As senior Isabelle Smith walks down the runway in her red evening gown, her mind races. She becomes anxious about what question she will have to answer when she reaches the end, but a quick glance at her parents reassures her that she is going to do fine. Through it all she keeps a bold face, smiling at the crowd and waving as she allows her confidence to radiate.

Her confidence and intelligence are what led Smith to win the title of Miss Collin County’s Teen under the Miss America pageant organization.

“I was so happy to have won that title because I had worked so hard and been let down so many times,” Smith said. “When I won, it was a moment where I felt like my hard work paid off.”

Smith explains how she got involved with pageantry and why she decided to pursue it.

“I knew of a mutual friend who had gotten involved in pageantry and I thought it was something that I could really get involved with, so I started to compete,” Smith said. “I also learned that the Miss America organization provided scholarships to winning competitors so I thought if it helps me pay for college and I can look pretty, I will take it!”

Entering a pageant requires loads of preparation from looking for outfits to talking about community service.

“To enter a pageant, you have to email the director of the competition, prepare your wardrobe, prepare a talent, and prepare to answer questions about your community service initiative which is something that you advocate for throughout your time in pageantry,” Smith said.

Through Smith’s community service initiative, she advocates for youth mental health.

“My community service initiative is called ‘Your Mind Matters,’ which deals with teaching kids about mental health and emotional regulation,” Smith said. “With that, I get to speak to different schools and the McKinney City Council to advocate for this issue.”

Smith says that she won the title of Miss Collin County Teen in a rather unconventional way.

“I competed in a couple of local competitions throughout the season but I only ever got first runner up,” Smith said. “‘At Large’ is a program through Miss America where you can apply for a title. I won the Miss Collin County Teen title through that application instead of the traditional way.”

Through her year in pageantry, Smith has had many people cheering her on.

“I give credit to my parents for their support throughout this process because they were the ones driving me to all the pageants and buying everything that was needed,” Smith said. “My pageant coach is also my biggest hype woman, her name is Landry and she is the best human. A lot of the girls that I’ve met through competing have also supported me. Their support meant the world and I am forever grateful for my sisterhood with the girls; it is truly so special.”