The Miss America Organization has provided a myriad of opportunities for young women since its beginning. Miss South Carolina 1986 Dawn Smith Jordan brings us up to date on what she’s been up to since she was crowned thanks to MAO:

Becoming Miss South Carolina and second runner up to Miss America directly affected the course of my life. I was a vocal performance graduate and my dream was to become a recording artist. As Miss South Carolina, I made 350 appearances where I began to sing Christian music professionally. I released my first recording as Miss South Carolina entitled Dawn of a New Day, Miss SC 1986 Sings For You.

I had made a name for myself as a performer during my tenure as Miss South Carolina. After giving up my title I continued to receive calls from churches, conferences, and other events requesting that I come sing or speak. In 1987 I was asked to sing for Pope John Paul II when he visited South Carolina. I also appeared on the 700 Club and many other national TV and radio programs.

I was not Miss America, but I was given the amazing honor of being Miss South Carolina 1986, which opened a vast amount of doors for me to walk through as I continue this journey, which is the life God has entrusted me to live to the very fullest.

Learn more about Dawn Smith Jordan’s journey since she was crowned, and keep up to date with former MAO contestants when you subscribe to fourpoints.

Donna Bozarth is the Miss America Outstanding Teen Chairman of the Board and has been since its beginning in 2005. She says teen contestants who are prepared will have the best experiences of all.

My first experience with the Miss America Organization was in the late 1980s when I was designing and making costumes for a song and dance troupe at Mississippi College. One of the members of the group won the Miss Mississippi College pageant. She could not afford an expensive gown, so I offered to make her one. She didn't win Miss Mississippi, but I was asked to make the same gown for the new Miss Mississippi, Carla Haag. Like most little girls, I grew up watching Miss America and dreamed of being on that stage one day. Well, I never made it, but a dress I designed and made did! So I took my first trip to Atlantic City to see Carla wear my dress and I was hooked.

I started a local miss preliminary (in Florida) called Miss Space Coast and then served on the Miss Florida board for a few years. During that time, I judged several miss state pageants. I continued to attend the Miss America pageant every year and developed some wonderful friendships across the country with the great volunteers who are the backbone of the Miss America organization. It was though those friendships that I was initially contacted about helping to start the teen program. Now, it seems like there are hundreds of teen programs to choose from.

I love our program because of our scholarship opportunities and our connection to the Miss America organization. When looking for a pageant in which to participate, I would recommend looking at their requirements, contracts (very important), and benefits. If a teen is interested in the Miss America system, I would look for every opportunity to compete on the local and state level. To me, successful pageant contestants are those who prepare to do their best and make the most of the experience. Only one will win the crown, but everyone can build on their competition experiences in the future and be the best they can be on whatever stage they choose.

Our goal has always been to develop a top-notch scholarship program for outstanding teens, and to continue to grow our scholarship and our college relationships so more outstanding teens can benefit from this program.

Get more advice from Donna Bozarth when you subscribe to fourpoints!

Photo: Donna Bozarth with Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2012 Elizabeth Fechtel and MAOTeen 2013 contestants. Credit: Allen Dye

Heather Sumlin, director of customer relations for Mental Management Systems answers your questions about mental preparation!

Can you explain what you mean by mental training?
There are three mental processes that control performance: the conscious mind, the subconscious mind, and self-image. The conscious mind is your thoughts. The subconscious mind is your skills, or how well you prepare. Self-image is your habits and attitudes, your belief in your ability. When these mental processes are balanced and working together well, performance seems easy. When these processes are out of balance, it is very difficult to reach your potential under pressure.

Nerves are really tough for me, especially before I go do my dance. What can I do?
First understand that pressure is essential for success. Elite athletes feel nervous before they compete, too, so this is not something that needs to be feared. Butterflies are normal and natural. In most cases it is not the physical effects of pressure that causes performance to drop, instead it is our negative internal response to the physical effects of pressure. When you feel the butterflies next time try responding positively instead of negatively. We need pressure as fuel to compete to the best of our ability. It is the adrenaline released in our bodies that helps to fuel us toward success. Nerves are actually a good thing; it is simply your body knowing that this event is important to you.

Sometimes during interviews, I seem to forget all of the prep work I've done. Can you help me remember under pressure?
In training you need to be thinking the same way you do on competition day in order to build consistency. We teach clients how to run a mental rehearsal and mental program before each phase of competition. I recommend mock interviews in training but use those mock interviews to gain experience both technically and mentally. Treat each mock interview as your real interview, listen to the same type of music in preparation, have the same mental pictures and thoughts before you walk into the room. Be positive during the interview, your evaluation of your answers is best left for after the interview is over, not during the conversation.

I'm not really a competitive person, but do I need that to win?
I think being a competitive person can help in increasing motivation to train, outworking the competition, and moving quickly toward a goal. But being competitive can also derail a contestant if she focuses too much on what other people are doing and if her main desire is to beat others not build herself. I do not believe that you have to have a competitive personality to win but I do believe you have to train to win and prepare for the competition with focus and drive to have a better probability of success.

Get more advice on how to become mentally prepared when you subscribe to fourpoints!

The summer of 2012 brought a myriad of amazing dress and skirt trends and one of them is asymmetrical “fever.” Before fall kicks in for good, find your asymmetrical skirt or dress and capitalize on this hot trend! To make your life easier, here are a few useful fashion tips on how to choose the best asymmetrical skirt for your body shape:

Both high-end designer labels and cheaper fashion brands offer many stunning designs. First look around in stores and online to see which skirts you can afford to buy

Study your body shape and pick the style that turns you into a real goddess. Thin girls should go for ruffled skirts, and fuller girls should choose a skirt with a short hem reaching the mid part of their legs

Decide on the color and style of the skirt. Asymmetrical skirts come in a variety of shades, feature multiple eye-catching prints and designs

Pay attention to fabrics. If you want a skit to wear more often, choose a skirt with easy-to-care-for machine washable fabric. If you want something to wear on special occasions, choose a more delicate fabric.

Make sure you’ve chosen the right size. Just because the tag says one thing, the fit of the skirt may say another. Wearing your correct size will compliment your body and be more comfortable too!

For more style tips, subscribe to fourpoints!

Source: Armine Karapetyan