BY M’Chaelah Brown, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD- Mhorgan Stephens walks out onto the auditorium stage in a floor length aqua blue dress with a smile on her face. She walks out to the center grabs the microphone and begins to introduce numerous contestants one of which, will be the pageant winner. On May 23, 2015 the Miss Phenomenal Pageant took place.
“We as girls need to empower each other because we are all strong and there is no need to bash each other. We needed a pageant like this because we as a community don’t give kids with disabilities enough credit and they deserve to be recognized,” Stephens said.
Stephen's first got the idea at the Ms. Blythewood pageant and decided she wanted to do a pageant, but with a different purpose. So she decided to take her idea and make it a reality.
“I emailed Dr. Hafner saying I had an idea and then went to a teacher that I was close to, Ms. Burns. From there I reached out to the community and got other schools involved, as well as my mom's sorority, and my dad's fraternity,” Stephens said.
Each program and/or club at Blythewood must have a sponsor. The sponsor is there for adult supervision and to aid in the process or activities taking place, Miss Phenomenals Pageant sponsor was math teacher Iesha Burns.
“I initially thought it was a great idea and was eager to attend and help,” Burns said.
When having a sponsor they are there to aid not to create. Therefore the leader needs to have strong leadership skills and know what the exact vision is.
“It was entirely student driven, spearheaded by Mhorgan and she was the person who received the well deserved acknowledgements,“ Burns said.
However going straight to Dr. Hafner was a backup plan. She first went to room 401 to see if they could be of any help, which she soon learned that, they were not.
“This brought my confidence about the idea down, but my mom and other family members told me we are going to make this pageant happen,” Stephens said.
It's In the Blood
Once the idea was approved Stephens started planning and held a volunteer interest meeting where many people came to get to know more about the pageant and if it was something they wanted to participate in. One participant included Senior Class President Diamond Brown.
“After attending the volunteer interest meeting and learning more about the event I knew that it was something that I wanted to get involved in. Before the Miss Phenomenal Pageant I was never really interested in pageants and most definitely never imagined myself getting involved in one,” Brown said.
The Ms. Phenomenal pageant’s goal was to empower girls with disabilities and this factor is what drew people in to help.
“However, the Miss Phenomenal Pageant stood out to me because of its purpose. I admired Mhorgans's idea of not only having a pageant, but expanding the concept by giving girls no matter race, disability, popularity, or size a chance to be confident and showcase their beauty and who they are as individuals,” Brown said.
This was the reason Stephens wanted to start the pageant to empower young ladies who are different and also because she could relate to feeling disabled at times.
“On October 9, 2010 I was diagnosed with ITP which is blood cancer. I missed many days of school and had to go through chemo treatment, I lost all of my hair freshmen year and I decided I could be this shy nervous person or I could make a name for myself,” Stephens said.
Stephens became an advocate for ITP and was and is willing to share her story with those interested. This pageant was not her first time giving back to the community, she held her own blood drive and also goes to the hospital to give back to kids such as passing out candy.
“What stands out to me the most about Mhorgan is her humility. Mhorgan is such a compassionate person and is always putting others before herself,” Brown said.
Considering others before herself was a vital part in making the Ms. Phenomenal pageant successful to make a difference.
“Her compassion and humility really sets her apart making her an awesome leader. When working with Mhorgan one can really see that her focus is truly on making a difference instead of just trying to gain a spotlight," Brown said.
The pageant helped many in the audience to be involved in the disabled community for the first time.
“The pageant inspired me so much, being able to interact with the contestants and see them excited and happy about the event really warmed my heart. I think what impacted me the most though was at the end of the pageant, after all the girls were crowned, they all began to jump up and down, clap, and cry because of how happy they were. It was such a powerful moment that taught me to be appreciative of life and to just always be confident in who I am,” Brown said.
The winners crowned Miss Phenomenal, and pageant buddies still keep in touch with not only each other but Stephens.
Phenomenal Woman
When coming up with a name for the pageant there was only one name that came to Stephens’ mind.
“‘Phenomenal Woman’ by Maya Angelou summed up everything the pageant was about. So that was the name!” Stephens said.
In order for the pageant to be as phenomenal as the name Stephens had to be a leader in order to get everything done.
“Mhorgan was constantly checking on everyone and making sure that things ran smoothly. If ever anyone had a question, a concern, or needed help she was there making sure that everyone had what they needed and most importantly that each of the contestants were taken care of,” said Brown.
This year there are improvements to the pageant, and it is expected to be bigger and better.
The current date for the second annual Miss Phenomenal pageant is March 19. The location for the pageant is yet to be determined .
“Regardless of where the event is held, the committee members and sponsors have to do a better job of promoting the event,” said Burns.
There are a few things Mhorgan saw last year that she would personally like to improve on for next year's pageant.
“Last year I provided all the hair and makeup products and this year I want it to be more professional,” Stephens said.
One thing that Stephens would also like to see is a bigger turnout for the pageant.
“Many people didn't participate or attend because we didn't do the best job of informing them and promoting it. Once that is changed, I know it will have an awesome turnout,” Burns stated.
Looking back on freshmen year Stephens would give herself just one piece of advice.
“Take advantage of the opportunities that Blythewood can help you with and if you have an idea think it through and make your vision come true.”
This way instead of waiting until the later years of high school young women can be center stage in the auditorium before, and be phenomenal.
