Miss Virginia Doesn’t Tap Dance Around Faith

THE PLATFORM
Michaela is a 21-year-old resident and native of Virginia.  Dancing since the age of 4, Michaela loves performing and being on stage. One of her greatest joys is using her talent of dance to make people smile. At the age of 16, she was honored to be invited to join a professional dance company, Master Works Touring Company. She has had the opportunity to dance in Israel, Time Square, and as summer entertainment for Beach Street in Virginia Beach. With a desire to one day become a Sportscaster she is working towards her BA in Journalism at Old Dominion University. Her passion for dance has led to her minor in Dance and Performing Arts.
 
Michaela started participating in pageants at the age of 6. She has been blessed to hold the titles of Miss Virginia Princess; Miss Supermodel; Miss Preteen Star of Tomorrow; Portsmouth Seawall Preteen, and teen; Miss New River Valley, and was the state and national Preteen winner for Miss America Coed. As Miss Portsmouth Seawall’s Outstanding Teen, Michaela placed 2nd runner up at state and won the Dominick Fink Dance Scholarship Award. As Miss New River Valley she was the non-finalist talent award winner.

Branching out to use her other talents, Michaela has appeared in Supermodel and Pageantry magazines, and has had guest appearances on the television shows FBI Criminal Pursuit and Alaska: Cold Blooded Killers. She has also won local, state, and national titles in dance, pageants, and modeling.

Michaela’s motto has always been “the greatest blessing is to be a blessing.” This motto led her to understand the importance of service from a young age and to the creation of her platform “Making it Matter.” With her passion for dance, feeding the hungry, and her love for people, Michaela is leading by example and hoping to help others to follow.  Michaela will be Virginia’s representative at the Miss America pageant to be held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 11th.

VALUING OTHERS
Michaela was raised in a Christian home. She says her parents taught her when all else is gone, that foundation would be there to guide her.  Throughout her competitive career, Michaela says she was drawn to pageants for some reason.  “There was something in me,” she says.  “God calls us to be courageous, bold and strong and to have a bigger sphere of influence. I feel like I’m here for such a time as this.” Michaela chose to highlight the importance of self-worth and the power of valuing of others with her “Making It Matter” platform.  “It's so simple yet we totally miss out on it,” she says.  “We are so quick to want to hear our own voice that we can’t hear others. We used to be a powerhouse as a nation, but we have become so self-absorbed and that’s not what forefathers created this nation to be.”

Ever since she was a little girl, Michaela always obeyed her parents.  “I always did what my mom and dad told me to do,” she says.  She learned early on that obedience is better than sacrifice. “Instead of worrying about what I'm doing, I focus on other people. I think that made me different,” says Michaela.  “I want it to be the new normal. Self-worth means that we are all beautiful and we should learn to respect the other person. If I can be who God created me to be, I want people to know they're worth it, too.” As a freshman in college, one of her professors told her about a man who lived in NYC who had a great family and job.  In his suicide note, he said he just wanted one person to smile at him while he walked down the streets.  “That was heartbreaking,” says Michaela.  “You never know what people are going through and sometimes they just need a smile.”