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Christiaan Prince of Grayson wasn’t among the top finishers in the recent Miss Teen USA pageant, although she was pleased with her performance and continues to be rewarded by the experience.
Prince, 15, had never entered a pageant before her mother convinced her to sign up for a preliminary competition, that ended with her being crowned Miss Kentucky Teen USA. She went into the national pageant with a goal of making the top 15 finalists but now says she realizes winning wasn’t the most important aspect.
“I personally thought I did great, but I didn’t make top 15,” Prince said Saturday, smiling as she sat on her front porch along with her mother and mentor, Marialana, who has accompanied her throughout the Miss Teen USA journey.
“The top 15 is just a number and it didn’t define my role with the organization. I realized I would be OK. When I first did the pageant, I didn’t realize the results it would have. It has helped me grow as a person.”
Prince has re-engaged in her role as a student all honors classes for her sophomore year at Huntington High School, and shakes her head as she says, “That’s going to keep me busy the rest of the year.”
Prince said she plans to continue to pursue modeling work as well as her part-time job at Tres Hermanos Nunez. “I do everything except cook,” she said, immediately adding her appreciation for her extremely supportive work family.
Even though community service would have been part of her goals as an honor student, Prince said her exposure to organizations including USO and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are still providing resources she would have otherwise been unlikely to find.
“Doors have opened for her,” her mother noted, citing ongoing event invitations and internship opportunities before adding “But, it will be tough for her to find time.”
The big pageant also gave her daughter a glimpse at the world of highly-competitive women, she noted.
“I would rate the overall experience as a 10 out of 10 for her because it gave her a chance to see how girls are ...” she said.
The mother and daughter team have logged several thousand miles on the road to various pageantrelated functions.
“People always ask, ‘Why don’t you fly?’” she said, prompting her daughter to chime in “I’m always asking ‘Why don’t we fly?’”
“1, we got to see the country together and 2, we got to talk about life and teen issues and things I can advise her about. We crossed the country four times and went 40,000 miles,” she said, smiling at her daughter and telling her she will someday look back fondly at their time together.
“It has been a great bonding time. It’s helped her grow and helped me grow. She’s helped me be a better person.”
There was some controversy following the pageant, which Prince said she was expecting.
“I was just waiting for it,” she said with a chuckle, adding the winner “made a mistake when she was 15 and she has to live with that, but she has to move on.” She quickly added she does not think the new Miss Teen USA should be disciplined or have her title taken away, although she observes “This is a life lesson for all 51 girls.”
http://www.journal-times.com/news/local_news/pageant-experience-continues-to-reward/article_893bbe30-69ff-11e6-ab52-27caad5efe4b.html