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by Hannah Beach, staff writer

 

Eleven girls from across Hawai’i gathered on O‘ahu the week before Labor Day to participate in the Miss Young International USA Beauty Pageant at the Cirque Hawai‘i in Waikiki. The event, a sister pageant to the Miss International, the third largest in the world, was produced by Alicia Michioka Jones, a 2002 HPU graduate with a B.A. in Advertising and Journalism. Jones, who resurrected the pageant after a 20-year hiatus in the islands, said that one of the most rewarding aspects of being the pageant director was “working with the girls, seeing them achieve goals, and seeing them, through the process, grow as individuals.”

The girls stayed at The Wyland Waikiki Resort and Spa on Royal Hawaiian Avenue, just a block away from Cirque Hawai‘i, on Seaside, where the pageant and its preliminary events, including a fundraiser for the Hawai‘i Humane Society, were held. In the week leading up to the pageant the girls were treated to a real breakfast at Tiffany’s. The Tiffany Company Waikiki store closed its doors for a morning for a special celebration for the contestants, and during breakfast Tiffany’s management presented each girl with a charm with her name engraved on it.

Jones expressed the pageant’s gratitude to all the sponsors, including HPU, which offered scholarships for the winners, and international fine artists Americo, Eva, and A.B. Makk, whose exhibition of paintings created an elegant atmosphere in the Cirque Hawai‘i lobby. In the future, Jones foresees more girls from the mainland participating. For the 2009 pageant, Jones said, there is already a lot of mainland interest: “I can see having girls from all 50 states [next year],” Jones said.
Amanda McCown from Kailua-Kona was crowned Miss Young International USA this year and Kristen Stephenson-Pino from Mililani was crowned Miss Young International Hawai‘i. Included in the prizes both girls received was a 50 percent scholarship to HPU, original paintings by artists from the Makk family, and an all-expenses paid trip to Taiwan and to the International competition in Manila in December.

The first, second, and third runner up girls were also awarded 25 percent scholarships to HPU.
Jones herself competed in pageants and by doing so helped pay her college tuition with the scholarships she received from them. In 2003, she was named Miss Hawai‘i USA and went on to make the top 10 in the national Miss USA 2003. Jones used her title to team up, earlier this year, with John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted, to do a special on Hawai‘i’s missing children.
The contestants will be present at a fundraiser to support their participation in the international competition on Oct. 4 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Nick’s Fishmarket in Waikiki. Tickets are $10 at the door and include pupus, entertainment, and a silent auction.

 

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