In the southeastern states of the U.S., pageants are no laughing matter. Sure the girls enjoy themselves, but these competitions are taken as seriously as any Super Bowl or NBA playoff game.
Many girls start their pageant careers as teetering toddlers, barely able to walk but still managing to prance around on stage sporting a poofy dress, big hair and of course, a tiara.
That was not the case for Kelly Hawkins, recently crowned winner of the 2011 Miss University of Florida Pageant. She caught the pageant bug late in life and is definitely hooked.
It all started two years ago when Hawkins’ friend encouraged her to participate in their high school’s pageant. In her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., high school pageants were popular, and although she had no previous experience, Hawkins decided to give it a try.
She was crowned Miss Ponte Vedra High School.
“I did that pageant on such a whim, but I won that title,” Hawkins said. “That’s what got me really interested in pageants and made me want to keep competing.”
In the following year, Hawkins would win her next big title: Miss Northeast Coast.
Hawkins started her pageant career with a bang and said she owes her ease and comfort on stage to a lifetime of dancing that started when she was eight. Hawkins was used to the spotlight, but pageants brought on the new challenges of answering an on-stage question and presenting herself in evening gowns and swimwear.
“I really enjoy all the categories and overall it’s a really positive and fun experience to compete at all,” she said.
Although Hawkins said the talent portion of the competition is what she’s most prepared for, it is also what makes her the most nervous. Hawkins is primarily a jazz dancer but decided to go Bollywood style for her pageants with a dance she choreographed to the song “Jai Ho” from the popular movie, Slumdog Millionaire.
“I always get a little nervous before talent because we’re all showing our passions and dancing is what I’ve done all my life so everyone expects a lot of you when you come out on stage,” she said.
According to Hawkins, the competition was stiff at the Miss UF pageant. Hawkins, a freshman marketing major, went up against juniors and seniors to win the title.
“I was absolutely shocked and awed and humbled for them to have chosen me because there were some really amazing girls in the pageant,” she said.
The current reigning Miss America is only 17-years-old, and Hawkins looks to her as inspiration that age is only a number when it comes to pageants.
“I try to look at it not as being intimidated by the fact that they’re older than me, but that I could learn something from them and create some really good relationships from it,” Hawkins said.
As the new Miss UF, she is considered a local pageant winner and will have the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss Florida in July.
This will be her second time competing in the statewide competition and she hopes to win the title.
After winning the Miss Northeast Coast pageant, Hawkins created a platform she will bring to Alachua County as part of her duties as Miss UF.
Her initiative, Girls With Goals, is a mentoring program for high school freshmen girls. It is designed to encourage and help the girls set goals in all aspects of life and find ways to achieve them.
“I chose to work with girls that are entering high school and starting to get into this crazy phase of life just to give them some guidance,” she said. “I really wanted to reach out and touch a lot of people that I could relate to.”
For Hawkins, the chance to make a positive impact is an amazing perk in addition to the new friendships, character building and opportunities to perform that come along with participating in pageants.
Her ultimate goal is to win the title of Miss America.
“I can talk about all the reasons why I want to be Miss Florida and eventually Miss America for hours,” Hawkins said. “[Pageants] have just been the most rewarding experience I’ve had in my life.”