All over the world, participants of pageants struggle with the stereotypes and the negative stigma the media creates. Samantha Nash, Miss Granite City’s Outstanding Teen, has brought these issues into perspective by explaining her story and her platform as a young woman apart of the pageant community. Through her involvement in the Miss America Outstanding Teen Association, she has been able to share her platform with the community and hopes to prove her purpose for participating in pageants. She believes it is more than just being a part of an industry focused entirely on physical appearance and attributes, but an association that focuses on what’s behind the dresses and makeup.

Samantha Nash is a 16 year old girl from Minnetonka High School who is involved in the MOA Teen Foundation. In her platform, Samantha focuses on mental health awareness. Both she and her mother have suffered from depression in their lives and she hopes to help others now and in the future. Samantha wanted a way to get her platform across to educate people about mental health awareness and found pageants were the best way to voice her opinion.
With her title, Samantha has been able to go to several elementary and middle schools to start the conversation about the importance of mental health. To help spread her platform, Samantha decided to get involved in pageants. Samantha began pageants in 6th grade to help bring attention to mental health in a new way.

In the beginning, Samantha feared the judgement that she would have received if she had come out as a pageant queen. Eventually, she made the decision to involve her close friends in that part of her life. She was surprised by how supportive they were in who she truly was and went to support her at her state pageant.

As a sister company to the Miss America Organization, the Miss America Outstanding Teen Organization’s goal is to “ encourage positive achievement by helping to nurture and build the scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living, and community involvement of our nation’s youth”. The expectations of holding a title are heavy, but the guidelines only aim to teach the participants skills needed for success and to build character. These requirements entail personal mentorships that shine the light on different industries within business and volunteering.

The pageants award hardworking participants with academic scholarships that imply educational security. Beyond the beliefs of many, this organization focuses on education and community involvement. The beauty aspect represented in media and pop culture is minimally utilized as the participants compete. Likewise, they are judged based on the talent, fitness, and confidence displayed.

Samantha hopes to continue working with this organization and keep promoting her platform. She told us, “With a crown or not, I will keep promoting my platform and going around to schools to help educate kids about the importance of mental illness,” Samantha says. Despite the judgement she may receive, Samantha will keep fighting for mental illness and keep her supportive friends by her side.