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| Makayla Moody |
Interview with Makayla Moody, Candidate, Miss Provo Competition
Darrel
Introduction: One of the highlights in the lives of
young people is the competition in athletics, academics, drama, science fairs, and
a host of other areas. One of the competitions coming up is the Miss Provo
Competition, which is affiliated with the Miss America Organization.
I had the privilege of connecting with one of the candidates, Makayla Moody, from Provo, Utah. She was one of our missionaries who served in the California Riverside Mission.
Darrel: Makayla, I am so excited to talk to you to hear about and share your story. We enjoyed watching you grow and develop on your mission, and now you are extending yourself even more. Congratulations! What an exciting opportunity you have before you! For those who do not know you, please tell them a little about yourself.
Makayla: Thank you! I am currently a student at BYU studying psychology. I grew up Kaysville, Utah. I’m the second oldest of five children. I love listening to music as well as singing and playing the piano. In my free time, I can be found baking or sleeping. I have a major sweet tooth and almost always have some sort of sugar on hand. One day, I hope to own a horse, but first I have to learn how to actually ride it. My main goal in life is to find ways to help and serve others.
Darrel: What is the name of the competition you are a contestant in?
Makayla: The Miss Provo Competition.
Darrel: What is the history of this competition?
Makayla: The Miss Provo competition is part of the Miss America organization. Recently (I believe in 2018) they made a few changes, and now rather than being called a pageant, they call it a competition!
According to the Miss American website (https://www.missamerica.org/ ), “The Miss America Competition has a 100-year history of looking ahead! Miss America was the first competition to offer a talent category and soon after scholarship awards for young women to be able to go to college and further their education….The organization stands for empowering young women across the country to be the best they can be through leadership, talent, communication skills, and smarts.”
Darrel: I love the focus on “empowering young women across the country to be the best they can be through leadership, talent, communication skills, and smarts.” Is there a website where people can learn more about the Miss Utah Competition?
Makayla: Definitely! You can also check out the Miss Utah website although it doesn’t have as much information. https://missutah.org/
Darrel: What motivated you to decide to participate in the Miss Provo Competition?
Makayla: Recently, I have been trying to push myself and do things outside my comfort zone. This has been something I’ve thought about trying for the past few years but never actually went through with. After talking to a friend, who is the current Miss Provo, I decided that it could be a really great learning experience for me and a great opportunity to go outside my comfort zone.
Darrel: How does your family feel about you participating?
Makayla: My family is very excited about and supportive of my participation. They encourage me every day. When I initially talked to my mom about participating in the competition, she said, “I think that will be really good for you!” From then on, she has been very encouraging and helpful. I also talk to my mom periodically about my impact initiative and my plans about what I am going to do. I love running my ideas by her to capture her input.
Darrel: What does it take to become a participant? Paperwork? Interviews?
Makayla: There is not really too much to it. Anyone can participate as long as they meet the age and residency requirements. After that, you just need to show up to workshops and prepare for the events.
Darrel: Speaking of the events, what are the various components/events of the Miss Provo Competition?
Makayla: There are four main events in the competition. The first is a private interview with the judges that happens during the day of the competition. They ask questions based on your résumé and social impact initiative as well as current affairs. To start off the evening events, there is a big dance number with all contestants involved. Then, the first event of the evening is the talent portion where each candidate performs a 90-second talent of their choice. The next event is the on-stage question and answer, which, in reality, is a continuation of the interview we had during the day. Plus, during this onstage question period, the contestants discuss their social impact initiative. The final event is the red carpet. This is where you get to dress up and show the judges how well you present yourself.
Darrel: Sound pretty intense. Which of the components do you feel the most comfortable doing? Why
Makayla: I feel most comfortable with the talent portion. I have spent a lot of time practicing and performing over the years, so it is something that I am pretty used to.
Makayla: I feel least comfortable with the interview and onstage question. This is an area where I feel very underqualified, and it gives me the most anxiety.
Darrel: How are you preparing for this event?
Makayla: I am preparing by staying up to date on current issues, practicing interviews, and practicing my talent.
Darrel: How much time are you dedicating to the competition and is the preparation a daily routine
Makayla: First of all, I dedicate about 7-8 hours a week. And, yes, preparation is a daily routine. I practice piano daily and work on interview prep every day.
Darrel: How do the Miss Provo Competition organizers help prepare you to participate?
Makayla: They hold weekly workshops that help all the candidates prepare for each of the events. They teach us interview skills, help us refine our resumes and social impact statements, and make sure we are prepared for the event.
Darrel: Please tell us a little about the participants.
Makayla: There are ten of us right now. All of us had to fill out an application. The amazing part of the application process is that anyone who wants to participate can as long as they meet the criteria such as being single, being between 18 years up to 24 years old, and meeting the Provo residency requirement. Some of the candidates have gone to school; others have graduated from college; some are working; and others are still attending school. Overall, it is definitely a commitment, and all ten of these young women are very committed.
Makayla: I am feeling kind of nervous and overwhelmed but excited at the same time.
Darrel: What excites you most and the least about the pageant Why?
Makayla: I’m excited to try something that I have always wanted to do. I think it will be a great learning and growing experience and will be something that will bless my life. The least has to be because I’m not excited for the nerves and doubt that I know will come up throughout this process.
Darrel: Makayla, knowing you have lots of talents, which one are you going to use for your talent in this competition?
Makayla: I will be performing Chopin’s Etude in c minor on the piano.
Darrel: What do you hope to gain and/or learn from participating?
Makayla: I hope to gain confidence and new life skills such as interviewing and presenting myself in professional situations. Through this process, I am gaining more confidence. Sometimes I wonder whether I am really qualified to do this. Sometimes I think I need to be a certain way or a certain person. What I have really discovered is that I just need to be myself, and that’s what I am trying to do.
Darrel: What leadership qualities come from participating?
Makayla: One of the leadership skills I am learning is how to present myself in a professional manner. Plus, we all learn how to interact with others and how to share what you believe and support. Another important aspect of participating is learning how to look at a certain political situation and see both sides of it.
Darrel: Everyone talks about winning this or that and that winning is important in everything. What would it mean to you to “win”? This question really gets to the heart of “what is winning” in your eyes.
Makayla: To win the title of Miss Provo would be amazing! It is a wonderful opportunity to serve in the community and promote something that you are passionate about. However, I think that just being able to participate is a big win for me. A win for me would be to take away the new skill sets and friendships associated with the process. My biggest win would be being able to challenge myself and face some of my fears and overcoming them. Being able to look back and be able to say that I did it will be worth more than any crown.
Darrel: One of the events is your social impact initiative. What does that entail for you and why did you decide to choose your topic?
Makayla: The title of my social impact initiative is “Embracing Imperfection.” I would like to focus on helping people escape the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” we place on ourselves in order to be seen as perfect within the societal definitions of perfect. I want to help people feel like they can truly be themselves without constantly worrying about keeping up appearances or what others might think. I chose this because it is something that affects many people and something that really resonates with me as someone who struggles with perfectionism.
Darrel: What would you say to all the young women who think they would like to participate in this or other pageants/competitions but feel they “do not have what it takes”?
Makayla: What I would say to all of the young women who may be contemplating participating in something similar or participating in anything new is this: If you want to do it, then go for it! Not all of us will “win” the competition, but I know, like I said before, that when we face our challenges and fears and overcome them, that’s what is the most important to me and should be the most important to anyone who participates.
Darrel: When is this competition scheduled and where?
Makayla: It is scheduled for September 24, 2021, 7:00 p.m. at the Covey Center, which is located in beautiful downtown Provo.
Darrel: Makayla, so many thanks for sharing with us your thoughts and feelings about being one of the candidates in the Miss Provo Competition. We wish you and all the candidates good luck. We know you will do well.
Makayla: Thank you! I am looking forward to it.
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