Miss Kings County 2012

Help me support nix&stones this Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year because despite all of our very busy schedules, it's the time of the year that brings us all together. Often we are so busy with work and school that we don't always take the time to realize our good fortune, and this holiday reminds us to reflect on everything that we are thankful for. One way of showing thanks for what we have in our lives, is to help others who are not so fortunate. I helped by making a purchase from nix&stones, who gives a percentage of proceeds to Safe Horizon. These funds are then distributed to support the women's shelters that aid the victims of domestic violence and abuse.

You can join me in helping nix&stones support Safe Horizon, and bring awareness to domestic violence. Here's some information :

I wish that Thanksgiving was every day because of the philosophy that it represents - being appreciative of all that we have. Each breath, step, day and opportunity is a blessing and we all should be more appreciative of the lives that we live and not take anything for granted.

Happy Holidays!

xoxo,

Jaleesa

Save the Date!

2011-11-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Hope on Horizon: Speak Out Against Violence annual benefit takes place Thursday, December 1st 2011 at 8:30am at the New York Athletic Club. Join Safe Horizon at this event to celebrate the survival and confidence of victims of violence.

BREAKFAST will also be served ( YUMMY :-D )

I will be attending, and I hope that you can attend too! Please be sure to RSVP by NOVEMBER 25th by contacting Kristine Widulski at kwidulski@safehorizon.org or at 212.577.8293. You only have 3 days left!!

Who : Safe Horizon

What : Hope on Horizon : Speak Out Against Violence

When : Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Where : The New York Athletic Club, 180 Central Park South (between 6th and 7th avenues), NYC

Why : To celebrate the survival and confidence of victims of violence AND to bring awareness to the efforts made by the Safe Horizon organization to support these victims

How : RSVP and ATTEND

For more information about Safe Horizon, please visit www.safehorizon.org and for more information about the breakfast, please visit www.safehorizon.org/hope2011.

Albee Square Holiday Tree Lighting!

2011-11-21T23:38:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 17^th was the day of my first appearance as Miss Kings County and I was ecstatic! My fellow titleholders and I were joining Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and the Fulton Mall Improvement Association to bring in the holiday season with the lighting of the Holiday tree in Albee Square. Having vivid memories of shopping with my family in the Downtown Brooklyn area, I was eager to participate in the festivities.

Surprisingly, it was actually a cold evening but the free hot chocolate donated by the famous Junior’s restaurant warmed us all up in no time. There were also these DELICIOUS donut treats to enjoy from Cuzin’s Duzin!

We were all welcomed by our fellow Brooklynites, who had many questions about the Miss America Organization and wanted to take photographs with us. I enjoy taking photos, so it was a lot of fun! I then learned that Maria and I would assist Mr. Brooklyn himself, Marty Markowitz in lighting the tree. I didn’t expect this and was honored that they were allowing us to partake in the event in this way.

As we were all introduced to the public by the host, it was the very first time that I heard my name associated with my title out loud since my crowing four nights ago. It felt nice, and I was so happy to greet all of the smiling faces with my smile and wave. Before I knew it, it was time to meet Marty and light the holiday tree! It was truly a pleasure to meet out Borough President. He seemed very proud to have us as representatives of Kings County, and had such a friendly personality that I couldn’t help but embrace a warm smile while in his presence.

The event also included a performance by the Brooklyn Music School and Miss Brooklyn. We were all also given a Downtown Brooklyn Holiday bag that contained a bunch of treats. Its contents consisted of: a visitor’s guide to Downtown Brooklyn, and some coupons from local restaurants and retailers in the Downtown Brooklyn area. My personal favorites were the coupon from Junior’s restaurant for a FREE slice of cheesecake, a 20% of discount at IHOP, and the Downtown Brooklyn value card – a keychain card, eligible for discounts at numerous eateries and stores in the area.

Overall I had a GREAT first appearance as Miss Kings County. The tree is absolutely stunning and the event was wonderful. Thank you to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the Fulton Mall Improvement Association, Borough President Marty Markowitz, and each and every one of the sponsors for making this a memorable day for me. I hope that you all choose to shop in the Downtown Brooklyn area first for your holiday shopping!

Miss Kings County's Outstanding Teen, Miss Brooklyn's Outstanding Teen, Miss Kings County, and Miss Brooklyn

All of the titleholders with Chrissy xoxo

Looking forward to my next appearance,

Jaleesa

The New 2012, Miss County Queen Is...

2011-11-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

Hellllooooo Brooklyn!! I am Jaleesa Peterkin, Miss Kings County 2012. I am so excited about this opportunity and have created this blog to allow you to join me on my journey as Miss Kings County. I feel like there is no better way for me to start my blog than to begin by telling you about the day of the pageant. I hope you enjoy reading my posts, and I apologize for such a long first entry. I just really wanted you to be able to live every moment of this incredible day with me. I hope you enjoy! xoxo

The big day was finally here!!! Today was the day of the Miss Brooklyn/Miss County Queen Pageant! I woke up and already had butterflies in my stomach! I should have truly been exhausted from my long weekend of events, but fatigue was the last thought on my mind. I felt in my heart that this was my year, the year that I would walk away with a local title granting me the opportunity to further promote my platform and to compete in the Miss New York pageant next year, and quite frankly, that desire was now getting the best of me. I was excited, anxious, nervous, and even a little scared. I wanted this so badly.

As I double checked my pageant checklist to ensure that I had everything necessary for today’s competition, I still could not shake the nerves from me. I was extremely nervous about the talent and the on-stage question portions of the competition. After being unsatisfied with my performance in a prior competition I turned to my mother and best friend for both their opinion and advice, and I made a decision to change my talent. I now feared that I would either forget my dance routine while on stage, or make a mistake – both which seemed like suicide to me. The on-stage question is always nerve wrecking for me for the fear that I won’t be able to answer the question (and everyone knows that rambling on and on, or staring like a dear caught in headlights are not in fashion in the pageant world – it needs to be short and to the point, yet answers the question). To top it off, I was running about fifteen minutes late to my call time. I felt so flustered at that moment, that for a minute I felt like not even going at all. Thankfully I quickly snapped myself out it!

I arrived at the venue, pulled over in front, and began to unload my belongings. I opened the gate and walked down the hall, and then descended down three or so flights of stairs until I was greeted by warm, smiling, and friendly faces. It was refreshing to see some familiar faces amongst the crowd and was also comforting to know that my lateness was not too shameful because the interviews were running behind. I was contestant number 11 and contestant number 1 hadn’t gone yet – so that was one relief. After getting the remainder of my belongings, successfully parking my car with some help, and calling my mother for words of wisdom I started to feel more at ease.

I walked back downstairs into the dressing room, and as I looked over at all of the contestants I instantly knew that this was going to be a tough competition. Everyone looked amazing and was truly unique in their own special way. This was also without a doubt the most humble and genuine group of young women that I ever met. It was the first time that many of us had met one another, yet everyone was so encouraging and supportive of each other. It’s the simplest moments as those that are precious to me and make me proud to be involved in the Miss America Organization – the sisterhood, and the companionship despite the competition – for these moments are magical, beautiful, and amazing. At the end of the day we are all women sharing the same goal, dream, and desire to better ourselves, so who better to support one another than ourselves?

Interviews were now about to begin. I spoke with the executive director, Chrissy Joseph Bellagamba to apologize for my tardiness and to get caught up on some information that I had missed about the panel of judges. After speaking with her, I made up my mind that today I was going to just have FUN. I worked too hard to let the stress of my nerves be my downfall. So, instead of checking last minute news articles or practicing my dance in the corner I sat, relaxed, and conserved my energy. I told myself that right now I am as prepared as I am going to be for today, and that there is nothing that I can do or learn in the next 45 minutes that will change the end result of how I perform tonight. I was determined to stay true to myself and if it is meant to be, it will be.

Before I knew it, it was time for my group to head into the waiting room for the interview. I was the third to go out of the last group of four, and twenty minutes later, I was up. I walked in the conference room and after the first question I felt so comfortable with the panel of Judges. They asked me some challenging and thought provoking questions, and I was excited to share my point of view with them. Soon enough, my 9 minutes and 30 seconds were up and it was time for my closing. I guess that old saying, time flies when you are having a good time is true!

Feeling good about my interview, I went back to the dressing room to prepare for the opening number. We then had a quick rehearsal to go over the opening number as well as the walking patterns for all of the competitions. The theme of the pageant was Brooklyn’s Next Top Role Model which I LOVED since I am such a huge Tyra Banks fan and supporter of America’s Next Top Model (I watch that show religiously). It was so fun to get to walk out to the famous theme song music. I also used this rehearsal time to do a sound check for my talent music, as I marked my routine on the stage for placement. Once Chrissy was satisfied with our opening performance, we headed back to the dressing room for one last mirror check and a quick group photograph.

Christina Moore, the reigning Miss Brooklyn 2011 gave us such an inspiring speech before show time. She told us how her year of service was such a wonderful experience for her, one she would never forget and even shared that she was not expecting to win when she did and how much of a pleasant surprise it had been for. She encouraged us to give it our all and to leave everything on the stage because in doing so we are all winners, regardless of the outcome of the pageant, because we know that we gave it our very best. Christina ended her speech by bringing us all back to a place from our childhood, – a time when we believed so much in ourselves that we could be anything that we dreamt of – a dream that we had we were five years old. She told us to close our eyes and then said, “Raise your hand if at five years old, you dreamt of being…” after naming about ten different professions she had us open our eyes and look around. She then said, “At five years old, you all had a dream…hold on to that dream.” It really hit home for me because I remember being five years old and believing that I could be anything that I wanted to be, and that all of my dreams would someday come true.

As I headed up the stairs with the other contestants, I felt my heart race with excitement. The music came on and I had a rush as stomped down the runway. We completed the opening and the on-stage question was next. As each girl went before me, I answered their question along with them in my head, and it served to be a great way to calm me down before my turn. As I walked out to center stage, I was greeted by Carmen Mendoza, Miss Kings County 2011, who asked me to share about my platform. I am very comfortable with my platform, and was content with my answer. I remember looking towards the host, Abraham Robinson as he began to speak to me. He started off by saying, “Jaleesa, now I have a serious, very serious question to ask you.” I felt my stomach drop, yet I shook my head yes in acknowledgment of his words, and got in my mode. I focused directly on his lips and waited for him to speak, prepared to read his lips as he spoke to me (I feel like this helps me hear better, especially when under pressure). I then heard “If you were a cartoon character, which cartoon character would you be and why?” I instantly felt a mix of emotions because it was the opposite of the question that I was expecting after his introduction! Surprised and relieved, I answered the question and proceeded off stage.

It was now time for me to prepare for the talent competition. I felt relieved that my on-stage question was over because that was one of the phases of competition that I was nervous about, and I now felt even more confident for this next phase. I quickly changed into my costume and stretched. I marked the routine in my head, made sure my prop was secure, and headed upstairs. I saw two contestants compete before me, and they each did an amazing job. I then requested that my music be played very LOUD, took a deep breath and walked to my mark on stage. I was performing a jazz dance routine to the song “Fever.” I chose Beyonce’s version of the song because I find it to be a bit more sultry and edgy than the original version and as soon as that music started I was in character. I was Sasha Fierce, not Jaleesa. I fully committed to the role and my performance felt good!

My routine felt perfect to me, I didn’t miss a beat, and the audience responded well. I was so excited, that I ran down the stairs. Out of breath, I took a few sips of water, and began to prepare for the swimwear competition. As an aspiring model, I LIVE for the Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimsuit and Evening Wear competitions. I was elated that my two favorite parts were back to back for me in this competition. Swimsuit felt well, and I prepared for evening gown. After receiving a little assistance it with my wardrobe I was ready. All twelve of the contestants looked stunning!

After the Evening Wear competition we had about twenty minutes or so until the crowning. I absolutely love my gown, but I wasn’t excited about the wait because I can’t sit in my dress. I didn’t want to undress and have to rush before the finale so I got creative and found a way to sit. I wound up lifting the ruffled skirt of my mermaid styled gown, kneeled on my chair and just let the gown rest over the chair. It was probably a peculiar sight to see but at least feet got to rest a bit…

It was hard to stay in that room, knowing that directly above us the scores were being calculated and that the new titleholders would be declared to the pageant world soon. The announcement finally came for us to come back upstairs to the stage. As I walked up the stairs I wondered if I had did enough. I had not a single regret, because I knew that I truly gave it my all tonight, but I am not judging myself and you never know how the judges feel…my fate is in their hands, not my own.

We graced the stage along with the current titleholders, the host, and the executive director Chrissy. As I looked around I saw the rainbow that we created, filled with gowns of all colors and smiles all equally as bright. The auditor walked over to Mr. Robinson and handed him that special piece of paper. I took a breath, closed my eyes, and said again to myself if it is meant to be, it will be. He started with the first runner-up, which was awarded to Amanda Alicea. I was so happy for her! Amanda has a remarkable story that relates to her platform, a great voice, and is such a sweet person. Congratulations!

Next was the first title holder, Miss County Queen. I then heard the host, Abraham Robinson say “And next, the new, 2012 Miss County Queen is…” As the audience and the judges made a drumroll, I kept saying my name over and over in my head, “Jaleesa Peterkin, Jaleesa Peterkin…” Then I heard a male voice say “Jaleesa Peterkin!” I stretched my eyes wide as I smiled because at first I was not sure if I had really heard my name called or if I heard myself thinking out loud. Once I observed that no one else had walked up and I felt all eyes on me, I began walking to the front of the stage where Carmen was standing. Although it was only a few steps to reach her, it felt so much longer. I felt like I was walking in slow motion, I felt like I was dreaming! I hugged Carmen and she handed me a bouquet of flowers. I then kneeled in front of her in preparation to be crowned.

As I looked out into the audience and saw smiling, applauding faces, I felt that feeling of being five years old and having my precious dream come true. As it all settled in, I couldn’t help but begin to cry. I was so happy! I had wanted this moment so badly; I needed it, but still at the same time did not expect it to actually really happen to me and to happen on that night! I heard Carmen say, “Not yet, just a second…ok,” and crown secured, flowers in hand I thanked the judges. I was still in amazement and as I panned over the audience, and saw the judges rise to their feet, a felt a tear fall delicately from my eye and gently down my face. Feeling the loving support in that room at that moment, I felt such a sense of joy and accomplishment – a feeling so sweet that I will never forget, will always hold on to, and will cherish forever. I walked back over to my position in the semi-circle of contestants and waved to my audience as the applauding continued. Chrissy then walked over and hugged and congratulated me. I couldn't stop smiling or stop my eyes from getting watery.

I tried to compose my emotions so that I would be able to congratulate the next title holder. “And now, the 2012 Miss Brooklyn is…” said Abraham – followed by the drumroll – and then he said “…Maria DeSantis!” I knew how much this meant to Maria and was so excited for her. When I first became involved with the pageant world, I heard so many great things about Maria and really admired her. I know that I can learn from her and truly value her advice. She is such a genuinely sweet person, and I am proud to have her as my Sister Queen!

Chrissy and Maria exchanged a hug and then Maria walked over to me and said “We’re sisters!” as we hugged both celebrating in each other’s victory. I was then congratulated and hugged by all of the contestants and I was grateful for each of their words. The stage immediately began to fill with friends and family, and I found myself getting teary eyed again. I couldn’t believe that I, Jaleesa Peterkin, now had a title. I then looked to the right and saw some familiar faces from the evening – faces from the judging panel – coming towards me with huge smiles. As Joshua C. Grimes approached me he said to me, “You have a lot going for you…all you need to do is open up a little more in your interview. You have a lot of great ideas; don’t be afraid to say them. We want to hear from you. Ok?” I shook my head yes and said “Ok.” As I felt tears forming in my eyes, I smiled, let out a little laugh and said “I am sorry, I am crying…I am just so happy.” I wiped my eyes as he replied; “I knew you would be” gave me hug and congratulated me.

I was then congratulated by Vickie Schulman. “You have so much going for you little lady,” she said to me. She then asked me if I was expecting this and as I replied no I began to cry a little bit more. She smiled and then said “Well, you see what happens when you believe in yourself…you got to believe in yourself a little bit more. There are a lot of people out there counting on you.” I absolutely hated that I was being so emotional and crying. I have never been known to be a crier, but it was as if each time someone congratulated me I felt that same feeling I felt when I was getting crowned – that my dream had finally come true and I truly had uncontrollable tears of joy.

I then looked and saw Miss New York herself, Kaitlin Monte standing before me. She congratulated me and I confided in her, how nervous I had been before competing, especially about my talent. She then told me that she loved my talent tonight and that she thinks dancing will be fun for me for the pageant. Kaitlin had then said, if I ever need any help with anything that I should not hesitate to ask her. I really appreciated her kind words, and willingness to help. I was then congratulated and introduced to Paul Brown – a man I knew well by name – and it was such a pleasure to meet him and put a name to a face.

I did my best to hold back the tears as I was to take a picture with Kaitlin. It felt amazing to stand next to such a great woman as herself and to now be considered a part of the pageant family and fellow titleholder.

You can see that I had just stopped crying!

I then took a picture with Kaitlin and Maria, and the three of us also took a picture with Joshua C. Grimes.

After, I took a photo with Carmen Mendoza, Miss Kings County 2011 and Christina Moore, Miss Brooklyn 2011 as well as with some many otheer amazing people that I met that night. I am honored to follow in Carmen’s footsteps and grateful that she will be there to help if and when needed.

The last photograph I took for the night was with the Executive Director, Chrissy Joseph Bellagamba.

After taking all of the photos, I changed my clothes, packed up my belongings, said my goodnights, and began to load up my car. As I was driving home, I had stopped at a red light and as I looked out of my left window, I saw in the car next to me three young girls who were smiling and waving at me, and admiring my crown. I smiled back and waved at them, as I saw them remark in excitement that I acknowledged them. At that very moment it had occurred to me that I can make a difference in the lives of young girls and women around me. I am now someone important to them, a positive role model, and that is both a feeling that is rewarding, and a responsibility that I am happy to take on.

Evidently, November 13, 2011 will truly be a day that I will always remember. I feel special to know that I have such a solid support group of people who will be fundamental in guiding me in my success. I cherish all of the feedback that I have received and these moments are truly special and memorable to me. I would like to congratulate all of the new titleholders: Briana Cornet, Miss Kings County’s Outstanding Teen; Jordyn Cohen, Miss Brooklyn’s Outstanding Teen; and Maria DeSantis, Miss Brooklyn. I also want to congratulate each of the Miss contestants for a job well done; you are all very beautiful and talented. I made some new friends and I am looking forward to seeing them in future pageants!

I want to thank my parents, my family, and friends for their constant love and support throughout this journey of mine and all of my journeys over the years. I thank all of the volunteers and members of the Miss Brooklyn Scholarship Organization for their dedication and hard work. I thank all of the judges: Jamil Crews, Lisa Drouillard, Joshua C. Grimes, Mary Pat Klein, and Vickie Schulman for their time, and commitment to the Miss America Organization. And last but not least to Chrissy for her continuous hard work, advice, and support of all of the contestants throughout the preparation for this pageant. I am excited to work with you and the Miss Brooklyn Scholarship Organization and I am sure that we will have an AMAZING (and very busy) year, one that I am eagerly looking forward too.

So, there it is Brooklyn, the day that I became Miss Kings County. I am thrilled to be representing Kings County, I hope to make you proud, and I am certain that I will have such a prosperous year that no one – not even myself – will be able to “fuhgetabout it” :-)

With <3 and yours truly,

Miss Kings County 2012, Jaleesa Peterkin