Attention, universe!
I did it! I completed my first pageant ever and didn’t even fall down — the biggest victory of all, really.
Last Monday, hundreds of people filled a huge theatre on campus for the annual UF Homecoming Pageant to watch 40 women and 11 men take the stage for this university tradition.
As I outlined in my previous posts, we rifled through the following rounds:
- An opening number dance
- Gameday Wear
- Eveningwear
- Announcement of Top 12/ Interview Question
- Announcement of Homecoming Court (Top 6 — 3 men and 3 women)
The first minute of the pageant was actually the worst part of the whole pageant, in my opinion. I don’t dance well, and the pageant was no exception.
Because this year’s pageant was America-themed, all of the women were divided into red, white and blue dresses (I repped white), to a choreographed dance to patriotic songs for a grueling two minutes.
I’ll sum up my performance this way: I had my friends in the audience text me 5 minutes into the pageant that the $10 ticket was worth every penny just to see me dance — not because I was good, mind you. At least I gave some people a good laugh — my dignity as the expense.
But all of the contestants went back to the dressing room laughing at the terrible job the majority of us did on stage — it was a great bonding experience for us at the very least! On a side note, all of the contestants were great. I really felt honored to get to know some of my fellow student leaders on campus whom I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to connect with in previous years. I walked away with some awesome new friends who are truly amazing people.
But from the dance, it was smooth sailing for all of us! My male partner and I took the stage in our orange and blue gameday wear for the first round — big smiles in tow. It was at that moment I looked out into the audience and saw that my sorority sisters — about 50 of them, had saved the middle section of seats in the auditorium and had drenched it in encouraging signs for me. I know I’ve talked about all of the support I’ve gotten from family (my parents came, too) and friends in previous posts — but when I saw them, I almost lost it. The love I felt at that moment was pretty unparalleled. And my Facebook? Also flooded with encouraging posts and supportive statuses. So cool.
After that round, we quickly changed into eveningwear and took the stage as duos one last time. From there, it was narrowed down to the top 12 as well as other awards including Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic and Queen of Hearts — the nod my sorority sisters helped me work toward.
Well, all of our work paid off.
They announced my name for winning Queen of Hearts! LifeSouth Community Blood Centers honored me with a personalized heart plaque, gift basket, $250 check and the opportunity to ride on their float in the upcoming Homecoming Parade.
I couldn’t have been happier.
Not only did I step outside my comfort zone to participate in a pageant (!), but I was actually able to make a difference in the Gainesville community with the help of my friends and family by racking up the most blood donations.
Does it really get any more glamorous than that? I don’t think so.