Page 11 - Demo

www.MOSTmag.com || MOST FITNESS || 11MFM: You were in your first beauty pageant when you were 13-How did you first get interested and decide to try it out?NS: Pageants have always been very random for me. I was raised in Taekwondo, which is very tough. But my stepmother saw a flyer for a pageant and signed me up, and I completely fell in love with it. I didn%u2019t have money or time then though, so had to wait until I was 19.MFM: What is one background thing about pageants that people who have never done them, don%u2019t know?NS: Oh yes, everybody definitely has their preconceived notions about pageants. I%u2019ve heard it all- that it%u2019s catty, demeaning to women, etc. A lot of people don%u2019t realize the amazing friendships you can develop through pageants and how many life skills they can teach you such as: how to speak well, interview properly, and how to carry yourself with a good presence. MFM: You have a very diverse ethnic backgroundMexican, German, European, Spanish-which do you identify with the most?NS: I think that growing up I identified the most with being American and was born and raised like a regular American girl. During my youth I was taught German and learned about my German background. I didn%u2019t learn about my Latina heritage until middle school age when I went to reunions and saw all these relatives. I%u2019m actually working the hardest on my Spanish skills right now because I travel a lot to those countries. I don%u2019t get that much of an opportunity to speak German though unless I%u2019m with my grandparents. My goal is to be able speak Spanish by the end of this year.