The Miss New York Organization has become a second family to Bravura Magazine over the past year. And throughout that year, we have had the chance to get to know Asia Hickman, the reigning MAOTeen NY, very well. Through our partnership with them, we have been able to share with you the contestants who are vying for the title of Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen 2018. One such contestant is Kianna-Rae Cummings. Continue reading to learn more about Kianna and her journey to the crown!

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For those who may not be familiar with you, tell our readers a bit about yourself and your background within the pageant world.
My name is Kianna- Rae Cummings and my first pageant was at the age of 12 in my home state of North Carolina.  The pageant was a local preliminary for the Miss America Outstanding Teen Organization.  Since competing in my very first local in North Carolina, I have relocated with my family to New York and competed in several MAO Teen locals and served as your 2017 Miss Southern Tier’s Outstanding Teen.

In 2016, I had the opportunity to speak with Miss North Carolina Katie Peacock about the Miss America Organization. Since that opportunity, I have realized how special this organization is and the true meaning of its core values.  I have also had the opportunity to speak with Marie Beal Fletcher, Miss America 1961, about the recent changes in the organization. She is all about women empowerment and the true meaning of the 4 points of the crown. Thank you Maria for your service and your mentorship to me. Maria is the only North Carolina native to have won the title of Miss America.

The four points of the Miss America crown represent: service, scholarship, style, and success. Which one is the most important to you and why?
SERVICE without a doubt.  I feel that service is the essential foundation of the Miss America Organization. Service allows me to give back to others within my community and across the Empire state. I feel that service is one quality that separates the Miss America Organization from other organizations.  Service can unite communities for a common cause.  It allows me to focus my energy on assisting others.


During Asia Hickman’s reign, what is one characteristic you’ve seen her bring forth as Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen, and which do you hope to emulate if you were to win the title?
I love Asia Hickman and she is a great role model for all teens across the state of New York. I admire her quality of dedication to service.  She has given unselfishly to all in her community. I observed her giving keyboards to hospitalized children to engage them in the healing process that music offers. She has donated keyboards for the purpose of music education. She has served many meals to those staying at the Ronald McDonald house in her area of Brooklyn. She has served these families without hesitation and during a time that they are focused on the health and well-being of their loved ones.

I hope to emulate the service heart that Asia Hickman has embraced throughout her year of service to the Empire State.  I want to continue to serve my community and put forth the passion that Asia has done this past year. Asia leads by example.

What have you learned from our current Miss New York, Gabrielle Walter, that can help you be a better outstanding teen?
Gabrielle Walter has taught me that every moment is special.  I have heard her speak about the visits to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals across the state of New York and the joy she has received in visiting these children during a difficulty time in their young lives.  She has shared how many children have forgotten the illness they are battling and realize they may still have a princess inside them.  She has motivated me to not take any moment for granted.  She continues to support the MAO and its commitment to CMH hospital systems and has been a great ambassador for the state of New York.

Please share with our readers your platform and why you’ve chosen to advocate for it.
My platform is entitled T.E.A.C.H (Tap to End All Childhood Hunger).  My platform combines my love of tap dancing with my passion to end childhood hunger.  One out of every 4 children in New York deal with hunger on a daily basis.  My goal is to assist communities in providing food for families by increasing funding and donations for local food pantries across the state.

My platform began in my home state of North Carolina with my best friend Hailey.  Every Friday afternoon when school was over, Hailey would need to go to the main office and pick up a red bag before getting on the bus to go home.  After several Friday’s of observing this, I asked her what the red bag was for.  Hailey told me that it was food for the weekend.  She began to explain that she and her 4 other siblings were living with her grandmother, who was on a retirement income, and that the red bags helped with food over the weekend.   A few weeks passed and I realized that this was an issue in need of attention because there were many children walking to the main office to pick up a red bag on Friday.

I have utilized my talent of tap dancing with benefit shows to serve my community in raising money and non-perishable food items for local food pantries.  I have traveled to offer tap lessons for food pantry donations across the state of North Carolina and New York.  I have been successful in securing funding for local schools to assist with free meals during the school year for all children regardless of income levels.  I continue to travel to local school districts along the Southern Tier Region to educate them on available grants and funding to assist with free meals in schools.   I have lobbied on the state house floor in Albany this past February for state funding in the budget to help assist local communities in feeding families with children across the Empire State.  It is my dream to see no child go hungry another night.

If you were to win the title of Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen, how do you hope to better educate your generation about your platform and the importance it holds?
Education brings about knowledge. To quote Thomas Jefferson, who assisted with the establishment of the state University of Virginia, “Knowledge is power”. I want to take every opportunity available to educate my generation and others about how important a healthy and well-balanced diet is for the future. My generation is only 13 % of the nation’s population but we are 100 % of this nation’s future. I want to lead by example and get involved with teaching others about available funding and opportunities to assist local pantries across the state. I also want to be an advocate on the state level and continue to lobby year after year for state funding for this growing problem we face here in the Empire State and on a national level. I look forward to meeting our representatives in Washington DC to continue to advocate for children who deal with hunger on a daily basis and bring about national awareness to this growing problem.

Tell us about your talent and the decisions you made in proceeding with this talent.
My talent is a tap dance routine that is fast paced and upbeat.  I feel in love with the sounds that taps make in my very first dance class when I was 2 years old.  I was fascinated with the sounds the shoes could make when brushed against the dance floor.  Tap dance is a skill. I believe that everyone is given a  unique God given talent and I strongly believe that tap dance is the talent I was granted.   When one dances a tap solo it is crucial to make every sound count.  I utilize tap dance as a creative expression and it is my way of relaxation by doing what I love.  You can always find me with my ear buds in before a performance, running through the music and the motions.


Having been in pageants and after winning a local title, what advice do you have for those who want to start competing in the MAO system?
One important piece of advice I would offer to anyone considering becoming involved in the MAO system would be:  Be true to yourself.  Remember who you are.  Remember your morals, values and beliefs.  Each of us are special and talented in a different way.  We are not all the same.  We are each unique.  BE THE BEST YOU EVER!

Because of the way media and certain television networks have portrayed the lifestyle of pageantry, there is a preconceived notion of what a pageant girl is like. How do you think that being a part of the Miss America Organization you are able to break that barrier?
Being a part of the Miss America Organization has been a rewarding experience for me. This system empowers women and focuses on core values of scholarship, style, success, and service.  Leading by example and mentorship is a key component to the success of this organization.  Women are encouraged to engage in STEM learning and career endeavors.

This Miss America Organization is one of the nation’s largest scholarship organizations that gives not only on a local level but gives on a state and national level.

Being a third-year contestant, I have had many opportunities to meet other teens across the state of New York and other states that all have similar goals as me. This organization has allowed me to take a journey with young women I would not have met in my daily life. We all have a common bond with the organization being at the center.  We all strive to advocate for necessary resources for our platforms and strive to make positive changes for the future. We each continue to strive for scholastic opportunities and live a healthy life style.  It is always nice to know that there are other teens across the Empire state and the country bound together by this organization.  I am glad to know that I am not alone in this journey.

Regardless of who wins the title of Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen, what is one goal which you have for them, which you hope they will accomplish during their reign?
Continue to uphold the values of the Miss America Organization while leading by example.

Bravura is an artistic word for exceptional. Tell our readers what make you “bravura.”
According to Rik Darmstadt, President of the Miss New York Outstanding Teen Organization, “I am an ordinary teen doing extraordinary things” with a little bit of southern flare. I continue to live by the motto E.N.D (Effort Never Dies) when it comes to ending childhood hunger and achieving my goals in life.  I am truly compassionate about the health and well-being of our children and what is ultimately going to be our nation’s future.


Where can fans follow you on social media?
On Facebook at:  Kianna Cummings, and Instagram at:  okaay.kianna.

Do you have any final words for the readers of Bravura Magazine?
Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself to you today.  I want to wish all the contestants the best of luck when competing for the title of Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen.  I am honored to be able to compete alongside of each of these beautiful, intelligent and talented young ladies.  Any one of the competitors is deserving of this distinguished title.  I enjoy the sister hood that we each have created and look forward to what the future has to offer.