By Marcia E. Gawecki
Cheyenne, an Idyllwild Arts dance student, entered a beauty pageant to earn a college scholarship. Courtesy photo.
Even in the 21st Century, beauty pageants are still a great way for teenage girls to earn scholarship money for college.
On October 30, Cheyenne, 17, a dance major at Idyllwild Arts Academy, will compete in the “Miss Colorado Teen USA” Pageant in Greeley, Colorado.
There will be an interview, swimsuit and evening gown portion of the competition.
“There’s no talent requirement in this pageant,” explained Cheyenne. “Dance would be easy, but they don’t require talent until you reach the national level with ‘Miss Teen USA.’”
Cheyenne said that she’s been entering beauty pageants since she was 13 years old, and usually makes it to the Top 5.
“My mother lets me enter pageants because she said that I can learn a lot about public service and possibly earn scholarship money for college,” Cheyenne said.
According to the Miss Colorado USA and Miss Colorado Teen USA official web site, six schools provided applied scholarships to the 2011 pageant winners, including Lindenwood University ($45,600), Alverno College ($12,000), Wartburg College ($2,000), William Penn University ($10,900), PCI Academy ($3,000) and the New York Film Academy ($13,600).
For the evening gown portion of the “Miss Colorado Teen USA” pageant, Cheyenne found the perfect gown for a great price.
The dramatic images showed off her gown in its full glory. Courtesy photo.
“We had been looking for gowns online and all over the place,” Cheyenne said. “Then we walked into a small dress shop and found a Sherri Hill (brand) gown that was my size and on sale.”
Cheyenne’s one-shoulder gown is white, and its accented with sequins and ostrich feathers. She said that it complements her red hair and fair skin.
“When I tried it on, I felt glamorous,” Cheyenne said, laughing.
The glamour she felt was captured by a modeling agency photographer recently.
Shots of her posing in between tall buildings, some of them skewed, show off her gown in its full glory. The photo shoot was part of her winnings from a previous beauty pageant, she said.
Besides her regular dance classes at Idyllwild Arts, jogging and watching her diet, Cheyenne has brushed up on Colorado local and regional news in the weeks leading up to the pageant. She said that she’s not worried about what the judges will ask her.
“I pretty much know what to expect since I’ve been in pageants before,” Cheyenne said.
Years spent in dance classes, master classes, and performances at Idyllwild Arts have helped Cheyenne build her poise and confidence. She said that she doesn’t get stage fright either.
If she were to win “Miss Colorado USA,” Cheyenne would automatically enter the “Miss Teen USA” pageant in Atlanta, Georgia, held around Thanksgiving time.
“If I won, it would be a great way to continue my public service,” Cheyenne said.
This summer, Cheyenne and her mother helped out at a local animal shelter in Colorado. They fostered a Pitt Bull mix puppy named, “Cookie.” Cheyenne showed off several pictures of the cute puppy on her cell phone. It was hard to believe that that she wasn’t adoptable.
Cheyenne's dramatic gown features sequins and ostrich feathers. Courtesy photo.
“Cookie’s mom started getting aggressive at the shelter trying to protect her, so they separated them,” Cheyenne said.
When she arrived in their home, Cookie wasn’t potty trained and couldn’t even eat dry food.
“Cookie is so smart, and caught on to the potty training right away,” Cheyenne said.
Within two weeks, Cookie was trained and adopted by a nice family. A week later, her mother was too, Cheyenne said. A happy ending that may not have been had they not intervened.
Cheyenne’s friends are supportive of her decision to enter the “Miss Teen Colorado” contest, but they sometimes tease her, which she takes good-naturedly.
“It’s always a great experience,” Cheyenne said.
Via Facebook and email, she stays in touch with friends that she’s met in pageants.
The “Miss Teen Colorado” pageant won’t likely be broadcast outside her home state, but “Miss Teen USA” will. As a hobby, Cheyenne often watches beauty pagaents.
“I can always pick the winner,” she said.
Copyright 2011 Idyllwild Me. All rights reserved.
Published on: Oct 22, 2011 @ 11:45
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