Miss Teen Volunteer America UPDATE!!

    Two weeks ago, I took a trip to Jackson, Tennessee for the Miss Teen Volunteer America competition where I placed in the Top 10 out of 49 young women. I'm beyond grateful for the experiences I had in Jackson and the connections I made. Here’s a little about my time at Miss Teen Volunteer America!

    Thursday morning marked the first phase of competition: the interview. For the interview we had six minutes to share who we are, our goals and how we would serve as a national titleholder. Leading up to it, I wanted to feel centered before entering the room. I took time to breathe and meditate prior to getting my hair and makeup done. This helped me flush away any nerves and stay present. After getting ready and checking in for the interview, I waited in a room until my allotted time. I brought my water bottle, AirPods and journal with me—everything I might need. I turned on my favorite playlist, starting with the Legally Blonde remix, and read through my bullet journal. In my journal I had outlined my favorite qualities, my goals and everything I was grateful for. Reminding myself of these small details helped me feel confident in the Cassandra I was sharing with the judges. Walking away from the interview, I felt empowered. Traditionally, I leave the interview feeling uncertain about a few questions, but this time I never felt stumped. I got three questions I had hoped for plus some unexpected ones that allowed me to share other aspects of myself. I even got to talk about what I was learning in my social media class which was an added bonus.

    Before I entered the interview room, I also had to start practicing for my talent performance, which took place Thursday night. That morning, I warmed up my voice because we had six minutes onstage to rehearse our talent. Once those six minutes were up, the music was shut off no matter where we were in our routine and we wouldn’t get another chance to rehearse before competing. My rehearsal was stressful to say the least. Initially, they played the wrong music track, which was a faster version, so none of my notes aligned. By the time I realized it, my six minutes were almost up. My director immediately helped fix the music and thankfully, I had the opportunity to rehearse with the correct track. That night, I performed my talent, but I didn’t think it was my best. I wasn’t happy with how my high note sounded which put a damper on my mood. But after my performance, as I stood in the lobby greeting people, my opinion changed. I met a little girl named Zoey who started talking to me. The moment she realized I was "the singer in red," she squealed and trapped me in a hug. She couldn’t stop gushing about how much she loved my performance. In that moment, I decided that no note mattered as much as that reaction.

    On Friday, I competed in the fitness and evening gown phases of competition. While these may seem like the easiest phases, they require just as much practice as the others. In fitness, you have to find a balance between energy and grace. Similarly, every pose must be precise to ensure the outfit lays correctly. One of the biggest challenges was the addition of a fan at the side of the runway. It was meant to blow each girl’s hair in front of the judges but only if you hit the exact mark. While the fan wasn’t used during the evening gown phase, the same level of precision was needed for the livestream cameras. Contestants had to stand in a specific spot to capture their moment on screen. Another challenge with evening gown was the limited rehearsal time. Each girl had three practice runs in her gown before the competition but if a skirt was difficult to maneuver, there was little time to make adjustments. So even though these phases seem like simple walking, there are many details that must be considered to truly shine onstage.

    After these phases, the Top 16 were announced for Saturday’s finals. I had no expectations of placing because in the end, it all depended on what the judges were looking for. I was proud of all my performances but wasn’t sure if I was the type of contestant the judges wanted. When I heard my name called in the Top 16, I was in shock. Immediately after taking pictures, we changed into our fitness outfits and competed in our new order. Then, we gathered onstage as they announced the Top 12. About five names were called before I heard them say "Ohio"—I had made the cut! I was elated to perform my talent again and ran backstage to change and warm up. After performing, I felt immense pride in what I had displayed onstage. As I stood in my evening gown waiting for the Top 10 announcement, I knew I had already exceeded my own expectations. When I heard my name called again, it felt like a new surge of energy. From there, I went backstage to prepare for the final evening gown phase. I used that moment to soak in the joy of the entire experience. Instead of focusing on the competition, I focused on my personal growth. When they announced the Top 5, I wasn’t upset about not making the cut. In the end, I had no regrets about my performance—I simply wasn’t what the judges were looking for and that was okay with me.

    Overall, my trip to nationals was unexpected, joyous and life-changing. I never imagined I would compete in my first national pageant back in 2022 let alone get a second chance at a national competition three years later. This was my "do-over" to right every regret I had. In the end, I wasn’t focused on placement—I was focused on growth. Seeing how much I had evolved from 2022 to 2025 gave me more pride than any title ever could.