At 18 years old, I was new to the pageant world, but I was excited by the idea of competing for the first time, even though I wasn’t the typical glitz-and-glam type. The thought of wearing a beautiful dress outside of prom was enough to spark my interest, so I decided to dive in and entered my high school’s first-ever pageant. That experience led me to compete in my county’s pageant, and looking back, I realize none of it would have been possible if I hadn’t taken that first leap of faith.