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Not your average Beauty queen

To Mensan Courtney Kelleigh, the Miss Mississippi World title has a nice ring to it, but imagine a better one, Miss World America – or, still better, Dr. World America.  


Unfortunately, Courtney fell short on her quest for Miss World America at the 2015 pageant, held July 3 in Washington D.C., but there’s no doubt you’ll be calling her “doctor” soon enough.  She finished her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in December at Johns Hopkins University and is planning to start medical school in August.

 

Courtney has drawn on family influences for much of her post and future successes.  Her mother competed in 1987 Miss America pageant, and her brother’s intellect impressed her enough to try her hand – and brain – in Mensa.  When she was 13, her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, giving her pause that resulted in investments of time and emotion in medical research and philanthropy.  In a circular way, those medical and philanthropic passions fed her ambitions to succeed in the pageant world.  
 

We caught up with Courtney before the July 3 pageant (to make sure, of course, that she was prepared for the Q&A portion).

Rachel Fernandez:  Here’s one I bet you’ve never heard before:  as Miss Mississippi World 2015 and perhaps later, Miss World – how will you establish world peace?
Courtney Kelleigh:  Oh my goodness! My main goal is to become a doctor and volunteer for the underserved all over the world. My father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s when I was 13. That changed my motivations in life and my career path, and it sparked my drive to help others. Prior to that, I’m not sure whether my main goal was to make a difference in the world. I’m currently the congressional ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Association, and I’m in involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as well. Woking with organizations like that is just a start to making a difference.  I’ve been able to raise a good amount of money for the MS Society, but it’s not about just the financial aspect. It’s also about drawing attention to the cause itslf.  After seeing my dad struggle with autoimmune diease, I realized that I didn’t want anyone to have to suffer like that.  

RF:  How did you get started in pageants?
CK:  My mom did pageants and competed in the 1987 Miss America program with Vanessa Williams, so she was very hip in the pageant scene and put the bug in my ear to try it out. Seeing her crowns and trophies around the house when I was younger inspired me even thought it was a bit of a contradiction for me, as a scientist, to explore that. I figured that maybe I could succeed based on how well my mom did. I started doing local pageants and eventually competed in the Miss Universe pageant, Miss America and now Miss World, which is how I earned my Miss Mississippi World 2015 title.  


RF:  What are some things that the general public may not know about the pageant scene?
CK:  Pageants are a great opportunity for people to identify their strengths and weaknesses as a person, as a competitor, and as a beauty queen. It’s kind of endless because you’re constantly being judged. I don’t recommend going into it if you don’t like to be on stage, but it is a great way to develop public speaking skills and enhance your presence as a woman.  


RF:  Some people believe that beauty pageants objectify women while others find them empowering. How do you feel about the nature of beauty pageants?
CK:  I’m somewhere in the middle of both of those. Pageants are what you make of them. If you view them as something that’s objectifying, then it’s probably not the right venue for you to get involved. It’s very subjective, but I see it as empowering for women. Several Miss America’s have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, executives and all-around successful people. Those women most likely saw pageants as empowering and acted accordingly. They used the opportunities that they got from participating in pageants to further lives and their work.

RF:  Do you thing having a Mensan compete changes people’s impressions of pageant contestants?
CK:  I hope so! I think that pageant queens and pageantry are changing. Contestants are increasingly more educated and successful and society is almost demanding that diametrically opposed paradigm of brains and beauty in women today. By virtue of that, the pageant scene is attracting more and more intelligent women and I would anticipate the trend to continue.

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RF: What are things you do to calm your nerves before pageants?

CK: I listen to audiobooks in the dressing room. I’ve looked around and I’m definitely the only one doing that. I know that’s really dorky, but it allows my mind to go to a different place so that I don’t focus on everybody doing hair, makeup and wardrobe. I love self-improvement books and anything from the Transcendentalist movement.  I find Thoreau and Emerson to be really empowering. All of their books take me out of that nervous state of mind and make me ready for the competition.

RF:  Why did you decide to join Mensa? 
CK:  When my brother was still a toddler he was taken for research by Johns Hopkins and Cornell University because of his IQ and aptitude and I wasn't. I was the slower one in the family and it kind of stuck with me that my brother was so smart. He's now an aeronautical engineer and really just brilliant and naturally good at everything. I thought, "alright, let me take a whack at it and see if I'm anything like him." I was very happy when I qualified. I've been to a few meetings and the people are really awesome. Definitely quirky. I think it's a really cool and down-to-earth organization. I like to surround myself with like-minded individuals and I'm really happy to have found Mensa.

July 2015

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