Dressed to Impress

            When hearing of the Mister and Miss Chico State Pageant it seems inevitable to have the preconceived image of bronze bodies, blonde haired, blue eyed, white women competing in a baton tossing contest.  When hearing of the pageant I almost refused to go simply because of the atmosphere I was expecting, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was nothing that I had imagined.  The pageant was actually a scholarship contest held on April 17, 2008 and 6:30 p.m. in the BMU auditorium here at Chico State.  The competition had a series of events and allowed two winners (one male and one female) a $1000 scholarship.  With my judgmental train of thought, I walked into the auditorium and was surprised to see a rather small audience.  The main lighting in the auditorium were Christmas lights that surrounded the runway, with a few lime lights shining on at the contestants. 

            The first event was the professional wear, and this is the point where I realized the pageant wasn’t as superficial as I was expecting.  Not only was I informed that it was actually a scholarship program, but I noticed that the people participating were average students, just like myself.  After every individual modeled there professional wear they were asked to draw a question out of a hat and told to answer with their own personal perspective on the issue.  I would say a very large majority of the questions, if not all of them, revolved around the college life and work ethic.  Rosie Russo, for example, was the first contestant to participate.  Russo was asked a question concerning the biggest issue facing college students, and she responded by saying financial assistance.  I think we can all agree in saying she is exactly right!  Most of the contestants responded in a way that made it relevant to not just my life, but the lives of most college students.  In a weird sort of way it was kind of refreshing.

            It was also nice to see how energetic and enthusiastic all of the contestants were. 

Another contestant, Scott Amick, was asked to describe his perspective on being a young adult.  “Being young, just rules” Amick said.  It made me sit back and realize that we won’t be this way forever; I think we all tend to take our youth for granted when it comes to certain aspects in life.  Even more refreshing, though, was the event that followed: the talent show.  I still had some of my pre-judgmental thoughts running through my mind, so I obviously was expecting to see a baton toss/can-can competition or something.  It was amazing to see the talent portrayed through all of the contestants.  Everything from poetry, music, art, martial art, and even baking were used.  The first contestant, again, was Rosie Russo, who recited her own personal poetry and, I must say, it gave me the chills.  Spencer Blair was another contestant who blew me away with his own choreographed dance routine.  I used to be a cheerleader, so watching and critiquing that type of routine kind of comes natural, but I was incredibly impressed. 

            After the talent show was the final event, evening wear.  This event was quite similar to the professional wear event, but they were dressed to impress.  At this point I noticed the music that was playing in the background; I felt like I should have been eating dinner at the Olive Garden or something.  It was really subtle, but it went along perfectly with the elegance of the evening wear.  The contestants walked the runway once more, and were asked another question.  There was a small intermission and the contestants were called back on the stage for the announcement of the final four males and females.  The top four males were Jesus Torres, Scott Amick, Spencer Blair, and Tyson Harris.  The top four females were Giovanni Blake, Lynessa Williams, Michelle Wells, and Savahana Lamp.

            The final eight were then called on stage to answer their final interview questions.  The questions this time were revolved more around the improvements that should and could be made on Chico States campus.  Being crowned Mister and Miss Chico State obviously puts that individual in a state of leadership around campus, so I think the questions asked were perfect for this pageant.  Mainly asked was how to integrate students on campus into more extra-curricular activities; how to get them more involved with campus life, and mixing people with other groups of people they wouldn’t usually socialize with.  The final judgment was not just on the competition, but a compilation of GPA, community service, and their personal statement. 

            Last years Miss Chico State winner, Jessica Tompkins, went on stage prior to the announcement of the winners to give a few words of encouragement.  It seemed to me like she was doing so not only to congratulate the contestants for making it that far, but to show everyone how much of an impact being Miss Chico State has had on her, and how much she has accomplished because of it (personally and for her sorority).  Other awards were announced prior to the ‘winners’ of the night.  Mister and Miss Congeniality were Rosie Russo and Scott Amick.  Mister and Miss Professional were Giovanni Blake and Spencer Blair.  Mister and Miss Talented were Savahana Lamp and Tyson Harris.  Miss Elegance was Lynessa Williams and Mister Sophisticated was Spencer Blair.  Mister and Miss Academics were Alison Templeton and Spencer Blair.  Mister and Miss Community Service were Angelina Gamble-Johnson and Mark Hererra.  In third place were Michelle Wells and Scott Amick, and in second place were Giovanni Blake and Jesus Torres.  Last but not least, Mister and Miss Chico State were crowned: Spencer Blair and Lynessa Williams.

            This pageant was just another way of students getting a scholarship; a little help when the end of the semester rolls around is always a good thing.  I think it was really cool to have a different way of earning a scholarship, too.  It gets annoying having to fill out tons of paperwork and writing a million essays just to know that your application is getting thrown into a pile with a dozen others. It is really difficult for people to show who they are and what they are about on paper, so I think having all of these interviews, and allowing the contestants to be themselves in front of the judges was really beneficial.  It was a good way for us all to see what well-rounded individuals these contestants are.  I am also really glad to say that my preconceived idea of this pageant was a complete fallacy.  I really am happy to say that I was able to witness this event; I would definitely recommend attending, or even participating, to others in the future.