KAILUA-KONA — Cheri Lavoie, Kailua-Kona resident and a graduate of Kealakehe High School, is preparing for November’s Miss Hawaii USA pageant after being crowned Miss Hawaii Island USA on Aug. 13 in Hilo.
Lavoie, 25, is the first winner of the title. This year is the first time preliminary competitions for the statewide title were held.
The competition is part of the Miss Universe brand. The winner of the Miss Hawaii USA pageant proceeds to the Miss USA pageant. That pageant’s winner then competes in the international contest.
Lavoie, who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2012, has been involved in pageants since 2014, when she competed in that year’s Miss Kona Coffee pageant.
But pageantry, she said, isn’t something she really saw herself doing before then.
“I got started at a pretty late age at 23,” she said. “And I actually was really kind of back-and-forth about it because I never really considered myself a pageant girl.”
She finished as second-runner up in that competition. She was also invited to compete in the 2015 Miss Hawaii pageant, affiliated with the Miss America brand.
“It really turned out to be such a great experience,” she said.
Miss Hawaii Island USA director Lani Walters said the decision to hold preliminaries at the island this year came after the Miss Hawaii USA executive director reached out to each of the islands about holding preliminary competitions.
Walters said preliminaries have also been organized on Maui and Kauai.
Three contestants, including Lavoie, competed for the Miss Hawaii Island USA crown at this year’s pageant, said Walters. The Miss Hawaii Island Teen USA competition featured eight participants.
Last week’s pageant featured an interview portion, held before the pageant, as well as a swimsuit contest, evening wear contest and a stage question round.
The winner, Walters said, received a scholarship to Argosy University, various sponsored prizes as well as the chance to represent her island on the big stage.
“It’s such an honor for them to be able to hold this title,” she said. “They’re the ones representing their island officially.”
The opportunity also gave Lavoie a chance to grow a personal project of hers called “Path of Love” which gives networking and mentoring opportunities to island youth.
“(Pageantry) gives me so much more networking opportunities, more support and more momentum for making a difference here,” she said.
Her experience, she said, is an opportunity to show children they can do anything.
“The reason why I’m putting myself in the spotlight is to inspire all young children to go after their dreams no matter how uncomfortable of a situation you might have to put yourself in and really push your limits and your own boundaries, it’s worth it,” she said.
“Even if you don’t get your initial desired outcome, like, win or lose, for me, I’ve still made so much progress in my dreams and who knows? It opens new doors that will lead you to where you want to go,” she added.
Despite getting a late start on organizing the pageant, Walters said it was a big success.
In addition to successfully finding sponsors for the event, she said the event completely sold out all 400 seats.
“There was great energy in there,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better first year.”
Walters also agreed the pageant is a great character-building event for the contestants.
“It gives them that confidence to grow,” she said. “To go out there and do something like that? I give them credit for that.”
Walters said she’s witnessed that growth herself, recalling the first time her daughter wanted to participate in a pageant.
“From there, it’s like she had more confidence speaking to people,” she said.
“This is such a great thing for girls,” she added. “I saw how it allowed my girl to grow.”
The Miss Hawaii USA pageant will take place on Nov. 6 at the Hawaii Convention Center on Oahu.