Jacksonville Experience
- mrshawaiiintl2016
- Jul 30, 2016
- 2 min read
In 4th grade, I can remember a time when we had a visit from a cousin (on my dadʻs side of the family), who once carried the title of Mrs. Hawaiʻi America. She came to show us how to walk, talk, and act like a proper beauty queen for a special Spring Activity Week we were having. I thought it was neat to try it out for a few days, but ended up reverting right back to my carefree, messy-hair, bare-foot self when the week was over. The only time I really dressed up at all was if I had to get on-stage for a hula or jazz dance performance. Around the same time she was crowned, I also had another cousin (now on my momʻs side of the family), who we eagerly watched on TV as she competed for the title of Miss Hawaiʻi America and won! I never would have imagined that I would now be continuing an un-anticipated family tradition of sorts.
Here is a quick pictorial recap of my travel to Jacksonville, FL...
The 2016 Mrs. International pageant experience was one I will remember for always. I was able to see myself in a different light, 4,700 miles across the Pacific ocean and an entire continent. I competed against 61 other beautiful women who reaffirmed my knowledge of who I am, where I come from, and where I wanted to be. Being so far from home in a friendly, but still competitive atmosphere, I was definitely challenged to show that I not only knew my identity, but more importantly that I lived it.
HAWAIʻI is my home. ALOHA is my life. PONO is what I strive to be.
Pageantry is a culture all itʻs own. Within the pageant system, beauty is enhanced by knowledge and made manifest through service. Throughout my week in Jacksonville, I met a great variety of beautiful women AND men who encourage others to find beauty in interaction with people. The International Pageant committee worked hard to keep our experience pure and enlightening, often reminding us that though our surface reason for being there was to compete, there was a deeper and more profound purpose to our journey. A BIG Mahalo to those who made this experience enjoyable, up-lifting, and one that I will never forget.
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