By Phoebe Fries, staff reporter.
Over the past three years, Delta College student Simone Vaughn has competed in 22 pageants. From performing a unique talent in front of the judges, to volunteering around her community, Vaughn hopes to inspire young girls by promoting an outlet for creativity and fun.
“When I turned 16, my mom finally let me do my first pageant, and I won,” says Vaughn. She states that after the first pageant she continued to perform and win. Vaughn has won a total of 13 pageants and placed in five.
According to Vaughn, the pageant experience does have downsides. “If you are there for the right reasons, it can be very relaxing, but at the same time very stressful. You have to make sure everything is perfect,” she says.
When asked about her talent portion of the pageant Vaughn says, “It’s kind of strange, but I am a Bollywood dancer. I come up with my own routines, and that is what I am most memorable for.” She states that the costume for the dance is one of her favorites. According to Vaughn, the outfits can range in price from 200 to 300 dollars. Her most expensive costume was a little over 600 dollars.
Most of Vaughn’s awards come in the form of titles. Some of her titles include, Miss Michigan Lakes, Miss Natural Born Diva, Miss Young Woman of Excellence and Miss Saginaw Teen Sunburst.
Miss Pure Michigan has been Vaughn’s most memorable pageant. She says, “This pageant really focuses on community service and is Christian based.” Vaughn was crowned Miss Pure Michigan State 2016 on Apr. 14.
Vaughn’s ultimate goal is to create a program for young girls, who come from similar backgrounds as herself. She plans on calling this future organization The Princess Project. “As a young girl, I wished to be a part of something that was uplifting and fun, but was never provided the opportunity. So I want to give them what I never had,” says Vaughn. She states that the idea behind the project is to help young girls see more of the world than what is directly in front of them.
She continues describing the project’s goals by saying, “I plan to incorporate things like cultural awareness and public etiquette. I would like to plan college trips as well.” Vaughn wants the young girls to know their worth and explore what the world has to offer.
Vaughn says she is second guessing a future career in Broadcast Journalism, “I know I want to study communications, but I have yet to pinpoint a specific field.” She is focusing on creating The Princess Project Organization at the moment, but is keeping an open mind about her future career goals.
“Through pageantry, I believe that I can become that role model girls can look up to,” says Vaughn. Her plans to create the organization will be introduced by pageantry, but entail a lot more about the drive and ambitions of young girls.
