What’s it like serving on the court with your fellow Plant City High School Raiders?
It feels great. I grew up with Drew (Knotts), Courtney (Coton) and Marlee (Arn). It’s just awesome. We’ve all known each other for a long time. I’m excited to serve the community with friends, and this is just the cherry on top.
You were Miss Congeniality last year, and this year you made it on the court. How does that feel?
It was great. The first year was a very positive competition for me. Getting Miss Congeniality for me was so important because it showed that girls who knew me for a certain period of time thought I was a nice person. That was a very important award for me. That kind of motivated me to do it again. I told my mom, ‘We’re doing it again this year.’
What was going through your mind when you find out you made it on the court?
The first thing I did was look at my parents because they were the ones who motivated me the whole time to just be myself. One of the past queens also said, ‘If you love yourself, everybody else will love you.’ So that actually always stuck with me.
What would you recommend to any girl who is thinking about going out for the pageant in the future?
I would tell them to do it. It’s such a great feeling to know that you get to serve the community and that you have this opportunity. I would definitely tell them to not miss the chance. Just being in the pageant is a great experience. You become friends with the girls.
What was your family’s reaction when you made it on the court?
They were so excited. I saw them all screaming and jumping. The first thing I yelled to them was ‘Mi gente!’ and that means ‘my people’ in Spanish. They were excited for me.