By Emily Lockwood
Staff Writer
With a passion for fashion and design, sophomore Doreen Forson will be participating in the national American Miss Pageant on July 27.
The national American Miss Pageant takes place at the Marriott Anaheim hotel in Anaheim, California.
“This competition is a great way for me to meet girls from across the country,” Forson said. “I will have the opportunity to work with girls whom I have never met before.”
There are four specific elements to the competition: formal wear, personal wear, the interview and community involvement. Each contestant will be judged and critiqued in every category by the judges. In addition, contestants have to meet a school grade requirement.
“I am very excited for Doreen and for her competing in the pageant,” father, Samuel Forson, said.
The intensive interview asks the contestant various questions, the focus of which will be along the lines of the contestant’s inner maturity and growth.
The judges want someone who is well rounded, poised and will be a good representation of the state.
“I am a little nervous for the interview portion of the American Miss Pageant,” Doreen Forson said. “However, I think I will do well enough in the interview to win this competition.”
This competition will award the winner with several prizes. Two of the major prizes are $1,000 and an authentic modeling scholarship, which would give Forson money to pursue a life in fashion and modeling.
“Winning the prizes would be incredible,” Doreen Forson said.
The prizes are to help the contestants start a career related to the pageant or the fashion industry itself.
“The scholarship would be quite beneficial in helping me get into some colleges,” Doreen Forson said.
Forson has designed a piece of clothing that she plans on wearing in the pageant. Her dress will consist of a material called sateen, and the style is relatively casual.
“I want the look of the dress to be sassy and cute,” Doreen Forson said. “I am excited to model my design in the pageant.”
This is Forson’s first pageant, and this will be a new experience for her. The point of this pageant is to give girls a chance to take their first steps into the fashion world.
“Because this is my first pageant, I am a little anxious,” Doreen Forson said. “Depending on whether or not I like the atmosphere, I will most likely participate in other pageants.
Forson is in the fashion class at Mira Costa, which has prepared her greatly for the American Miss pageant.
“The fashion design class at Costa seems to be a really wonderful, creative outlet for students wishing to enhance their experience in the world of design and even modeling,” junior Kaitlyn McQuown said.
Forson has learned about the aspects of fashion such as how to design clothes and how to sew them.
“Taking this class has opened my eyes,” Doreen Forson said. “I have learned so much this year, and I think my knowledge from this class will help me in the competition.”
In addition to learning about fashion, Forson has learned about the industry as well. The fashion industry is difficult to succeed in, and one must develop endurance to prosper.
“This competition will be good for her, and it shows her that her school grades really count outside of school,” Samuel Forson said.
Forson has prepared herself well in the understanding and mechanics of putting together garments for a show.
“Doreen definitely has what it takes to make it in the fashion world,” Mira Costa fashion teacher Priscilla Ratcliff said. “She is fearless and is very well equipped for this competition. The pageant will be a good experience for her.”
Forson hopes to have a career in clothing design and hopes to become a wardrobe stylist. Along with designing clothes, she also enjoys choosing hair styles and doing makeup.
“I love picking out clothes for people as if they were dress-up dolls,” Doreen Forson said. “I hope to work for a television show where I can create characters through what they wear and how their makeup looks.”
The pageant covers a lot of real parts of working in fashion, and this will allow Forson to partake in an experience that she can learn from.
“I really hope to win the competition,” Forson said.
Forson plans to take her knowledge that she learns in this pageant and possibly apply it to future competitions.
“I really love fashion, and this is seriously what I want to do with my life,” Doreen Forson said. “It would be amazing to win the awards and scholarships so I can start my career.”
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