Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are captivated by the Miss America pageant. The lights, glamour, and beautiful women drive the competition, which is held each September. I recently spoke to this year's first runner-up, Jennifer Davis. We discussed pageants, accomplishments, and of course, life after the crown.

How did you first become involved with pageants?

"I started competing in pageants when I was just 11 months old. My mom got me involved because I have 3 older brothers, and she was admittedly tired of going to all of their football games. So she heard about pageantry and signed me up for my first one.

I learned to walk on a pageant stage and have never stopped loving doing pageants. I decided I wanted to become Miss America at the age of 5 and worked incredibly hard my entire life to have that dream be realized. I started competing for the title of Miss Missouri my freshman year of college in 2012. I competed for five years until I finally won on my 5th try as Miss Missouri 2017."

What is the most difficult thing about pageants?

"Pageants are truly a lot of fun. You meet people all across the country, you make lasting relationships with the girls that you compete with, and you learn so much about yourself and develop so many strong skills that carry with you through the rest of your life. But just like any activity, pageantry also comes with its difficulties as well. I find the most difficult thing about pageant is the best thing that I've ever learned from competing my entire life. That is how to deal with failure and rejection. You learn really quickly in the pageant world what it's like to work so hard for something, and fight for a dream, and ultimately not winning. It was the most difficult thing for me to learn, but also the most rewarding lesson I've ever had."

What is one thing that would surprise people about pageants?

"We are so much more than what you see on stage and TV shows and in movies. People think with that we just show up in our heels and fake eyelashes with her hair done and our makeup on, but we are so much more than that. We are leaders, we are activist, we are agents of change, we are volunteers, we fundraise, we work an endless amount of hours to perfect our speaking abilities and our talents. People don't see the number of hours and hard work that we put in every day. We all have a mission, we all have a voice, and we are really trying to make this world a better place."

How did you prepare for Miss America 2018?

"Preparing for Miss America is the pageant equivalent to preparing for the Super Bowl. We actually call it our Super Bowl. It is a grueling process, many hours, lots of paperwork, and lots of developing your skills and learning to become the person you've always wanted to be. At the same time, you are still representing your state as a state titleholder. So, you are traveling across the state making appearances with school visits, hospital tours, and fundraising efforts, all while practicing for the big stage all at the same time. Everyone's preparation time is different and what they need are different as well. For me, there were many hours at the gym, practicing my talent, and of course, watching the news day in and day out to make sure I was well-versed in all current events."

How did it feel to be crowned first runner-up?

"Becoming first runner-up to Miss America is an experience that cannot easily be explained. I've had this dream basically my entire life, and not many people can say that they live their dream, and I am beyond grateful to be a person that can say that I truly did live my dream. Honestly, the show goes so fast that you are basically just going through the motions. It felt like I was having an out-of-body experience until I looked around and realized that it was just me and Miss North Dakota, Cara Mund, standing their final two at Miss America. I was just so happy to even get the chance to compete for Miss America that I did not really expect to be in the last two standing. But I am forever grateful for the experience that I had, the sisters that I've made, and that lasting memory."

What are some goals you have for yourself “after the crown?”

"After the crown holds a lot of uncertainties. Becoming first runner-up to Miss America, I was given $25,000 in scholarship, so I am really eager to be able to advance educational goals as well. I wish I could say exactly where I was going for my next chapter in life, but that story is still being written."

What accomplishment are you most proud of during your time as Miss Missouri 2017?

"During my time as Miss Missouri, I really wanted to make an impact on my state. I wanted people to know the importance of the Miss America organization and how grateful I am for the state that has known me and loved me my entire life. I live my year as Miss Missouri 2017 with a very specific legacy that I wanted to leave behind. I wanted to be someone's favorite Miss Missouri, while this is not easy to be measured, I feel as if I have done the absolute best job I could have done with this title. I am most proud that the people in Missouri are proud of me. Every day I wake up I think about all the people in my state that have supported me throughout this journey, and they are my driving force every single day. I want to continue to make them proud in everything that I do."

Who or what can you accredit your success to?

"My family means the absolute world to me. There is no way I could have had the success that I've had in my life if it were not for them. They have always been right by my side no matter how big my dreams were or how small they were. They continue to encourage me every single day to be the strong woman that they know that I can be."

What has this experience taught you?

"Honestly, this experience has taught me that I am much stronger than I ever thought I was. Being in the spotlight all the time comes with a lot of great accolades and a lot of harsh comments at the same time. I never knew how strong my voice could be, and I never knew how much of an impact I truly could make. Throughout this year, I have had the pleasure of going to countless amounts of schools and speaking to a large number of students, and I really like to believe that I helped impact at least one person's life."

What is the most exciting thing you got to experience as Miss Missouri?

"The most exciting experience that you have being Miss Missouri is that you get to partner with a wonderful organization called Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. I have had the pleasure of attending the St. Louis area CMN hospitals as well as the Columbia Missouri CMN Hospital. When I get to visit these hospitals, I get to hang out with the kiddos there and give them a chance at being a kid again. To help them forget that they're sick and in the hospital and to just play games with them, read them stories, and take them away from all of the pain."

What is one piece of advice you would give to young girls?

"I want young girls to realize that they are so much more powerful than they know. That they are all made for greatness, and they can and they will change this world. No dream is ever too big, and no goal is ever out of your reach. You are worthy, you are beautiful, and you can do absolutely anything in this world that you want to do."

Do you have a favorite experience or encounter as Miss Missouri?

"Being Miss Missouri I get to do a lot of fun events and have a lot of favorite experiences throughout my year. However, one of the best nights of my life was emceeing the Mr. Eureka High School pageant. This was an event where high school boys come together to raise funds for different charities and compete in a pageant all at the same time. It is a night full of laughter, full of love, and full of giving back to the community. We had so much fun that night, and I even walked away with a portrait of myself painted by one of the students."

A special thank you again to Jennifer for talking so humbly about her experience as Miss Missouri and her plans in the future. To follow Jennifer for her last few weeks as Miss Missouri, you can follow her personal Instagram @jenn__leigh!