Formerly homeless pageant queen uses crown to inspire
Ypsilanti resident Unjaneé Well is crowned the 2016 Miss Michigan Teen USA at the pageant on Sept. 26 in Port Huron. Wells will represent Michigan in the national Miss Teen USA pageant this summer. (Provided photo | Edwin Shaw Photography)
YPSILANTI, MI -- Unjaneé Wells knows her Miss Michigan Teen USA crown isn't meant to sit on a shelf.
Wells, 18, of Ypsilanti, has worn her crown and sash to countless community events, speaking engagements and school visits in the past eight months since she was crowned Miss Michigan Teen USA at the pageant in Port Huron on Sept. 26.
Wells was homeless the first time she competed in the Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant three years ago, and she wants to use her experience of overcoming challenges to encourage other teens as she prepares to represent the state in the national Miss Teen USA pageant this summer.
"I never look at a situation or circumstances like a roadblock, but as an obstacle -- and an obstacle you face with integrity and strength and overcome it," Wells said, fresh-faced as she sat beside her mother on a couch in their living room last Thursday morning. "Don't always look at your success as to what it can do for you, but what your success can do for others."€
That'€™s the central message Wells shares with students and her own mantra when she prepares to compete. She entered the world of pageants at 9 years old, following in the footsteps of her mother, Daphne Rice, who won several pageant titles in her late 20s coming off her career as a professional model.
"€œI had it all," Rice said, recalling the big house, multiple cars and constant travel she could afford back then. "€œIt was a lifestyle that became overwhelming for me. It wore me out."€
Unjanee Wells gathers with the runners-up at the Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant last fall. Wells is the first Ypsilanti resident to hold the title.
While raising four children, Rice worked as a parts inspector at the Ford Motor Co. plant in Ypsilanti for 10 years before taking a buyout in 2008. She had planned to move to her hometown in Alabama and start a family business there, but when those plans fell through her family began to struggle.
They were homeless for about one year. In 2013, a group of friends raised money to allow Wells to compete in the Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant for the first time in an attempt to lift her spirits as she struggled with harassment at school in addition to her family's unstable housing situation.
Wells didn'€™t have a dress for the pageant until two days before the competition, but she didn'€™t let the stress get to her.
"€œI was mainly just focused on showing the best me, the best version of me, to make sure that I'm doing everything I can," she said of her mindset at that pageant. "I knew that winning this title and then eventually telling my story would encourage other young girls that it doesn'€™t matter where you come from, you can be whatever you want. I was determined to make that happen."
She finished fourth runner-up that year, returned in 2014 to claim second runner-up and then finally won the title this past fall -- the first Ypsilanti resident to be crowned Miss Michigan Teen USA. Her family's living situation is more stable now, too, as they moved into a modular home about a year ago.
Wells, who is now home-schooled and plans to graduate in August, says her mother's encouragement has contributed to her pageant success. She shares Rice's desire to make a difference with the platform afforded to them through pageants.
Rice is passionate about teaching young women proper etiquette and reaching out to domestic violence survivors, based on her own experience, and Wells founded the Blossoming Roses Foundation, which provides programming to empower homeless teen girls and equip them with leadership skills.
Miss Michigan Teen USA Unjanee Wells surprised middle school student Heaven McSwain-Ford at school recently. Wells has visited numerous schools to share her story of overcoming obstacles.
"The gleaming attire that comes with the job and the beautiful crown ... is an eye-catcher. Then the sash shows the accomplishment and the job that you hold. That'€™s a tool that you can use to reach the hearts and minds of other women," Rice said. "€œBeauty plays a part in pageantry, but it'€™s more about getting your hands dirty, in our arena.
"You win a title, get your hands dirty with it," she added. "€œDon't put it up to be a trophy. Use it to touch somebody'€™s heart and make a difference."
Wells recently made a difference to Ypsilanti middle school student Heaven McSwain-Ford, who had connected with Wells on social media and shared her struggles with being bullied at school. Wells decided to surprise McSwain-Ford at school one day with a gift, and the girl'€™s teacher saw a difference in her after that.
"That was a beautiful, beautiful moment," Rice said.
Wells will continue making public appearances until the end of June, when she will need to focus on mentally preparing for the Miss Teen USA pageant. The date for this year's national pageant has not yet been announced, but it'€™s expected to take place this summer.
To raise money for Wells'€™ wardrobe and other expenses associated with the week's worth of events she will need to attend leading up to the pageant, family and friends have organized a fundraiser for her on June 25 at Buffalo Wild Wings, 216 James L. Hart Parkway, Ypsilanti. People need to bring in a fundraiser flier that day in order for a portion of what they spend in the restaurant to go to Wells, and she will be at the restaurant from 6 to 9 p.m. to meet people.
Lauren Slagter covers K-12 education for The Ann Arbor News. Contact her at 734-255-1419, lslagter@mlive.com or on Twitter @LaurenSlagter.
http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/05/formerly_homeless_pageant_quee.html
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