Milesha Elumogo sees participating in a beauty pageant and being a child of God as mutually beneficial.
“This event and the process leading up to it strengthened my faith,” Elumogo said. “I know it was part of the plan, and I thank everyone who supported me, especially my family.”
The 21-year-old downtown Jersey City resident was a contestant in the recent Miss New Jersey USA 2011 Pageant, one of 10 contestants from Hudson County. The Miss New Jersey Teen USA 2011 Pageant happened at the same time, with Hudson County represented by four entrants.
While she didn’t win or finish as a runner-up, she still cherished the experience for making her a better well-rounded person – if that’s possible for a graduate of St. Dominic Academy in Jersey City and a magna cum laude graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. Elumogo is also a praise dancer and youth minister at the Grace Christian Church, located on Fourth Street not far from her home.
“This event and the process leading up to it strengthened my faith.” – Milesha Elumongo
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And for the present, Elumogo plans to go to law school by early next year and is already applying. So far she has been accepted to the University of Michigan Law School. She also plans to start an organization for young women to teach them about the law and self-esteem.
Not in the plans
While Elumogo saw her participation in the pageant as part of a larger, divine plan, it was not a calculated move by someone who considers herself an “organizer.”
Elumogo entered the contest about three weeks before the deadline in the spring.
“It was done at the spur of the moment, and normally I don’t do things like that,” Elumogo said. “I just wanted to broaden my horizons while I had some time away before going to school again.”
She continued, “I was raised to pursue academics and not concentrate on my beauty.”
Even her mom, Marcella, was taken aback by her daughter’s sudden decision.
“I was very surprised and it was stressful for me because of all that the pageant entailed,” Marcella Elumogo said. “But I was very happy for her, and happy to support her in all of her goals.”
The stressful part started before the pageant. Milesha had to raise the $1,095 fee to enter the pageant, and more money for her outfits and other accessories. But with the help of her family, including her brother and grandmother and friends, she was able to cover the costs.
Then there was the pageant itself, which consisted of three parts: interview, swimsuit competition and parading in evening gowns.
After the first two days, scores of each of the contestants were tallied. Then on the last day, the final competition within the field of 108 was narrowed down to 16 semi-finalists who competed again. Those 16 women were then narrowed down to five finalists, with Julianna White of Haddon Township crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2011. The winner will represent New Jersey in the upcoming Miss USA Pageant.
Elumogo remembered one of the highlights came when she was in the parade dressed in an evening gown, directly behind the Miss New Jersey USA 2010 winner, Chenoa Greene.
“Walking through the crowd directly behind the prior winner, and all these people are giving a standing ovation,” Elumogo said. “It was beautiful.”
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.