By Brogan Hennesy
During the week of Thanksgiving, 10-year-old Mackenzie Bonham and her family drove to Atlanta to compete for the title of Little Miss of America, put on by American Pageants.
Though competing nationally was a change of scenery, Mackenzie loves the stage, and felt at ease the entire time.
“The process of the National Pageant is different than others I have competed in,” says Mackenzie.
“With the national pageant, we are appointed our titles based on academics and community involvement. For the national title, we submit a resume which is 45% of our overall score and is divided into three sections: Personal Development, Service and Achievements and Scholastic and Professional Record.”
Of the 23 contestants throughout all of the age groups, Mackenzie had the best Personal Development selection of her resume.
An interview with a Judge accounts for 30% of a contestant’s score, with their Introduction being 5% of the score, and Evening Gown being 20%.
American Pageants did take extra precautions this year due to Covid-19 Protocol. Temperature checks occurred daily, elevators only carried a few people at a time, and face shields were used during the final show.
“We socially distanced during all events and wore masks, unless we were in our hotel room.” says Mackenzie. “All the hotels provided LOTS of hand sanitizer to keep us safe.”
Mackenzie ended up placing in the Top Four of her group, but is unsure of her true standing.
“The director will only announce the winner and first runner up in our age category,” says Mackenzie. “But 2nd or 3rd runner up in the nation is an honor, regardless!”
“I also won the Casual Wear award for my look I came up with for the Western Boots and Denim dress. Finally, I won the Spokesmodel award for my Shriners Hospital speech I gave.” says Bonham.
When asked about how she felt about the outcome of the Pageant, Mackenzie said that there was much more to the process of the Pageant than the placement she was given.
Mackenzie says, “Overall, I had a lot of fun and learned new things. American Pageants taught me a lot about myself and helped me become more confident as a speaker and influencer.”
“I got to have a luncheon with the CEO of American Pageants, Sarah Bazey.” says Mackenzie. “She was very inspiring to listen to, and her story was very motivating to me.”
“American Pageants taught me a lot about myself and helped me become more confident as a speaker and influencer.” says Mackenzie.
Mackenzie says, “Knowing that I am inspiring kids my age and of all ages to get out there and help their community is what motivates me the most.” I can’t change everything about the world but I can make a difference a little every day.”
Mackenzie hopes that her actions in the Little Miss of America Pageant will set the bar high for future competitors.
“My goal is to continue with my community service.” says Mackenzie. “ I love helping with Shriners hospitals so I will continue with that and various community service events. I have another fundraiser coming up for Shriners Hospitals that I will kick off soon.”
In the near future, Mackenzie hopes to do more community events involving first responders, and will keep her involvement with various organizations she has worked with for years.
On January 1st, Mackenzie’s contract with American Pageants ended. If she were to continue and renew her contract, Mackenzie would compete in the Young Miss division, the age group above Little Miss. The Young Miss division has titles throughout states, and a regional title to represent all six states.
Mackenzie would like to congratulate her best friend Jordy for being crowned the 2021 Little Miss of America. The two are very close, and Mackenzie is very supportive of her.
