The Invisible Crown

As I head in to interview for a job "in the real world", I straighten my pant suit, I make sure my nails aren't chipped, I take the hair-tie off my wrist, I tuck my portfolio under my arm, fix my fly-aways, and walk confidently through the doors.

My heart is not racing for fear of saying the wrong thing. I do not have a pit in my stomach as I wait for my potential employer to walk in the room. I am prepared and even excited for this interview.

I don't think many 20-somethings can say that. 

The only reason I can is because of my time in the Miss America Organization. Throughout my 9 years competing, I have always been told that I have a strong interview. Yet my interview is what I always set goals to work harder on. To me, that is the most important phase of competition and also the phase that I stand to learn the most from to apply towards "real life". This year, as Miss Kingman County, I had the most amazing team preparing me for the job I was applying for. Every week, Juven and I had phone meetings that included debriefing from the previous week, assessing current goals, and a mock interview. Kristi and I texted, making sure I was mentally on track and strong to take on goals in all areas of my life and keep a good balance.

I could not have felt more confident walking into the interview room at Miss Kansas than I did this year. I don't get to choose the questions that they give me, but I do get to choose how to prepare for that moment, how much I want to invest back into the team that wants to invest in me, and what I present when given the chance.

I am nothing without those who I surround myself with. I competed for Miss Kingman County knowing that their team could push me further than I could push myself and that I genuinely wanted to invest myself into everything they had to give me. Their dedicated preparation, tools they equipped me with, and endless love is what ultimately brought me to the final two at Miss Kansas this year.

In the pageant world, we are often asked how we are working to break the stigma of the "typical" pageant girl. I think it's super cool that, to me, the "typical" pageant girl isn't a typical person at all. The women I stand onstage with in sparkly dresses in the organization are young adults who are achieving all sorts of goals - from advocating at a national level for individuals with disabilities, to becoming an accomplished lawyer, to having her own TV show and breaking barriers - all under the age of 25.

Women who grace the stages in the Miss America Organization have raised thousands of dollars for the Children's Miracle Network Organization and other charities. We are all talented and have nurtured some kind of artistic passion of which we only get to present 90 seconds of to our audience and judges. We have all championed a cause for our year (or years) of service, advocating for, raising funds, and creating change. We are healthy, active, strong individuals who choose to involve ourselves with the Miss America Organization and its affiliates on top of our jobs, schools, and lives.

This kind of dedication and passion is something only few will really understand and it's those who are involved in our organization and others like ours. Pageants across the world are working to break the stereotype and bring a different version of the "typical" pageant girl to your TV's and your social medias. Contestants and the teams that work to build us up already know that these women are exceptional. And it's our responsibility to prove to the rest of the world that we are more than a sparkly dress, we are more than a body onstage in heels in a swimsuit, and we are more than the crown on our heads.

We are working to prove to the rest of the world that women are most successful when we build each other UP. Yes, we are competitors, but if you could have experienced the love in the room as Kayla Hawkin's name was chanted when she was awarded Miss Congeniality, or the deafening cheers when our new Miss Kansas came to greet the contestants and our families, or how, in her first moments as a state queen, Krystian chose to acknowledge me as her first runner up and friend -- you would know the unique love that we share as competitors and friends with, or without, the crown.

Every year, over 5,448 women compete at a local pageant. 1,362 of them go on to compete for their state titles. Only 52 women will have the chance to compete at Miss America. And of course, 1 woman will wear that crown. 

Most of us will not live out the dream of wearing the Miss America crown, but as it is often said - you don't need a crown to be successful. In the past 9 years, I have accomplished more than a lot of people my age can even imagine. And in the past year alone, I have been nurtured and grown exponentially as a result from my local team's investment in me and countless hours spent preparing me for the crown. 

But the truth is that I wasn't preparing for the crown... I was preparing for the journey of whatever's next. It could have been Miss America, or it could have been landing an amazing job in the creative industry. And the truth is that I didn't walk away with the Miss Kansas crown. But because of my experiences in the Miss America Organization and the skills I have acquired, I will always have an invisible crown that tops everything I do. I can turn the page and head confidently into the next adventure, not only mentally ready to take it on, but also equipped with the tools necessary to succeed in my personal and professional life and friends to encourage me through it all. 

This organization has left its fingerprint on me and countless others who wear invisible crowns every day, working to break the stereotype and change the world.

As I head into my interview, I straighten that invisible crown and open the door with confidence and grace and excitement for what's to come. 

Annika Wooton

1st Runner-Up to Miss Kansas

Miss Kingman County 2017

Creator & Illustrator