The Miss Universe Organization hosted a massive “doubleheader” last week with two of their prestigious pageants; “Miss Teen USA” and “Miss USA” held at the spectacular venue of Reno Tahoe, Nevada. The outcome made pageant history. Both pageants were won by young women of color, sporting their NATURAL curly hair – no weaves, no straighteners, no wigs. KALEIGH GARRIS, an 18-year-old high school student who was “Miss Teen Connecticut” won the “Miss Teen USA” crown and title, beating out 51 other state representatives to win the national title. Last year’s “Miss Teen USA” HAILEY COLBORN, who is also Black, crowned her successor amidst thunderous applause from the capacity audience.
KALEIGH”S VICTORY
Kaleigh Garris
Kaleigh’s elegance and poise throughout the competition were unmatched by her competing rivals. The girls paraded in cocktail dresses, active wear and evening wear before the top 15 semi-finalists were selected. After another elimination, the top 5 were selected and the important final question came into being. This is when Kaleigh’s star rose high above the best of the rest. This willowly teenager answered her question with the grace and intelligence of a matured professional. When she was announced as the winner, her reaction was one of joy, excitement, and awe, but the new teen Queen kept her poise and deportment, wearing an appropriate gown of flowing pink chiffon, belted in jewels on the waistline and featuring a long billowing scarf draped on the neckline. Coming in second place was North Dakota’s Caitlyn Vogel, while Nevada’s Erica Yvette Bonilla placed third. Rounding out the top five, were the teen Misses from Mississippi and Alabama.
ABOUT KALEIGH
The newly crowned “Miss Teen USA” is a senior at Joseph A.Foran high school. She’s also attending the Educational Center for the Arts, where she is studying theatre. Kaleigh studied dance for ten years and recently became interested in more experimental forms of performance, including circus arts, aerial skills, hoop, and the trapeze. However, after graduation, Kaleigh hopes to be a trauma nurse and attend Southern Connecticut State University to work towards her Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing. Kaleigh finds time to volunteer at Yale-New Haven Hospital on the pediatric floor, where she also spends time shadowing nurses.
AND THEN THERE WAS CHESLIE
Four nights after Kaleigh’s victorious win, the venue was on fire again for the “Miss USA” finals. And, it was Black Girls Rule again when 28-year-old CHESLIE KRYST, a practicing attorney from Charlotte, North Carolina ran home with the “Miss USA” crown and title. Cheslie edged passed her closest rivals; Alejandra Gonzalez “Miss New Mexico” who came in second place, while Triana Brown “Miss Oklahoma” placed third. Rounding out the Royal court’s top five beauties were: Tiana Tuamoheloa “Miss Nevada” and Savannah Skidmore “Miss Arkansas.”
CHESLIE KRYST
BEYOND CHESLIE’S CROWN & SASH
Cheslie’s journey to winning the “Miss USA” title was one laced with academic excellence. With three degrees under her belt, this Charlotte NC native graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree (JD) and Masters of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Wake Forest University. Prior to that, Cheslie earned her Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Business Administration from the Honors College at the University of South Carolina, where she graduated cum laude. Cheslie is a practicing attorney, working on complex civil litigation for a private law firm and is licensed to practice law in two states. Cheslie is clearly a modern-day Beauty Queen, going WAY beyond the traditional pretty face and figure, the crown and the sash. There’s much more – this beauty also does freelance legal work to get reduced sentences for people who were sentenced unjustly. On top of all that, Cheslie runs her own fashion blog called White Collar Glam which focuses on workwear fashion for women. She volunteers for Dress For Success, and, plans to start a successful clothing line of workwear fashion, geared specifically for solving problems businesswomen face in dressing.
WELL OILED PAGEANT WEEK
Both pageants were judged by a selection committee comprised of an all-female panel of successful business owners, which included several pageant winners under the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) umbrella. With preliminary competitions, finals, photo shoots, rehearsals, fittings, appearances and media interviews, all under one roof for two pageants going on at the same time, it turned out to be a spectacular week of pageantry with excellent production value on both the teen and adult pageants. The overall undertaking by the MUO was a well-oiled situation, that was next to none.
