Photos and article republished courtesy of The Current Sauce
By Samantha Maiette, Reporter
Though the 2017 Miss Louisiana Pageant is officially over and NSU contestants are not walking away with the title, the participants are leaving the experience with new friends, skills and memories that will prepare them for future endeavors.
Miss Northwestern Lady of the Bracelet Maria Rome walked the stage of Miss Louisiana 2017 for the first time this year. One of the most important lessons Rome took from her time at the pageant is to be herself, because opinions of others should not matter.
“It’s not about the competition between you and the other girls; it’s the competition between you and yourself,” Rome said.
In the next several months, Rome is looking forward to her time reigning as Lady of the Bracelet and venturing out into the community to serve others.
Miss Louisiana Port City Hannah Teutsch walked the stage of Miss Louisiana for the third time during this year’s pageant.
Teutsch and Rome’s opinions differ on whether or not to compete again in local pageants for the chance to return to the Miss Louisiana stage.
“I’m planning on competing in local pageants again to hopefully get back to Miss Louisiana,” Teutsch said. “[I want] to be even more confident in myself [so] I can just get on that stage and be better than I was before.”
Rome, on the other hand, is not totally sure about her decision to compete again.
“I’m thinking about trying to go back – maybe doing another preliminary pageant, [but] it’s not set in stone yet.”
Both Rome and Teutsch agree the Miss Louisiana Organization and their experiences helped them grow in different ways. For Rome, it was finding new friends during the pageant; for Teutsch, it was learning new ways to better prepare for life in general.
No matter what happens to these competitors in years to come, one thing is certain: their time with the Miss Louisiana Organization has created lasting memories and taught them skills that have prepared them to conquer the rest of their lives.