What does Miss America 2011Teresa Scanlan, Mary Hart, Vanna White, Oprah, and Sarah Palin all have in common? All these women competed in pageants. The degree of how far they went in pageants varies, but no one can deny that all these women are successful in their own fields.

Mary Hart competed in the Miss America pageant in 1970 as Miss South Dakota, and finished in the top ten. She later became an Entertainment Tonight correspondent. Vanna White of Wheel of Fortune was the fourth runner-up in the 1978 Miss Georgia Universe Beauty Pageant. Sarah Palin came in second in the Miss Alaska Pageant in 1984. And even Oprah was in pageants. At 16, she was the first black Miss Fire Prevention for Nashville.

There are countless women who have launched their careers by entering pageants. And many of them never won the title they were seeking.

Sometimes, the title we THINK we need to be successful isn’t where our greatest success will come from. Participating in pageants means you’ll come in contact with pageant judges, pageant sponsors, and audience members who are connected in the community. People are the doors to opportunity. It’s a myth to think that only the titleholder is the “winner” and the only one who was successful the evening of the pageant. In fact, many of the runners up tend to achieve greater success in life than the queen.
The self discovering and skills that pageant contestants develop through competition make them more desirable in the market place.
So I’ll ask you to question your definition of success. What would need to happen at a pageant for you to feel successful? What opportunities are you hoping the physical crown will lead to? Do you need a crown to follow your dreams? What benefits are you getting as a person from participating in pageants?
If you’re ready to explore these questions further, contact me and let’s get started on putting together your plan for success.

Night One – Miss Hawaii – Jalee Fuselier, Lifestyle & Fitness Winner

Night One -Miss North Carolina – Adrienne Core, Talent- clogging performance to “Soul Man”

Night Two- Miss Alabama – Ashley Davis, Lifestyle & Fitness

Night Two- Miss Rhode Island – Deborah Saint-Vil, Talent -vocal performance of “Smile”

Night Three-Miss Nebraska – Teresa Scanlan, Talent -piano performance of ”White Water Chopped Sticks”

Night Three-Miss Oklahoma – Emoly West, Lifestyle & Fitness

Miss America will travel approximately 20,000 miles each month speaking to audiences about her platform of Eating Disorders: A Generation at Risk, and acting as the National Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals, is the national platform partner of the Miss America Organization.
In addition, Miss America 2011 will be the official spokesperson for Joseph Ribkoff International Clothing Company, who will provide Teresa with a full wardrobe for the year.
Teresa, age 17, will be a student at Patrick Henry College. Her scholastic ambition is to attend law school and she ultimately hopes to become a judge and eventually a politician. Along with the title of Miss America 2011, Teresa won a $50,000 scholarship sponsored by Artistry exclusively by Amway to continue her education. For the talent portion of the competition, Teresa performed “White Water Chopped Sticks” on the piano.

The first runner-up was Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady who earned a $25,000 scholarship. Her talent performance was Vocal-Ventriloquism to “I want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” and her personal platform is Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Second runner-up honors and a $20,000 scholarship were awarded to Miss Hawaii Jalee Fuselier. Her talent was a vocal performance to “Feelin’ Good,” and her personal platform is “Ready for the Real World.”
Additional information about the Miss America Organization can be found atwww.MissAmerica.org.

All photos courtesy of the Miss America Organization.

Miss America 2011

• Miss Nebraska – Teresa Scanlan

Runners Up

• Miss Arkansas – Alyse Eady (1st Runner Up)
• Miss Hawaii – Jalee Fuselier (2nd Runner Up)
• Miss Washington – Jacquie Brown (3rd Runner Up)
• Miss Oklahoma – Emoly West (4th Runner Up)

Top 5 (In Random Order)

• Miss Hawaii – Jalee Fuselier
• Miss Washington – Jacquie Brown
• Miss Nebraska – Teresa Scanlan
• Miss Oklahoma – Emoly West
• Miss Arkansas – Alyse Eady

Top 10 (In Random Order)

• Miss Nebraska – Teresa Scanlan
• Miss Washington – Jacquie Brown
• Miss Arizona – Kathryn Bulkley
• Miss California – Arianna Afsar
• Miss Oklahoma – Emoly West
• Miss Hawaii – Jalee Fuselier
• Miss Delaware – Kayla Martell
• Miss Virginia – Caitlin Uze
• Miss Arkansas – Alyse Eady
• Miss Kentucky – Djuan Trent

Top 12 (In Random Order)

• Miss Texas – Ashley Melnick
• Miss Arkansas – Alyse Eady
• Miss Delaware – Kayla Martell
• Miss Arizona – Kathryn Bulkley
• Miss Hawaii – Jalee Fuselier
• Miss Washington – Jacquie Brown
• Miss Kentucky – Djuan Trent
• Miss California – Arianna Afsar
• Miss Oklahoma – Emoly West
• Miss Virginia – Caitlin Uze
• Miss New York – Claire Buffie
• Miss Nebraska – Teresa Scanlan

Semi Finalists (In Random Order)

• Miss Oklahoma – Emoly West
• Miss Nebraska – Teresa Scanlan
• Miss Texas – Ashley Melnick
• Miss Rhode Island – Deborah Saint-Vil
• Miss Utah – Christina Lowe
• Miss Washington – Jacquie Brown
• Miss Arizona – Kathryn Bulkley
• Miss Hawaii – Jalee Fuselier
• Miss Virginia – Caitlin Uze
• Miss Arkansas – Alyse Eady
• Miss California – Arianna Afsar
• Miss New York – Claire Buffie (America’s Choice)
• Miss Delaware – Kayla Martell (America’s Choice)
• Miss Kentucky – Djuan Trent (Contestant’s Choice)
• Miss Oregon – Stephenie Steers (Contestant’s Choice)

Rhonda Shappert

January 20, 2011 07:44

With the holidays behind you, it’s time to shift your focus to the year 2011. In last week’s newsletter, I stressed the importance of planning if you want your results in 2011 to be different than 2010; but a plan without action is worthless.

Every January 1st, people set all kinds of resolutions with good intentions. Then, by the middle of February, most of those resolutions are distant memories. Yes, there’s power in setting a goal-tremendous power in writing it down. It’s the first step to making change happen. However, what is it that gets in your way of making those intentions happen? I’ll tell you what it is.It’s your enormous BUT.

I would do it now BUT I don’t have the time.

I would do it BUT I don’t have the money.

I would do it BUT I don’t know how.

I would do it BUT I’m not good enough.

I would do it BUT it’s too late.

BUT is a mental block that will keep your physical butt from taking action to make your dreams come true. So time of truth, HOW BIG IS YOUR BUT? How much longer are you going to allow your mental blocks hold you back from the dreams and desires of your heart?

You want a stronger spiritual life? Then spend more time in daily prayer. You want to be of greater service to those around you? Then start looking at ways that you can offer your gifts of time, talent or money to make a difference in your community. Don’t use your BUT (or sit on your butt) for another year thinking things are going to happen on their own. Start small if need be. Just start.

What is it that will move you to take action? For most people, they need someone or something to hold them accountable. Personally, if I tell someone I am going to do something, I will take the necessary action to do it. BUT, if I keep it all to myself, it’s much easier NOT to take the action because no one else knows about it – except me. Or, if I pay for an event before it takes place, the chances of me attending are greater than if I wait until the last minute and pay at the door.

What action can you take to help hold you accountable to your new year’s resolutions? If you’re planning on participating in a pageant this year and want a winning experience by :

Feeling confidently relaxed at the pageant because of your thorough preparation.

Presenting your very best self to the judges.

Experiencing less pageant drama than you have in the past.

Answering interview questions with ease in a natural conversational style.

Developing a specific skill set that will help you succeed in life beyond the pageant.

January 5, 2011 06:04

There are three days left until we ring in 2011.

Today, reality TV shows are numerous; and pageants aren’t left out. Mrs. America, Mrs. World, Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA, Little Miss Perfect, MTV’s MADE, and Toddlers and Tiaras have all had their share of TV coverage. But how does what you see on your screen compare to the real event?

Here’s the reality about television [Read more…]

Doing more pageants may not get you better results. In fact, doing too much too soon is the fastest way to burnout. There is a fine line between

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