MISS TEEN CHICO & MISS CHICO

Winner's go on to compete in the Miss California USA Pageant

As young girls, my friends and I, along with our mothers and the wider community, eagerly anticipated the annual town beauty pageant. This special event was one of the year's highlights, providing cherished moments spent together with our mothers. Even today, I can vividly recall the names of many contestants; despite not knowing them beforehand - we all became familiar with them by the time a queen was crowned. These joyful community celebrations of beauty and womanhood have left an indelible impression on our minds.

At the age of 16, I was selected to represent our town in the Miss Teen USA California pageant in Fresno. This honor was a tremendous one, and I embarked on the journey of preparing for the Miss California USA competition. During that training period, I gained invaluable insights that have continued to resonate with me and greatly impacted my life. Although I did not win the title, the experience taught me essential qualities that would last a lifetime. This formative journey is one I have shared with my daughter, Emma, and she too has had her own pageant experience that has been transformative in her life. It is not surprising then that as an adult, I decided to carry on this tradition by creating a platform for young women in my community to have similar life-changing experiences.

In designing the Miss Teen Chico Pageant, I aimed to capture the essence of what I cherished about the community pageants of my youth - the camaraderie, the celebration of womanhood, and the opportunity for young women to tap into who they are and discover themselves, their capabilities, to help them develop vital leadership skills and hone in on their talents. Through this process, we can inspire and empower the next generation of women in our community.