Can a Pageant Change a Little Girl Into a Confident Young Woman?

Miss Grace Adams' Transformation Into Little Miss Memorial Day

Can winning a pageant transform a quiet little girl into a confident young lady? Once a soft spoken, quiet, reserved little girl, Miss Grace Adams, of Dacula, and daughter of Joey and Vicki Adams, has now blossomed into an outstanding confident young woman and model citizen. Miss Grace who is being recognized with the President's Award, for her work during her time as Little Miss Memorial Day, is a wonderful example of how pageants work to improve a child's confidence. 

Miss Grace is everything that a pageant director is looking for in a contestant to become one of her Miss Memorial Day Queens.  As director of the Miss Memorial Day Organization and Miss Memorial Day Pageant, I am searching for a girl that will be committed to her title and many times that included having committed parents as well.  Miss Grace and her parents have been an awesome additions to our pageant family this year.   

When Miss Grace took the stage a year ago, she was a shy, quiet, and a guarded little lady.  The stage, decorated with American flags, white lights, and patriotic flowers, was the perfect place for her to blossom.  Miss Grace, already a good student at Dacula Elementary School, listened and learned from a former Miss Memorial Day, Miss Rachel Phillips of Dacula, about what to expect at the pageant. It is always a plus when our Miss Memorial Day Queen is willing to work with new comers to the pageant world.

How does pageantry change a quiet girl into a leader one might wonder?  Can being a Queen make a young girl think differently about herself?  Do activities planned for pageant Queens change the way they see themselves?  It is said that confidence is a beautiful thing and I agree with that truism.  Confidence is a personality trait that can indeed be instilled in a child.  Pageants offer girls, of all ages, the ability to grow in confidence.     

Miss Grace won her title and began her confidence building year as Little Miss Memorial Day.  Her first opportunity was to designing the float that would appear in the 17th Annual Dacula Memorial Day Parade. This float must be special to Miss Grace because she would be enjoying her first appearance riding atop the float during the parade.  Along with Junior Miss Memorial Day, Miss Caitlin Piland, the queens began their pageant year together as novice and mentor.  Caitlin was always there to show Miss Grace the pageant way.   Next, she worked at the Memorial Day Festival tent applying tattoos and face painting to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project, the MMD annual service project.  Later, Grace worked to raise over $3,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project while working with the Richport Homes Model Home Yard Sale.  

With each new opportunity Miss Grace grew in confidence with her abilities. Each outing allows our daughters to become more informed, confident, and outgoing.  Miss Grace took her new found personal confidence and is now excelling as a horse woman, photojournalist, and a member of her Dacula Elementary School Jump Rope Team.  

Confidence comes from getting involved in worthwhile activities. Pageants provide opportunities for girls to step up in a safe positive environment and stretch themselves into becoming strong and self-confident young women.

Then, as the Little Sister Pageant to the MRS GEORGIA America Pageant, Miss Grace and her fellow Queens were invited to pageant week for the MRS GEORGIA contestants.  Along with welcoming all guest, meeting the contestants, and getting to go back stage during this national pageant, Miss Grace was able to speak to the new MRS GEORGIA, the night of her crowning.  

We want our Queens to see what dedication and follow through looks like in the world of pageants. Pageants are indeed about the beauty of each girl’s heart and also about the development of her mind.    

The Miss Memorial Day Organization specific goal is to educated their contestants about citizenship and how to become a GOOD CITIZEN.  We work to involve our girls in activities that have to do with the government, politics, military, and patriotic events.  In the past, the Miss Memorial Day Queens have worked with The ADOPT-A-PLATOON Organization, sent hundreds of letter through the PATRIOTIC PEN PAL Program, worked at the Governor's Mansion with the “2008 Decorate the State” program (where they decorated the Governor's Mansion for the Marine’s TOYS FOR TOTS Christmas Party) and also raised funds to sponsor a local military family with their, 2010 “YES SIR SERGEANT!” Program.  

The new 2012 Miss Memorial Day Queens, (which will be crowned on April 28th) will be hosting the “2010 YOUR VOTE COUNTS!” pageant service project.  The new Queens will be registering area voters as well as serving as hostesses at a dinner debate for candidates running for Gwinnett County’s 3rd District commissioner post on June 14 at Stars and Strikes in Dacula.

Again, we are striving to teach our daughters about the political side of life. By involving them in patriotic events, we are showing our daughters what it means to be a citizen and in turn, they will impact our very futures as good citizens!   

Having Miss Grace as my queen this year just reaffirms my belief that pageants offer each young lady an opportunity to learn about herself by helping others around her.  Miss Grace is still a quiet girl but, when she puts on her crown, her smile shines with the confidence that comes from the new found knowledge that she is making a difference in the lives of others!

Miss Grace will be giving up her Little Miss Memorial Day crown at the Miss Memorial Day Pageant on April 28 at the Dacula Stars and Strikes. The Miss Memorial Day Organization is again looking for 16 young ladies and their great parents to be a part of the 2012 Miss Memorial Day pageant family. For more information about the upcoming Miss Memorial Day Pageant go to; Missmemorialday.com or contact director, Cynthia Montgomery at Missmemorialday@yahoo.com.