When most people think of a pageant, the image that comes to mind is probably not one that involves a high school transcript. But for Kaitlyn Hyun, senior, participating in a pageant included much more than walking down a runway in pretty dresses.

The Miss Teen of America pageant exists to “encourage and motivate young women to reach their full potential through recognition of; scholastic record, service, and achievement to school and community, personal development, general awareness, personality projection and communication skills.” Unlike a typical beauty pageant, the Miss Teen of America pageant is a scholastically-based pageant designed to recognize the best in each state. The emphasis of the program is on leadership, academics, and service. Teenagers are selected through six categories of judging: scholastic achievement, service to school and community, personal development, personality projection and poise in formal wear, a general awareness test, and an interview.

Over the summer, Hyun was crowned as Miss Teen of Virginia. The Miss Teen of Virginia pageant included participants from all over the state, graded on the same criteria. This was Hyun’s first, and according to her, probably last pageant. She decided to participate because of flyers she had received in the mail. “I wasn’t really looking for this, but when I got notified in the mail, I thought to myself, ‘Why not?’ and I decided to try it,” said Hyun.

To participate in the pageant, it is required that participants are between 13 and 18 years old. Because of this, Hyun met people in middle school, as well as people going off to college next year through the program. One of Hyun’s favorite parts of the pageant was “being able to meet people from all over and bonding with people who have passions for really cool things and also are involved in their community.”

The most pageant-like thing was the personality and poise section, where participants dressed up in an evening gown, walked around the stage, and introduced themselves. According to Hyun, this was the hardest part. “I had these really high heels, and I didn’t practice walking around in them- I was so scared I was going to fall over.” The rest of the categories are more scholastic, submitting documentation of academic awards and community service, along with a résumé and an interview with judges. Hyun prepared by practicing for interviews, but not anything extreme like hiring a pageant coach like some girls.

Upon becoming Miss Teen of Virginia, Hyun received the crown and sash. Also as title holder of Miss Teen of Virginia, Hyun is expected to go to different events, continue to participate in community service and spread the word about the program. “I have already set up a bunch of events, like an emergency room fair and a pet adoption event, and I’m just looking for more opportunities,” Hyun said.

Because Hyun is the 2016 Miss Teen of Virginia, she is eligible to participate in the Miss Teen of America pageant in November. The finals will be held at the Mall of America in Minnesota from Nov. 17-20. Everyone participating will be judged off the same criteria as before. The only difference is that there will be people from all the different states. When asked what Hyun liked most about participating in the pageant, she said, “It helped with confidence. Even though it’s cliché, I was able to recognize all the inner beauty instead of outer beauty.”

The all-expense paid trip is definitely something that Hyun is looking forward to, and we wish her the best at the Miss Teen of America pageant!