The entire process of being Miss America is
quite difficult at times. “It’s definitely not as
glamorous as it looks,” jokes Kazantsev. She
must constantly write speeches, travel across
the country to be the figurehead of countless
sporting events, red carpet events, military
events. “There’s a diversity of things to be
prepared for. It’s a rigorous process,” she says,
describing how 12,000 girls every year are
slowly whittled down to one, qualifying for
the city level first before moving on the the
state level competition and the national
competition that determines who is to become
Miss America. The scholarships themselves help
every girl who enters, whether she wins or not,
pay for her education, which is as important to
the pageant as the talent and beauty portions.
Miss America is also the spokeswoman for
the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and
visits dozens of hospitals, going room to room,
visiting the children at the hospital’s annual
Christmas party. “It gives them a chance to
forget some pain,” she says thoughtfully. “Kids
have the best attitude, and their reaction to
the crown is the greatest feeling.” They believe,
when they see her arrive in her elegant dresses
and her four-pointed crown, that they are being
visited by one of the princesses that they
idolize. It is Miss America’s job to hold up the
four points that the crown represents: style,
success, service, and scholarship; Miss America
is no longer about just being beautiful, but
about empowering young women through
education and service so they can achieve
their dreams.