Last semester I interviewed Jessica Kunamalla, who was anxiously awaiting to compete in her first pageant, Miss Illinois 2016. Since then, she has succesfully competed and is here to update and tell us about her experience! Also she’ll give some confidence tips for us all!
HC: Last time we spoke, you were getting ready for the Miss Illinois 2016 pageant. Tell us how the pageant went.
The pageant went really well! There was a lot of tough competition. The judges had a hard decision with about 80 girls competing. It was definitely a very tiring weekend, but I made it to the Top 15 semi-finals (Top 18 because of ties). I’m really proud of how far I got! It was such a great experience meeting so many diverse women. My favorite part was receiving an overwhelming amount of support from my family, friends, and community. I truly felt blessed to have such a full heart!
HC: Was your first pageant what you expected it to be? Why or why not?
Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect. It feels like the weekend went by so fast. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. You get an adrenaline rush after coming off of the stage that is pretty indescribable. A lot more work goes into it that I thought. We had rehearsals for the good chunk of the weekend. I was also warned that the girls are very catty, but I didn’t encounter anyone like that. Everyone was really kind and supportive of one another. It was really inspiring to see so many women with real passions for making our local and global community a better place. Personally, I think surrounding yourself with positive, uplifting people is so important in life. Prior to this experience, I can say that I would not have expected to find such an environment at a pageant.
HC: Did you face any obstacles during the pageant? How’d you overcome them?
The biggest challenge I faced was to focus on only myself. I think it is human nature (consciously or unconsciously) to be hard on yourself by comparing yourself to others, and contrastingly, to put others down in order to feel better about yourself. Whenever I saw myself going down that road even slightly, I shifted gears and redirected my thoughts. I just had to focus on what I was bringing to the table and being the best version of myself that I could be. I believe very strongly in empowering yourself and others, especially women, so that is how I overcame that obstacle.
HC: Do you still have the same opinion of pageants as you did prior to your first pageant?
I definitely found out that there is a lot more to pageants that looking good in a swimsuit. It is a competition. You need a lot of physical, mental, and emotional endurance. A few of my friends asked me if it was anything like Miss Congeniality, and to an extent, I don’t blame them. I went into the pageant expecting stereotypical pageant behavior, very soft spoken and proper women. While there might have been a few of those girls, the majority of the people I met are just your average down-to-earth girls with a wide spectrum of dreams and aspirations. A lot of them are pretty goofy actually! My best friends at the pageant are honestly the weirdest people I know (Shout out to Pam and Shani!)
HC: Do you plan on participating in any other pageants in the future?
I don’t have anything lined up right now, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it. This pageant alone has opened up so many opportunities for me. I think it’d be awesome to give it another shot because I really do think I could be a great representative!
HC: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in doing pageants but is too afraid to pursue them?
I personally believe that doing the very things that scare you are how you live life to the fullest and how you grow as a person. Trust me, doing this pageant was definitely out of my comfort zone, but it really was such a cool experience to be apart of. All the glam is so fun, and you really gain a lot of confidence. I was walking around in public with curlers in my hair the other day, and I can definitely say I wouldn’t have done that before this pageant!
HC: Do you have any tips for girls dealing with confidence issues?
First of all, I think as a society we place too much of an emphasis on confidence stemming from beauty. Confidence and beauty are about so much more than your outward appearance. I think confidence comes when you own what you have and stop trying to be what you think you should be. Society has created this image of what beauty is and isn’t. I personally never fit in that mold. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to look at what I have as a blessing, and I keep in mind that I am so much more than my appearance. External beauty only makes up a small fragment of who you really are. So first I would say you have to embrace everything God has given you. Then you have to realize that confidence and beauty are their own entities, although they do intertwine. So start from within, and your confidence will be radiant.