Outgoing Miss Sierra Vista Jennifer Westbrook on Building Confidence Through Pageants

THE MISS SIERRA VISTA SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANT

Originally started in 1964, the Miss Sierra Vista Scholarship Foundation has seen 58 years in Cochise County. According to their website, the Miss Sierra Vista Scholarship Foundation is “an official preliminary competition to Miss Arizona and part of the Miss America Organization”.

With the two local titles in play this year, Miss Sierra Vista and Miss Sierra Vista’s Outstanding Teen, I had the pleasure of meeting the two young women who would be handing their crowns over to the next title holders over the weekend.

COVID CHANGES THE MISS SIERRA VISTA PAGEANT

As you can imagine, even the traditions surrounding the Miss Sierra Vista Pageant were changed by COVID. Outgoing Miss Sierra Vista Jennifer Westbrook told me last week that she held the title for two years, something unheard of previously. While her duties and responsibilities were limited during the pandemic, the foundation found many creative ways to continue, and Jennifer even completed her University of Arizona Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts during this time.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

Jennifer says the road to Miss Sierra Vista was a difficult one. For many years her asthma and childhood illnesses sidelined many of her activities, often landing her in the hospital in her younger years. Jennifer admitted her chronic illness made her shy and she found it difficult to make friends. Which is why, when she was 5 years old, her mother encouraged her to begin competing in local pageants. She says, “The personal growth I experienced by competing is so rewarding.” Her advice to any girl thinking about becoming part of pageant life: “Just go for it!”

While her duties as Miss Sierra Vista have come to an end, she supports the new Miss Sierra Vista. Tomorrow, we’ll check in with the outgoing Miss Sierra Vista’s Outstanding Teen, KayLyn Gooch.