from the kind of experiences only pageantry provides.

Never doubt the girls who run in pageants or have been honored to win one. They are all so kind, smart, and hardworking.

Never doubt pageantry itself. It has the power to be a blessing and to change your life in all of the best ways!

Much Love,
Sarah