Regardless of what happens at the Miss Hawai’i scholarship pageant tomorrow night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on O’ahu, the reigning Miss Garden Isle is already a winner. Kapa’a resident Kellie Peterson, 21, received a one-year, full-tuition scholarship to Hawai’i
Regardless of what happens at the Miss Hawai’i scholarship pageant tomorrow night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on O’ahu, the reigning Miss Garden Isle is already a winner.
Kapa’a resident Kellie Peterson, 21, received a one-year, full-tuition scholarship to Hawai’i Pacific University, valued at nearly $10,000, for winning the Kaua’i title. And she is certain of her success whether or not she is crowned Miss Hawai’i.
“Pageantry is not my life. It’s just a page. I’ll go on and be successful one way or another,” she said during a telephone interview while on a rare break from a hectic Miss Hawai’i rehearsal schedule.
She isn’t ruling out more pageant competitions.
“There’s always next year,” said Peterson, noting that both Hawai’i’s second Miss America, Angela Perez Baraquio, and current Miss Hawai’i Billie Takaki didn’t attain their titles on their first attempts.
Peterson and chaperone Rose Dahle have been sequestered at the Hilton Hawaiian Village since last week, concentrating on rehearsals, public appearances and media interviews and preparing for the pageant.
Last Friday, they had to rise early to get down for a 5 a.m. television interview on an early-morning news show, and that evening the contestants danced hula at the host hotel.
Rehearsals began last Saturday, and the traditional breakfast with the judges was the next morning.
The judges’ interview, which counts for 30 percent of each contestant’s total score, was done Monday morning. The other pageant components are talent (30 percent), swimsuit (15 percent), evening wear (15 percent) and on-stage question (10 percent).
Peterson has been basking in the camaraderie and friendships that have developed between the 10 contestants. She said the women have become close friends, encouraging each other to keep up the focus needed to survive the grueling pageant week.
Peterson said there is a “contagious energy” shared between the contestants, further solidifying her feeling that there will really be no losers tomorrow night.
“Whatever does happen, we’ll support it,” said Peterson, adding that she hopes whoever wins will be able to elegantly fill the shoes of Baraquio and Takaki.
“I think everybody has a good chance,” and whoever wins will represent Hawai’i well at the Miss America pageant this fall, Peterson continued.
Though Miss Garden Isle hasn’t been on Kaua’i long (around three years), she is truly an island girl, born in the Virgin Islands and raised on Catalina Island. She fully anticipates being an island girl all her life, if for no other reason than “I can’t stand the cold,” she said.
The physical beauty, cultures and people are among the things that make islands special, said Peterson.
She lives with her 80-year-old grandfather, Pete Peterson, who she describes as “probably the best guy on the face of the Earth.”
Peterson conducts briefings for Outfitters Kaua’i and breakfast briefings for Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays. She applauded her employers for giving her time off and encouragement in her Miss Hawai’i adventure.
During the Miss Garden Isle pageant, Peterson sang “Part of Your World,” from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” Tomorrow night, she’ll sing “Colors of the Wind,” from Disney’s “Pocahontas.”
In the Miss Garden Island contest, Peterson didn’t win any of the top individual awards, but scored well enough in all areas to take the crown over four other contestants.
She recommends the pageant experience to anyone, both at the Kaua’i and statewide levels, said Peterson, who considers it a personal mission to inform young women about the common pre-conceived notions and misconceptions about pageants and queens.
For Peterson, the experience has included new friendships, a boost in confidence and self-esteem, money to pay for at least a first year of college, prizes and other gifts tangible and not so tangible.
At the Miss Hawai’i level, she admits to feeling some pressure and a schedule that is “not easy, but comfortable.”
She said she is happy to see the show coming together through the rehearsal process. “Everybody wants the best to come out on Friday,” Peterson said.
Peterson admits she’ll be a bit nervous knowing the pageant is going to be televised live, but is confident she’ll perform well.
Conservation, especially of the ocean reefs of her beloved islands, is her Miss Hawai’i platform and a life and career goal for Peterson. “We can improve reefs through conservation and education,” she said.
Planning on starting her own non-profit corporation, tentatively called Cards for Conservation, Peterson hopes to use her HPU scholarship for training and classes that will help her reach that goal. A writer, she plans to use proceeds from her company to fund reef protection initiatives. She has already been involved in reef preservation efforts on the islands where she has lived.
Speaking of islands, she admitted that while on O’ahu she has been missing the quiet, clean, uncrowded beaches and waters of Kaua’i, as well as the community and people.
The O’ahu experience has kept her jumping, with little time to think even about boyfriend Joshua King, who will be in the audience tomorrow. Except for organized, scheduled group events, the contestants and their chaperones are kept relatively isolated while staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
“We can’t be distracted with boyfriends, families” and the like, said Peterson.
Except breaks for meals, rehearsals have been nearly non-stop, along with autograph sessions, interviews with Honolulu media, hosted dinners and appearances.
Peterson’s schedule Tuesday illustrated the hectic pace she and the other contestants have been keeping:
l 9 a.m., rehearsal.
l 11 a.m., television interviews.
l 11:30 a.m., lunch.
l 12:30 p.m., back to rehearsal.
l 5:30, autograph session at Hilton Hawaiian Village.
l 6 p.m., appearance at duty free shops in Waikiki (the contestants’ last public appearance together before the pageant).
l 7 p.m., dinner.
Wednesday and today were set aside for all-day rehearsals.
Bit chaperone Dahle and Peterson remain committed to getting the word out to young women, especially on Kaua’i, about the benefits of pageant participation.
“My goal is to get more girls interested and involved,” Peterson said.
Dahle, a former Miss Kaua’i, stressed that the pageants aren’t beauty contests, but scholarship competitions.
“It’s all for education,” said Dahle, adding that each year the Miss America pageant hands out $25 million in scholarships. Girls are never judged against each other, never appear on stage in similar competitions (swimsuit, evening gown, etc.) at the same time, and are forever changed by their pageant experiences, she said.
“They grow. This is a real awesome program. This is something I really believe in,” said Dahle, who hustled the scholarships for the Miss Garden Isle contestants that in some cases are better than those offered in the Miss Hawai’i competition.
The first runner-up at Miss Garden Isle, for example, won an 80 percent scholarship at HPU, which is better than the first runner-up award for Miss Hawai’i.
Dahle said it’s not really that expensive to participate. A winner in the evening gown competition of Miss Garden Isle once spent $12 for the gown, obtained from a discount rack at a local store.
Dahle acknowledged Charlie King and King Auto Center, and Jay Furfaro and the Radisson Kaua’i Beach Resort for their support of the Miss Garden Isle pageant. The car dealership helped financially, and the resort offered complimentary rooms to the five judges and the Honolulu hair and makeup stylists Dahle brought over for the pageant.
The same stylists are doing the hair and makeup for the Miss Hawai’i contestants.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
