“What just happened, this is not real,” was the thought racing through JaiMaria Howard’s head as she was crowned Miss North Carolina Collegiate under the Miss High School America system on January 14th, 2024. JaiMaria Howard is a current junior at Meredith College, serving as the vice president and treasurer for the Black Student Union (BSU) among other titles. Having participated in pageants for three years, Howard stated that “Pageantry made [her] the woman [she is] today.”
Howard was 17 years old when she competed in her first pageant. In 2020, she won her first title as Miss North Carolina Teen in the National American Miss pageant system. Howard said that she “definitely caught the pageant bug, as they call it,” and discussed how she was able to do so much under her title as Miss North Carolina Teen. Her coach suggested she compete in Miss High School America for the collegiate title, but she felt it was smarter to wait and attend college first. Howard also added that she “wasn’t even sure where [she] wanted to go [for college],” so she “waited and followed the system for a long time.”
Winning the title of Miss North Carolina Collegiate, according to Howard, had been a dream for her since she started competing. The Miss High School America organization is split into four divisions; elementary, junior high, high school, and collegiate age groups. This year, the 5th South Carolina/North Carolina pageant was held in Spartanburg, S.C. The South Carolina/North Carolina high school system was voted one of the top 5 pageants in the nation. Contestants are scored 40% on private interviews, 40% on an evening gown, and 20% on fashion runway, which showcases the contestant’s personality, according to the Miss High School America’s.
Throughout her journey to her current title, Howard explained that her biggest support has been her friends, specifically naming her roommate, Aniston. Her friends traveled with her during preliminary interviews as well as on the weekend of her pageant. Howard shared that her roommate pushed her to practice late at night and helped keep her nerves down. “A part of pageantry [that people] don’t see [is] the mental [aspect],” Howard explained. “Because at the end of the day, it’s still a competition; you are going up against other women, and it’s mental.” Howard added that her biggest competition is always herself and that she “want[s] to be better than the last time [she] stepped on stage.” She expressed she wouldn’t have been able to make it through pageant weekend without her friends who came with her to see her compete.
When asked about her biggest inspiration and how she planned to use her platform at Meredith, Howard had an answer in mind. Overall health is very important to Howard, and she plans to spread awareness across campus through Movement for Mental Health and Building Respect And Values For Everyone, (B.R.A.V.E.). She said that her inspiration is the late Cheslie Kryst, who was crowned Miss USA in 2019. “Cheslie took her own life in January 2022 after [Howard] competed in Miss Teen NC USA,” Howard explained. Howard describes she was “really hoping that [she] won that pageant” and was hoping that Kryst would be there. Howard described how she had never really dealt with grief, and it was especially difficult to lose someone she had looked up to since the start of her pageant journey. “She showed me that you can achieve these high titles and do these great things while being beautiful, being smart, and being educated.” The following year, Howard experienced another loss to suicide, and she said it was then that she realized that “mental health is your health.”
After the loss of her inspiration and a close friend, as well as her experience with anxiety and depression, Howard created her own platform titled Movement for Mental Health. Howard described that she noticed how fitness and physical health helped her get through difficult times and revealed that she was able to learn the importance and relationship between physical and mental health. “Mental health is more than just anxiety and depression; it’s actively keeping your brain healthy, and as college students, [students] should really prioritize that a lot more,” Howard added.
Another on-campus platform that Howard wants to promote is B.R.A.V.E., which is an anti-bullying platform. “Bullying in college seems silly, and people don’t talk about it often, yet college students still experience bullying,” Howard noted. Howard experienced bullying her freshman year on campus, and although she explains that it made her stronger, she wouldn’t wish the isolating experience on anyone.
Being involved on campus has helped Howard in the pageant world as well. Outside of being the vice-president and treasurer for BSU, she is also a part of Meredith Emerging Leaders, Mentoring Angels program, and worked as a tour guide last semester. She is also a Girls On The Run coach. Howard shared that these roles have helped her step “out of [her] shell and show up as the best version of [herself].”
When asked about the thoughts going through her mind as she won, Howard shared that there were absolutely no thoughts in her mind. “Everyone asks [her] this question, and [she has] no answer,” Howard laughed. The show was four hours long according to Howard, and each section had to present titles to four groups as well as farewells to past winners. Howard reflected on the experience during the wait, from her cheeks hurting from smiling so much to not being able to sit due to wearing a white dress. She stated that she was ready for things to speed up but realized, “These girls are having their moment, and it’s unfair to wish for the process to speed up.” Howard funded 90% of her pageant herself, which was a huge milestone for her. She explained that she put in a lot of dedication, passion, and sacrifice for this title.
Howard said that she placed fourth in the top five. When her group was called onstage, she described it as a surreal experience. The judges started to announce the runner-ups. “Okay, [Howard] didn’t get the fourth runner up… Good.” She then described realizing that she was in the top two. Howard remembers “shaking a little, but [her] reaction pictures are [her] favorite pictures” because she describes being able to see the shock on her face. Reflecting on her journey in pageantry, she realized that she is who she is today because of her sport. In her first pageant, she had to give a thirty-second to a minute public introduction and memorably present herself. “It was very scary, but [she] knew [she] needed the public speaking skills,” she stated. Howard emphasized, “Pageantry is more than gowns, glitz and glam; [it] is an extremely tedious process that not everyone can do.” Pageantry, according to Howard, has given her countless skills for career preparation and presentation. Howard shared that she gets told she speaks “so confidently and has amazing interview skills,” which all come from pageantry.
Overall, Howard has found this opportunity to be a “huge blessing” and plans to use her platform to empower women in her community and around the world. Howard said that she ”just want[s] to be the coolest girl [she] can be.”
By Enfiniti Jones, Contributing Writer
Photo courtesy of JaiMaria Howard
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