I competed in my first pageant when I was a senior in high school. It was a small festival pageant in the county that I grew up in. I was so excited to compete, but also extremely nervous because it was my first time getting on stage and "presenting" myself like that.

Truth be told, I LOVED it. I loved being on stage and being able to present myself in the way I wanted to. I didn't end up winning that pageant, but that did not discourage me from pursuing more pageants in the future.

The summer between my senior year of high school and the first year of college, I competed in my county fair's queen pageant. This was a pageant I was really excited to compete in because the fair is something I'm very passionate about. I was a 4H member for eight years, so fair week was one of the best weeks of summer.

The year I competed for county fair queen, it was only the third year that that pageant had been going. Keep in mind this pageant is not a beauty pageant and the winner receives a scholarship. I think a lot of people don't realize that almost all pageants (beauty or not) give out generous amounts of scholarships.

Anyways, through this process of competing, I made so many friends with girls from other schools around the county and I probably would have never met them is it wasn't for that. This pageant, in particular, was judged on 4 categories - Interview, Hobby Wear, Business Wear, and Formal Wear. There was also a one-minute prepared speech and onstage impromptu question. All these things took a lot of preparation, but it paid off in the end because I ended up winning that pageant.

Because I won county, I had to go compete at the state level against 85 other girls. That was the true pageant experience. My county pageant was a one-day event, State took place over the course of three days.

State was intimidating and stressful, but it is one of my favorite memories to this day. Again, I met 85 girls from 85 different counties in Indiana which was so cool. I didn't win state, but that did not matter to me. What mattered was what I gained from that experience and how it has helped me become a better person.

Through pageants, I have learned so many valuable life skills. I have no problem with public speaking. In fact, I love public speaking and giving presentations. A huge part of pageants is the interview portion, and this is the area that I've learned to excel in.

When prepping for a pageant, you discover a lot about yourself (what's your greatest accomplishment/failure? What is one thing you would tell your 10-year-old self? What is the biggest piece of advice you would give someone? etc.) Questions like those require you to know yourself as an individual and what you value.

Ever since competing in pageants, I have received several comments about how impressed people are with my interviewing skills. Last but not least, pageants have taught me to be confident with myself. To be confident in what I can bring to the table.

So, if you have considered competing in a pageant - DO IT! The experience itself is worth it, winning a crown is just a bonus!