Earning The Crown - Ms. Nevada Regency International 2020

Winning a state title is a surreal moment. When they put that crown on my head and I did my celebratory walk, all I could think was that I still could NOT believe it. If you would have told me 30 days before, that I would not only be competing in a state pageant but WINNING one, I would not have believed you. Let me tell you how I got here.

A few years ago, I did a little soul searching and found that for me to really be happy I needed to be spending my time in service to my community and making a positive impact on someone else's life even if that just meant an extra smile in their day. I started doing some googling to see what my options were and eventually came upon a state pageant I thought was the right fit for me! So, I went around campaigning and raising funds to get the coaching I needed and compete. Pageant week came around and I lost big time! I wasn't fortunate enough to place in that pageant at all, but I did win Best In Evening Gown so I was really proud of that. I thought my pageant days were over because I was already turning 26 and didn't think pageantry existed outside of the Miss age range.

2016 Competition

A little time went by and I started focusing on how I could move forward making an impact in my community by myself.  I decided to double down on my blog and goals of building my own travel agency that would one day be able to sponsor families in need to all-expense-paid vacations. I gave birth to my son, who is now 2 years old, and thought my dreams of holding a crown, title and sash were long gone.

The thing about dreams is that they always come right back around. A few weeks before the Nevada Regency International Pageant, our Director Crystal reached out and asked if I'd be interested in competing. I'd been asked to compete before, but managing motherhood seemed too big of a task to add any extra responsibilities. This time, I took a minute to think about it and decided that I was FULLY capable of being an amazing mother while continuing to build my personal brand AND compete in this pageant. So I took the leap and scrambled to get everything together to impress the judges.

Interviews took place on February 15th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. I was surprisingly calm even though I didn't have a ton of time to prepare. I had an amazing coach the first time I ever chose to compete in a pageant, and her guidance was priceless. I checked back over all the notes I took from our old coaching sessions about being myself, honest and true while always remaining professional and looking my best and went into interviews ready to win the judges over. The interview was quick, but I remember talking a lot about being a mother, a bit about my time in the US Navy, and how I wanted to use the title to inspire young girls to chase fearlessly after their dreams. I also want to remind women that motherhood doesn't have to be the last step of our journey and that we are allowed and capable of being amazing mothers, entrepreneurs, and Beauty Queens all at the same time regardless of our current circumstances.

We hit the stage on February 16th at El Palacio Del Sol in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was SO happy I was able to supply my own Evening Gown and Fashion Wear on such short notice! I was even able to do my own hair and makeup. Everything just came together perfectly for me and I was really excited to hit the stage! This was my first time really chatting with my pageant sisters and my first time ever competing with girls so young. It was so inspiring to hear about the young girls and other women's accomplishments leading up to this pageant. It was very humbling to be included in a group with such phenomenal Girl Power.

Before announcing the winner, we had an hour to eat from a FULL-SERVICE buffet and mix and mingle with our friends, family and the rest of the audience. I have never heard of a pageant system having such a welcoming environment or feeding the entire audience while the judges' votes were tallied. It was incredible. That hour went by quicker than ever. Before I knew it, we were back on stage handing out awards and announcing winners. I received Most Photogenic in my category! And then, they called all the Ms. and Mrs. contestants to the middle of our stage. The Mrs. was crowned and I was ready to go backstage and pack up my things after congratulating all of the beautifully crowned Queens...but then my number was called and I was announced as Ms. Nevada Regency International 2020! I didn't realize there would be a Mrs. AND a Ms. winner!! The Regency International Pageant has enough titles that every generation and marital status is able to compete for their own title from Tiny Miss to Classic Regency. I am pretty sure I screamed, I know I cried and I soaked up every moment of that celebratory walk.

I am so pleased, honored, and humbled to have the opportunity to work in my community as Ms. Nevada Regency International but my journey isn't over yet. July 29th-August 1 I have the Regency International pageant and I'll need your help. To keep myself competitive and in the running for the crown, I will need to spend the next year extremely visible in our community, and acquire sponsors, and donations from anyone who would like to see me succeed. If you or someone you know would like to work with me through an appearance, speaking engagement, volunteering or sponsorship please reach out to me personally via msnvregencyint@nikkionvegas.com or give me a call at (702)623-9771.

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-Nikki