Moses Lake pageant titles up for grabs Saturday

MOSES LAKE — Several women are competing in the 2010 Miss Moses Lake and Miss Moses Lake Outstanding Teen pageant Saturday night.

The pageant is at Moses Lake High School and begins at 6 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets cost $18. All money raised at the event goes toward scholarship awards for the top competitors, said pageant Director Kris Duncan-Crum.

The six teens competing for the Outstanding Teen title are Destini Brown, Aja Clardy, Samantha Fina, Alma Flores, Shelby Johnson and McKenna Reis.

There are 12 women from across the state competing in the Miss Moses Lake pageant, she said. The three contestants from Moses Lake are Alicia Gunderson, Caitlin Voogt and Shelby Johnson.

During what is traditionally the Miss competition, three title crowns will be given to the top three women. The titles are Miss Moses Lake, Miss Columbia Basin and Miss Eastside, Duncan-Crum explained. The three women selected will compete at the Miss Washington pageant and eventually the Miss America pageant, if one of the women wins the state title.

The pageant features talent performances from all the competitors, farewell performances from Miss Columbia Basin 2009 Danielle Henry and Miss Outstanding Teen 2009 Breanna Haddican, and a choreographed father-daughter dance, she added.

Miss Washington 2008 Janet Harding will emcee the event and Miss Washington 2009 Devanni Partridge is slated to attend.

Destini Brown

Destini Brown, 16, is a junior at Columbia Basin Secondary School. Her platform is to bring awareness to the effect Adenocarcinoma has on families. It is a form of cancer where a malignant tumor originates in glandular tissue. Brown explained she wants to win the pageant to gain momentum in spreading awareness.

She is vice president of Teens Against Tobacco Use and President of the Sisters Are Forever Club. Brown also competes in volleyball and dance, and is the 2005 Miss Pre Teen Moses Lake.

She intends to earn a law degree from Montana State University and wants to specialize in civil probate law upon graduation.

Her pageant talent entry is a dance to “All the Right Moves.”

“I would be a positive role model for children, teens and young adults,” Brown explained. “I would represent Moses Lake to the best of my ability.”

Aja Clardy

Aja Clardy, 16, is a junior at Moses Lake High School. She wants to win the title to became a community leader and promote the fight against chemical dependency.

She stated she wants to teach the community about the harmful effects of addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Clardy is a member of the Associated Student Body, teaches dance at Today’s Generation and is a three-time national champion for dance and drill competitions. She’s earned recognition as student of the month and for honor roll.

After high school, she plans to attend college in Seattle to earn a degree in massage therapy so she can open her own spa in the future.

Her talent is a dance to “Never Alone.”

“I chose to do it because the song itself brings out a lot of emotion in me which I can portray through dancing; my biggest passion,” Clardy explained.

Samantha Fina

Samantha Fina, 16, is a junior at Moses Lake High School. She stated she wants to win the title to be a positive role model and promote her platform.

Fina’s platform concerns preventing teens from getting abortions.

“I feel that it is important as a teenager to be able to realize the severity of the situation of aborting human life before it has been presented to the world,” she explained. “Teens generally think of getting pregnant as a mistake at this age, so they choose the easy way out by aborting it.”

She explained her goals are to create a group to talk openly about abortion and obtain speakers to talk about abortion in school.

Fina’s recognition includes receiving a pin for Key Club, varsity cheer leading and coaching gymnastics.

Upon graduation she plans to attend college to earn a bachelor’s degree in interior design.

Fina is performing a lyrical dance because it is a way for her to express herself.

Alma Flores

Alma Flores, 17, is a junior at Moses Lake High School. Her pageant platform concerns keeping children healthy.

“My plan is to keep spreading the word out there by going to the elementary schools, clinics and places where kids hang out such as the Boys & Girls Club of America, YMCA and Youth Dynamics,” she explained. “One day I hope to be remembered at the person who helped decrease the rate of obesity and diabetes in young children.”

After she graduates, she plans to move to Brazil to study Jujitsu with the intention of eventually becoming an Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter.

Flores’ achievements include being student of the month, running a mile in nine minutes while carrying a 50 pound weight and wrestling for the high school.

“I believe I should be Miss Moses Lake’s Outstanding Teen because I can represent the young adults that have not been heard,” Flores stated. “For example, those young women that love muscular sports yet have great inner beauty.”

Shelby Johnson

Shelby Johnson, 15, is a sophomore at Moses Lake High School.

“I feel that I have the qualities to represent Moses Lake in a positive way and also to inspire young girls and teens to strive to be the best they can be,” she explained. “If I became Miss Moses Lake Outstanding Teen I would inform the town about child abduction and how it can be prevented.”

She is part of the drill team and earned recognition for student of the month, honor roll and was a “peer buddy” to disabled children.

Upon high school graduation, Johnson stated she plans to have already earned an associate’s degree through the Running Start program and will go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in medicine from the University of Washington to become a general surgeon.

For her talent in the pageant, she will dance to “Wild Horses.”

“I chose to do a lyrical dance to this song because it is about breaking free and being who you really are and I feel that is a good message to portray,” Johnson explained.

McKenna Reis

McKenna Reis, 14, is a freshman at Moses Lake High School. She stated she wants to win the title to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a nerve cell disease leading to paralysis.

She explained she lost her aunt to the disease. Reis wants to engage the community in joining a walk to raise awareness.

Reis participates in Key Club, drill team and Today’s Generation dance team. She coaches gymnastics, competes across the nation in dance competitions and is co-captain of the Evergreen Chapter of the Walk to Defeat ALS 2009.

After graduation from high school, she stated she wants to earn a degree allowing her to work with disabled children.

Her talent at the pageant is a clogging routine to “Start the Party.”

“I have been dancing all my life and I love it and the energy it creates,” Reis explained. “My grandfather has been clogging for over 30 years and this is something we have fun talking about and comparing steps.”

Alicia Gunderson

Alicia Gunderson is a Moses Lake High School senior competing for a Miss Moses Lake title. She stated she hopes to win scholarship money to put toward obtaining degrees in business and fashion merchandising.

“This pageant gives girls the opportunity to have a positive influence on youth and throughout the community as well as showing people who you are and who you can be,” Gunderson explained.

Her platform concerns drug awareness but she is also concerned with obesity.

“Unhealthy habits are becoming more and more acceptable in today’s generation,” she stated. “It is imperative that we do a better job of educating our children on the importance of a healthy lifestyle.”

Her accomplishments include cheer leading and honor roll. She won an all-star title in cheer allowing her to participate in a parade in England. She is also a crew trainer at McDonald’s.

Her talent features a hip hop dance to “AM to PM.”

Caitlin Voogt

Caitlin Voogt is a junior at Central Washington University studying fashion merchandising.

Her platform is supporting Habitat for Humanity.

Voogt was recognized for varsity cheer leading, Dean’s List and for implementing a program to improve self-esteem among youth. She also fosters neglected kittens until they are able to be adopted.

She works as a barista and previously she was a sales associate.

Voogt explained the best way to make the pageant relevant to people is to correct misconceptions about the program.

“It is heartbreaking to me when a young woman thinks she cannot compete because she feels she is not pretty enough, or skinny enough,” she explained. “Anyone can compete and I want girls my age to see this. This program is not about what you look like, it is about who you are as a person and what impact you have on your community.”

For her talent, she will perform a jazz dance to “All That Jazz.”

Shelby Yada

Shelby Yada, 18, is a freshman at Big Bend Community College and is competing for a Miss Moses Lake title.

Her platform relates to keeping children fit and active in the community.

“Children are the future people of America and I want them to start their lives off in a healthy manner,” Yada explained. “My plan is to run a middle-school cheer leading program and get active with them. I want to motivate them, so in the long run, keeping active in the community will be a good thing.”

Yada is also concerned with young adults using drugs.

“Drugs are not only illegal, but horribly bad for your body,” she explained. “I wish that other people my age would see the consequences that can occur and think twice before doing something they would only regret if they got caught.”

Her accomplishments include cheer captain, gymnastics coaching, honor roll and serving as the editor of the events section for her high school newspaper.

Her talent at the pageant will be a cheer leading extreme routine.