Miss Teen Colorado: Caley-Rae Pavillard ’15

Miss Teen Colorado, Caley-Rae Pavillard, is estatic for her first year at SMU!  Finally all settled into her Boaz dorm room,  the extremely outgoing freshman is having no problem adjusting to the multi-tasking and busy lifestyle of a college student.  Caley-Rae kindly answered some questions about her reign as Miss Teen Colorado and her experience in the Miss Teen USA pageant.

Tell us a little about yourself.  
I work hard in my academics and commitments but I also like to take time to play hard and enjoy my friends. I love to go to movies and eat out at my favorite restaurants. I have a real passion for community service. I went to Juarez, Mexico on a mission trip where I ministered and helped to build 4 homes for underprivileged families.  The families had a profound impact on me and helped me realize my love for giving back and serving others. In high school my favorite day was Thursday when I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Denver Broncos Boys and Girls Club tutoring and mentoring inner city students. I also really love acting and modeling.  I was cast last summer as a lead in the indie film “Moon Ring” which really solidified my aspiration to pursue acting as a career.  I love to be in front of the camera and I love the adrenaline rush I get when I walk the runway.
 
Why did you choose to attend SMU?
Choosing my college was the toughest decision I have ever had to make. I felt so much pressure because I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. I knew it would have such a large influence over the person I would become over the next four years. I knew I wanted to attend a university out of state and somewhere with nice weather. It was important that I be able to pursue my modeling and acting on the side while attending school so I needed to be in a larger media market. This pretty much helped me to narrow down my search to Los Angeles and Dallas.  SMU offered both the majors I was interested in and I loved the overall size of the university and the smaller classes. After a few visits I fell in love with the beautiful campus and the city of Dallas. It didn’t seem as overwhelming as LA. I loved that I had access to the professors and in most cases they would know my name.  At the end of the day I couldn’t turn down everything SMU had to offer me.
 
How did you get into the pageant scene?
Most people don’t know that one of the best rewards of pageants is the scholarship money you can win. Miss America is the largest provider of scholarships to women in America providing $45 million annually.  At the age of 14 I decided to compete in the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant after a friend at my Dance studio had introduced me to the program. I won my state title for Colorado and after that I was hooked. My family could see all the benefits I received after my year of service.  Not only did I win scholarship money but my confidence level, maturity, public speaking skills, poise, grades, and physical fitness all were at their best. Last year I competed in the Colorado Teen USA pageant and currently hold the title. In July I placed in the top 15 at Miss Teen USA in the Bahamas. Miss Teen USA is the little sister pageant to Miss USA and Miss Universe pageant and is owned by Donald Trump and NBC.
 
What were your favorite and least favorite parts of being Miss Teen Colorado?
My main job as Miss Colorado Teen USA is to be an ambassador for young women across my state. I spent my year making several appearances throughout Colorado but my favorite was speaking to at risk and homeless girls, who were elementary and middle school age, through the “Dream Big” program.  “Dream Big” is a program where mentors like myself help to inspire and encourage girls to get involved and pursue their passions no matter what their circumstances.  As far as what I like most I would have to say the moment right before I step on stage when the music is blaring, the energy in the audience is crazy, and I say to myself “This is it.” I am competitive and I love the rush of competing and being on stage. Pageants are my sport and I prepare and work my butt off for months and only have 30 seconds on stage and roughly 5 minutes in an interview to prove myself and show the judges what I’ve got.
The most exciting part was all the preparation. I had several mock interviews with Denver business men and women and local celebrities. I worked with personal trainers, makeup artist  and even got to go to New York City to meet with dress designer Sherri Hill. I loved every part of the preparation and even though it was a lot of hard work, getting to travel to the Bahamas for the Miss Teen USA competition and making it into the Top 15 was an amazing reward.  I really loved every part of being Miss Colorado Teen USA except maybe the restriction of some of my favorite foods to be in the best swimsuit shape for the competition.
 
What do look forward to most about being a student at SMU?
Something I already love about SMU is the size of the school. All my classes are pretty small which has allowed me to form relationships with my professors and that isn’t something you get at every University. Its nice to have a professor call you by name and value you as a student. I can’t wait to rush in January and hopefully join another sisterhood other than my pageant one and also volunteer around Dallas through Mustang Hero’s. And of course I was looking forward to my first Boulevard… it didn’t let down!