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Please share with our readers your platform along with a brief description of what it is.

Table Talk: Breaking the Silence of Eating Disorders; I focus on early education in body positivity, the creation of support groups for young adults battling eating disorders, and teach parents how to speak to their children about loving their bodies.

 

How long have you competed in pageants? How do you think you’ve personally grown with all your prior pageant experience?

I have competed in pageants since I was three months old. I competed in glitz and glamour pageants as a child, but it wasn’t until I turned eighteen and competed in the Miss America system that my pageant experience helped me grow and develop into the woman I am today.

 

In regards to your platform, why did you choose to go with this particular one?

I chose my platform because I personally suffered from bulimia nervosa for four years of my life and anorexia nervosa for one year. I know God placed me in this unique position of being both a title holder and survivor of eating disorders to have the opportunity to reach other young men and women facing the same battle.

 

How has working alongside your platform made you into a stronger person?

Working alongside my platform has empowered me to be able to speak out about my personal battle with eating disorders. Now I face every day with more courage than I have ever had.

What have you learned from your current Miss Arkansas Alissa Musto, which you hope to carry with you if you were to win the title of  Miss Arkansas?

I have learned to carry myself with grace even under pressure or difficult times. Both our Miss Arkansas Savanna Skidmore and our Miss America Savvy Shields carry themselves with the poise of a true queen.

 

As a titleholder, what is one of the single-most important messages, which you think you convey to your followers?

I believe the most important message I can convey to my followers is to love yourself on the good days and the bad days and all the days in between.

 

If you were to win the title of Miss Arkansas, what is the one thing which you would strive the hardest to accomplish?

To establish a stronger NEDA presence in our state, and to ensure all young Arkansans are supplied with the necessary tools to maintain body positivity and create healthy eating patterns.

 

Imagine you’re competing for Miss America, and your roommate has never visited Arkansas; how would you describe your state to your roommate?

They don’t call us the Natural State for nothing! Arkansas is bursting with beauty from our lush state parks to the priceless artwork that hangs in Crystal Bridges.

 

If you could place three items in a time capsule, which represent the women of today, what would they be and why?

A stethoscope, a diploma, and gavel. These items represent women excelling in STEM, higher education, and leadership.

 

Because of media, many people tend to look at pageant with a very scrutinizing opinion; For you. personally, what have been some of the biggest benefits of being a part of the Miss America Organization. And how would you share the positive nature of pageants with others who may not be familiar?

One of the biggest benefits I have gained from the Miss America organization has been interview experience. In two years, I will be applying and interviewing for medical school, and this organization has taught me to approach an interview calmly and confidently.

 

The name of this magazine is Bravura.  “Bravura” is an artistic word for exceptional; in your opinion, what makes you “bravura”?

I think what makes me “bravura” is my persistence and determination to be the best I can be, to never leave anything on the table, and to leave this world better than I found it.

 

Where can fans follow you on social media?

My twitter and Instagram handles are both cameron_willis.

 

What advice do you have for those who want to take part in pageants?

My advice would be to be confidently you and to never stop striving for your dreams.

 

What words of thanks do you have for those who have helped to bring you to where you are today  – a member of the Miss Arkansas Class of 2017?

Thank you for always believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Thanks for pushing me through my trials and celebrating my triumphs, and thanks for seeing in me what I couldn’t.