My Experience at Miss Teen USA

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to compete at Miss Teen USA, and it was truly one of the most unforgettable weekends of my life. From the moment I arrived, I was surrounded by so many inspiring and accomplished young women who challenged me to grow both personally and professionally. I left that weekend with countless new friendships, valuable lessons, and memories that will last me a lifetime. More than anything, the experience reminded me of the importance of believing in yourself, embracing new opportunities, and surrounding yourself with people who inspire you to dream bigger. 

Being surrounded by so many ambitious girls also sparked a new sense of motivation within me. I came home feeling more inspired and confident in the ideas and projects I had been working on behind the scenes. Throughout the weekend, I received so much advice and encouragement that gave me a fresh perspective on my goals and made me feel more ready than ever to take the next steps. 

Miss Teen USA was also my very first pageant, so stepping onto that stage was an experience I will never forget. While I ultimately fell short of the title, I’ve come to realize that I’m genuinely happy with how everything turned out. Of course, I was disappointed in the moment, but with time, I’ve realized that I still have so much I want to accomplish and so many projects I want to bring to life. I don’t feel that I’m quite ready for a title of that level yet, and I believe there is a reason for that. I want to continue growing, learning, and completing the projects that are so important to me before stepping into that role. The title went to Makenna Wayman, who is so deserving and someone I have so much respect for. As an accomplished author and someone with such a positive platform online, she embodies many of the qualities I hope to develop in myself. She, along with so many of the other incredible contestants—including my roommate, who was named first runner up—left me feeling inspired and motivated to keep working toward the person I want to become.

When I look back on Miss Teen USA, I’m genuinely really happy with how everything went. This was my first pageant, so just getting to experience something completely new and stepping onto that stage is something I’m really proud of. I had no idea what to expect going into it, and there were definitely moments where I had to get out of my comfort zone, but I’m so glad I took the chance.

I also came home feeling really motivated. Being around so many driven and talented girls made me want to keep working on the things I care about and actually start taking some of the ideas I’ve had for a while to the next level. I got so much advice throughout the weekend, and even some of the smallest conversations stuck with me.

More than anything, I’m grateful for the people I met and the memories I made. It was such a unique experience, and I know I’ll look back on that weekend for a long time. I’m proud of how I handled my first pageant, proud that I put myself out there, and proud of everything I was able to accomplish in such a short amount of time.

I don’t know exactly when my next pageant will be but I know I want to keep competing. This experience gave me a lot of confidence going forward. I have so many things I want to continue working on and I have so many ideas I’m excited about. I’m ready to see where they take me.

Miss Teen USA was such a special experience for me, and I’m really grateful I got the opportunity to be a part of it. I walked away with new friendships, new motivation, and a lot to look forward to. Most importantly, I walked away proud of myself, and I think that’s a pretty great way to end my first pageant.