When former Miss Lincoln University Amanda Andrews heard young girls saying people had called them "ugly" or "no good," she began formulating a program to positively impact their self esteem.
In its third year, the Miss Divine Destiny pageant is one piece of Andrews' larger vision.
"I realized girls in our communities need help; they need mentors. And they need to know they are beautiful on the inside and out," Andrews said.
Two Jefferson City area fifth-graders, who also happen to be best friends since they met six years ago at the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital City, participated this year.
Although Miss Divine Destiny receives a tiara and sash and makes appearances throughout the year, the program is not about singling out one girl. Instead, it helps each girl look within herself.
Sierra Young, fifth-grader at Lawson Elementary School, has been waiting for her fifth-grade year to be eligible for Miss Divine Destiny.
"My mom was a judge the first year," she said. "I kept asking when the next one was after that."
A'Marriah Lee, fifth-grader at East Elementary School, said she wanted to be in a pageant since first watching television reality shows on pageants.
However, Lee and Young agreed, Miss Divine Destiny isn't anything like the television shows.
"We help and encourage each other," Young said. "And we got to know each other better."
The pair opened the event Saturday evening with an African dance performed together. And they supported the other along the way as they rehearsed their talent pieces - Young sang "The Earth Song" by Michael Jackson, and Lee danced to "Pretty Girl Rock" by Keri Hilson.
"They're both bright, intuitive, creative and love to perform," Andrews said. "I had a good time working with them."
The Miss Divine Destiny pageant is based in faith, but open to girls of all backgrounds who are in the fifth through eighth grades.
"My faith plays a huge role; I believe with God all things are possible," Andrews said. "We all have a divine destiny and regal identity."
While growing up, Andrews had the support and positive encouragement of family, church and friends, but she realizes not all young girls have that.
Andrews wants to reach those girls with the message that they have the ability within themselves to accomplish great things.
She was elected Miss Lincoln in 2010 and spent the next year traveling across the nation speaking at youth events.
Now, through her business, Queen's Guide to Life, which she launched in February, she speaks with other Historically-Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) royalty, as well as at youth programs. She also provides pageant coaching and other workshops for women.
Growing up in theater and with a knack for public speaking, Andrews is using her bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Lincoln to build a meaningful program, she said.
Andrews also draws on her personal experiences in the pageant world, including selection as Miss Black and Gold for the Alpha Phi Alpha Scholarship pageant, second runner-up at the Missouri Missouri pageant and first runner-up at the national HBCU pageant.
"That led me to find my purpose: to help women embrace their regal identities and be the real you," she said.
Andrews hopes to grow the Miss Divine Destiny pageant to a second event in St. Louis in the spring. And eventually, she would like to see the pageants and their accompanying workshops hosted across the nation.
Several local businesses and organizations have supported the pageant, which served seven girls its first year and one its second.
Each year, the process begins with a royal meeting early in the summer, where the pageant process was explained. Then, a series of queen day-camps are held with a variety of topics covered, including etiquette, girl talk, healthy living, a photo shoot and self-improvement workshops.
The lengthy process emphasizes the girls have unique, individual value, regardless of whether they have a title and crown.
Cultural influences sometimes send the message the women should simply be quiet and look pretty. And often there are pressures to conform to societal expectations.
Andrews said she wants to teach girls they can be confident and be unique.
"We want them to think and speak for themselves," she said. "I think they need somebody to help them cultivate that."
That's what happened for the first Miss Divine Destiny, Kameron Troester, now 12. Watching Andrews and other women model confidence and inner-beauty was a strong influence on her, she said.
"I've become a lot more social and less self-conscious," Troester said.
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