The secret to standing out from a field of highly accomplished pageant contestants is having more depth than width in your life. The width is the quantity of the activities in which you participate, and the depth is the quality of your involvement within your accomplishments. The more prestigious the title, job or scholarship you are competing for, the more important your depth of contribution becomes.
For example, let’s say there are three young women who all have a 4.0 GPA. When comparing the transcripts, we find the first young lady has taken the basic courses required by her high school to graduate. The second young woman has taken honors classes all four years of high school. The third contestant took honors courses as an underclassman, but her senior year she took an AP (Advanced Placement) course for college credit. If scholastic achievement is part of the judging criteria, the third pageant contestant is going to get the highest points for her academic accomplishments.
When it comes to academics, the evaluators want to see progressive growth and that the individual is continually challenging herself each year. This is not only relevant in pageants, but also a standard for college scholarship selection as well.
This same principle carries over into your extracurricular activities, community service, pageant appearances, and platform involvement.
Just remember, you hit oil by drilling deep.
