The day that 13-year-old Naisha Correa decided she wanted to be a model remains stark in her mind.
Said the Union City resident last week, "It was my fifth grade year. My mom and I had just finished watching ‘Ms. Congeniality’ and I said to her ‘I want to do that.’ My mom did a search on line for modeling agencies and it just blossomed." Added Correa, "I always wanted to be a model ever since I was a little kid. And I looked at the pageants as a way in."
And Correa has succeeded, to a degree. According to her mother, Michelle, Naisha just signed on with the Wilhelmina Models, a New York City-based agency that specializes in scouting and cultivating local talent.
For Naisha’s mother, her daughter’s burgeoning career is more than just a doorway to a future life; it’s a way to keep Naisha away from the seedier parts of city life.
Said Michelle, "I am really excited for her. She’s accomplished so much. When I was young, nobody paid this much attention to me. I support her in whatever she wants to do, whatever will keep her off the streets."
Michelle added that her daughter’s involvement in pageants and modeling helps her have a sense of confidence and self-esteem. Naisha wholeheartedly agreed with her mother’s assessment and did, in fact, carry herself in a manner more befitting an older person.
Said Naisha, "You learn how to be successful when you get older. It teaches you how to control yourself under stressful conditions. It also teaches you that you’re no better or no worse than anyone else."
So far, Naisha has competed in four pageants, culminating in her recent coronation as "Miss Teen New Jersey" in a pageant run by "The American Queen Pageant" organization, a division of the Crowning Achievements organization.
According to a recent press release, "The Amercian Queen Pageant encourages and recognizes the beautiful women of America who are also positive role models in their communities."
And Naisha has certainly lived up to the credo of the pageant organizers. She is a peer mediator in her school, George Washington Elementary; is involved with the anti-tobacco organization "REBEL;" and has won many awards for her community involvement. Recently, at a local cheerleading competition, Naisha collected over $100 in donations to go towards leukemia research. Said Naisha, "We talked about leukemia in school one day and I wanted to do something about it. We contact the pageant and Mayor Stack and got their support. We set up a booth at Union Hill and people donated $100. It’s not much, but it’s a start."
It is this attitude that the event organizers are attempting to engender in the women who participate. Said Connie Wallace, director of the American Queen Pageant, "We want them to use the title to go out and make a difference, to do some good with it."
Naisha claims that her status as a model and pageant champion haven’t really changed anything for her at school. She manages to maintain a pretty even keel during her days at George Washington. Said Naisha, "Some of my classmates don’t even believe that I am Miss New Jersey. I show them pictures and everything and they still don’t believe me. They think I went to a studio and had the pictures taken. My close friends support me, though."
As for the future, Naisha is looking both short and long distance. In the short term, she is looking forward to representing the state of New Jersey in the National American Queen Pageant, which will take place on a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean and Mexico in July. "The Nationals," as they are known in the business, are the big leagues. From there, with a good showing, anything is possible.
And Naisha certainly has an eye on the future. Said Naisha, "I want to stick with this for a long time. I love it, it’s really fun. I love meeting new people, even from Europe and beyond."