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Pageant contestants work toward title

PORTALES — As the first night of preliminaries approached on Thursday, there was no denying the title of Miss New Mexico requires a woman with a lot of ambition and a lot of heart.

Prior to this week's Miss New Mexico Scholarship Pageant, local title holders have spent their time conducting events to push their platforms while being full-time students at Eastern New Mexico University.

Leah Taylor, 22, of Logan, who was Miss Quay County in 2016 and is Miss Portales this year, has been working with a personal coach in regard to pageant competing and has spent the last several months doing multiple events in the area and other parts of the state, as well as some in Texas.

Taylor said working with the coach and doing more events has given her more confidence with competing this year.

But more than anything, what makes the 47 girls competing this year feel confident is each other, according to Taylor and two other local contestants.

"It feels like a camp almost," said Kelsey Prince, laughing. "It's super fun. It's really cool to connect to other girls across the state, and we've just become such a close-knit community over the week."

Prince, 23, a Portales native and also an ENMU student, was Miss Blackwater Draw in 2015 and is Miss Oasis this year.

"It's (preparation) always kind of nerve-wracking, because there's always things that I wish I would have done more of, but once I get here, it's kind of like, well, you can't get a six pack in a week," Prince said laughing. "But other than that, that (preparation) part has been rewarding, because I look at it as a self-love no matter what, and embracing my beauty as I am. You don't have to be perfect to be in a pageant."

And that's something each of the 47 girls does for each other, said Prince and Alexis Cupps, is encourage each other in their talents and interviews, as well as giving each other input and advice.

"We're not competing against each other; we're competing with each other. We're all in this together — like in 'High School Musical,'" Cupps said laughing. "It's just connecting with everyone else and learning about everyone else's platforms and getting different viewpoints from everyone."

Cupps, 21, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is also an ENMU student. She was Miss Curry County last year and is Miss Roosevelt County this year.

The following are other ENMU students competing in the pageant: Miss Heart of New Mexico Shawna Byrd, 22, of Logan (ENMU-Roswell); Miss Quay County Lauralann Taylor, 18, of Logan; Miss Clovis Emaleth Burns, 24, of Clovis; Miss Black Eastern New Mexico Phoebe Green, 19, of Lubbock, Texas; Miss Duke City Destanie Weaghington, 20, of Albuquerque (ENMU-Roswell); Miss Pecos Valley Thalia Pantoja, 20, of Hagerman.

At the first night of the preliminary competition, Miss Alamogordo Staesha Gentry, 19, of Alamogordo, and Miss Capital City Ashley Fresquez, 22, of Albuquerque, tied for the swimsuit award, and Miss Las Cruces Taylor Rey, 22, of Las Cruces, won the talent award for singing an animated version of "Art is Calling for Me."

At the teen preliminaries, Picacho Hill's Outstanding Teen Abrianna Morales, 15, of Las Cruces, won the talent award for singing "Pie Jesu," and Rio Grande's Outstanding Teen Sienna Mascarenas, 16, of Albuquerque, won the lifestyle and fitness award.

Competition continues through Saturday's finale.

 

 
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