When I tell people I am competing for a national title, the first question is almost always the same: "What exactly is the Ms pageant, and how is it different from the ones I have seen on television?" It is a fair question, and the answer says a great deal about why I chose this path. Let me walk you through it.
Miss, Mrs, and Ms: what the title means
Most people picture pageants as competitions for young, single women. Those exist, and they are wonderful, but they are only one part of a much larger world. Many pageant systems include separate divisions so that women at every stage of life have a stage of their own. A Miss division is typically for younger, unmarried women. A Mrs division celebrates married women. A Ms division honors accomplished women, often those who are married, divorced, or mothers, whose lives carry the weight of real experience.
That distinction is the whole reason I am here. A Ms title is not about being the youngest woman in the room. It is about standing as a complete woman: someone with a career, a family, a story, and a voice. It celebrates achievement and presence rather than youth alone, and that is a competition I am proud to be part of.
From a state title to the national finals
Pageant systems are usually built in tiers. A woman first earns a state title, which is how I became Ms Connecticut 2027. Holding a state title is both an honor and a responsibility. You become a representative of your state, an ambassador for your platform, and a public figure in your community throughout your year of service.
The state title then earns you a place at the national finals, where titleholders from across the country gather to compete. For me, that stage is the 2027 Ms USA Pageant Finals in Orlando, Florida. It is the culmination of a year of preparation, advocacy, and growth.
What the competition actually involves
People imagine a pageant is only an evening gown and a wave, but the reality is far more demanding. Competition is typically built from several components. There is a private interview with the judges, which many of us consider the heart of it, because it reveals who you truly are. There is evening gown, which is about poise and presence rather than the dress itself. There is often an on-stage question, and always the expression of your platform, the cause you have chosen to champion.
Preparation touches everything: fitness, interview practice, public speaking, wardrobe, and above all clarity about your message. It is, in the truest sense, a test of the whole woman.
More than a crown
What drew me to this is not the title itself. It is the platform a title gives you. As Ms Connecticut 2027, I am able to bring real attention to my cause, Ballroom as Empowerment, and to stand in front of women who needed to see that it is never too late to step forward. A crown is a beautiful thing, but it is the voice that comes with it that matters.
If you would like to know more about my own road to the national stage, I wrote about it in The Road to Orlando, and you can read my full story on the About page. And if you have ever wondered whether this world has a place for you, at any age, the answer is yes.
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