If you were to ask me to consider competing in a pageant about a week ago, I would have laughed. Pageants like Miss America? No, they’re just beauty contests which mean nothing, I would have said. Today, I emerge a new person from watching the first night of preliminaries at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen pageant, in Orlando, Florida. Going into this pageant, I had absolutely no idea how much work, on behalf of the contestants, is put into these pageants, never mind the work put in by those supporting them. The week of the pageant, the contestants are on their own. They essentially have to do everything by themselves, from their hair and makeup, to practicing their talent before the big night. The dedication these girls have to the pageant and everything that it entails is truly inspiring.

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Watching the girls on stage was a completely new experience for me. Although I have seen my fair share of pageants on TV, seeing it in person showed me a whole different perspective. As a teenager, seeing girls my age strutting and confidently performing, made me feel slightly envious and extremely emboldened; I have never wanted so desperately to be as poised and courageous as these girls.

I admire each and every single one of them for going up on that stage and showcasing their talent and beauty because not only are they working towards their goals, they are also motivating others to work towards their own.

As the contestants performed dance routines, sang, painted, and played instruments, I couldn’t help but wonder how many hours they must have each put into perfecting their talents. The definition of talent, according to the dictionary, is “natural aptitude or skill”, and while the girls must have some kind of inbuilt skill calling them, no one is born having mastered their craft – it’s because of their commitment towards their art, that I grew to have much respect for the pageant girls.

At the end of the night, the founder of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, Donna Bozarth, gave an emotional speech. She commended the girls for their outstanding performances and then said something I’ll never forget: “When I was a teenager, I could barely even chew gum and walk at the same time.” It made me laugh, because at this point in my life, I can absolutely relate.

Why did a small comment like that stick with me? It made me want to be the girl who can chew gum and walk at the same time – not in the literal sense, because I’m sure if I really wanted to chew gum and walk at the same time, I could. What I mean is that it made me want my own success story.

It made me realize that these girls, before their pageant days, were just gum-chewing success stories waiting to happen. Who says you and I can’t be too?