I t takes chutzpah to enter a beauty pageant, let alone win one.
This year, St. Augustine is house to not one, but two pageant winners who will represent Florida in two different national competitions on the same day.
Mrs. Kimberlee “Shane” Boen, will represent Florida in the Mrs. American Dream Pageant July 16 at the Florida Theater in Jacksonville, while Hannah Kelsey represents the Sunshine State in San Antonio at the Miss out on America High School Pageant.
Becoming Mrs. Florida
Boen’s inspirational journey began with her double-digit weight loss over the last few years.
“I wanted to start something to keep me motivated — to keep me in the gym — to keep me focused,” Boen said.
On a whim, she decided to enter into her first pageant and won Mrs. St. Augustine Florida America versus 12 other contestants. The process consisted of bathing suit competition, evening wear and interview process.
“It was almost like speed dating,” Boen said. “I talked to six judges for four minutes a piece.”
For Boen, a stay-at-house mom to 11-year-old Brandon, the 77 pounds she lost opened a brand-new chapter in her life. After winning her first pageant, she applied for the next level and won Mrs. Florida America title. Not only was she crowned, she was also recognized as “most inspirational.”
As for staying focused, Boen is able to use her title as a vehicle for a program that provides lunches to school-age children in need. Project10kids is the brainchild of ViSalis Inc., the same company that Boen and husband Michael joined to change their lifestyle and lose weight.
For every 10 pounds lost, or muscle gained, ViSalis donates 90 school lunches. This year, Boen has actually delivered 360 school lunches within St. Johns County.
“I don’t think we realize what’s in our own small community — how numerous hungry kids there are,” said Boen.
Originally from Green Cove Springs, Boen has actually called St. Augustine house since 2011. She has actually a liberal arts degree from University of Central Florida and has actually an extensive background in musical theater.
Not all tiaras and roses
Hanna Kelsey is the matching bookend to Boen’s Mrs. title.
Kelsey was crowned Miss out on Florida High School America after competing versus 20 other finalists and will represent Florida for the title of Miss out on High School America pageant in San Antonio. She is going into her senior year studying online with Florida Virtual School where she is a straight A honor roll student and president of the Florida chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America.
Kelsey also has actually a mean serve and has actually been voted the No. 1 varsity tennis gamer for two years running at St. Augustine High School.
“It wasn’t my first pageant,” Kelsey said. “I’ve been in a few, but I definitely didn’t grow up in them. I wasn’t like one of those little girls who grew up with a tiara.”
The decision to compete is fueled in part by following in her sister, Nina’s footsteps.
“I’ve always looked up to my sister,” Kelsey said. “We are 16 months apart. We look alike; we shared rooms, and we are best friends. She did a pageant, and I wanted to do one too.”
Kelsey is seeking college scholarship funds to pursue a degree in the bio-engineering medical field. Math, biology and science are her strongest subjects, and she wants to meld them with into a science-based career.
Contestants vying for Miss out on American High School will undergo an interview process before a panel of five judges.
“The national level is geared toward science and medicine, and there are a lot of scholarships,” Kelsey said. “Like, you get to go to the NASA headquarters in Texas into their anti-gravity machine, so if I won that would certainly be one of my prizes and that would certainly be really exciting.”
But a beauty queen’s life is not all tiaras and roses.
Kelsey serves as an ambassador for the Bully Resistant Anti-Violent Education (BRAVE), which is the platform for the Miss out on High School Florida pageant. She goes into local schools and talks to students about bullying.
“When I was in middle school, I was picked on because of my height,” she said. “And that’s not something you can change, so I hunched my shoulders down. But what really got me through the bullying was tennis. So I encourage students to pursue extracurricular activities to boost their self-confidence.”
Throughout the process, Boen and Kelsey have made solid friendships while participating in the pageant process.
Boen says it’s not at all catty and a lot of the women are professionals seeking a platform to promote their causes. Likewise, Kelsey has actually made friends along the way on her quest for college scholarship funds.
In addition to beauty, both are bright, ambitious and bold — the right combination to represent St. Augustine, the state of Florida and, hopefully, the nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment