Category: Acting

The 2020 Miss Colorado USA Pageant

Just woke up in Greeley. And how fitting, the wallpaper was literally just a bunch of cows. 🙂

This is definitely a Monday post. Sunday was too much. I had an organic chemistry exam this morning too and that was too much. Anyway! This past weekend I had the opportunity to compete in the Miss Colorado USA 2020 pageant. Those of you that have been around will recall that I also competed last year. Yipee!

My mom, sister, and I arrived in Greeley on Friday night and from there, the weekend flew by. I competed in interview, swimsuit, and evening gown and also got to be on stage for a big introduction which was super fun. This year I wore a yellow (maybe more on the orange side though) two-piece swimsuit (eeeeee) and for evening gown, my dress was very sparkly and gold. I will post more pictures of all of my outfits to this post when they come in. 🙂 Or I can make a separate post about that. Just let me know what you all would prefer!

In my interview, I talked with the judges quite a bit about my published academic work on Pyrrhura molinae (aka Bobo and his green cheek conure crew) and kickboxing. They asked about Hawaii and I shared a lot. It went really well. I also got to be in the room BY MYSELF because the girl before me dropped the pageant which was sad. More time for the judges to listen to me though I guess.

Out of the entire weekend, I feel like swimsuit was my favorite to compete in. I was absolutely terrified to go out on stage wearing a two-piece swimsuit but in the end, I was proud of myself for doing that. I don’t know many other people that would do something like that! I’ve been working incredibly hard to get my body to a place that I’m proud of and I’m still not quite where I want to be but I am incredibly proud of myself for coming to where I am after being injured for so long.

It was so fun to meet so many other amazing young ladies and I wish them all the absolute best in everything they do. It always feels so good to be around so many other good people. In addition to this, I would like to thank Future Productions fo putting another fun and flawless weekend and show! It has been wonderful getting to know your staff and getting to work with you all. I would also like to congratulate the new Miss Colorado USA, Emily DeMure. You crushed it, girl! You’re going to be amazing. 🙂 If you’re interested in checking out the pageant, check out the official website!

Now the question comes, will I compete again? I’m really not sure. I had fun and I’ve enjoyed being at Miss Colorado for the past two years, but after being extremely stressed about school the entire weekend, I don’t know if I want to put myself through that again. Yes, I still had a wonderful time, but school is also incredibly important to me. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Have a wonderful week everyone! And to those of you that are also in Colorado, stay warm! We’re about to get some cold, cold weather and snow! 🙂 Woohoo! See you next Sunday.

October 28, 2019
Knowing What’s Real in the Modeling and Acting Industries

Before I get started on this post, I would like to make it clear that I am not trying to trash any particular agency or group. I am simply sharing my experience and hopefully helping those who are interested in the modeling and acting industries stay away from scams and fakes. There are a lot of great agencies and people out there who will truly help you get what you want and there are also a lot of agencies and people who are completely in it for the money.

If the modeling and/or acting industries are something you are interested in getting into, I HIGHLY recommend doing as much research as you can on the various agencies in your area and in your state or country. I recommend learning about which agencies are legit and which are not. I recommend reading about the strengths of each agency and seeing if they are the best fit for you and what you want. Remember that you SHOULD NEVER be asked to pay to attend an audition or casting if the agency is legit. You should also never have to pay to join an agency. Any contracts signed or deals made should involve no payments on your part.

Onto my story now. I’ve been a part of an agency in Denver for the past couple of years that required me to pay to attend a “modeling” school for 60 hours. That part should have IMMEDIATELY been a red flag to my family and I but we went on with it because the deal seemed very legit. You attend the modeling/acting school every other Saturday until you complete the course and then you get a contract with the agency tied to the school and then you have the opportunity to get local work as a model or actor. This agency also attends an “international” modeling and acting convention which gives aspiring models and actors the opportunity to showcase themselves before casting directors and various agencies from around the world. To this day, I still question the legitimacy of many of the agencies that attend the convention. There are a couple of agencies that attend this particular convention that I know are real but I’m still a bit iffy. And guess what? If you’re selected to be a part of this “elite team” to attend the convention, YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GO. Hmmmmm. Even more fishy now, right?

Ever since that trip in 2016 (I think?) I have been on the hunt for a better agency and I’m working on it, but I have to wait until my contract finishes with this agency. This past year, I dealt with some extremely odd incidents with them. About part way through the year, my mom received an email that they had dropped me. There was no explanation. So my mom called the agency and they explained that my contract had expired and that I was no longer with them. They told me that they would still love to represent me though and see me again in classes. Interestingly enough though, my contract had not expired… We moved on from that and continued with the agency and that brings me to yesterday now.

Yesterday, I attended a pre-casting for our upcoming fashion week at my agency. They were worried about sending too many models to the actual audition so they help a pre-audition. Fair enough. I arrived and walked before the agency director and her secretary and all of the other models in the pre-casting. I have been practicing my walking for months and I know that I’ve been putting the work in, since I competed at Miss Colorado USA last October. After all of the models walked, the director made a decision and I was not selected to attend the actual casting.

That part didn’t bug me. It was the comments after. My director stood before all of the models after the decisions were made and said that she was highly disappointed in some of her previous convention attendees (like myself). She mentioned being embarrassed and then recommended I come back for more classes! I know that I’ve worked hard to have the body I currently do and I know that my runway walk was better than half of the models that were picked to attend the real casting! And while I do want to give credit to some of the girls that walked at that precasting that should walk at a big fashion week event like the one coming up, many of the models there would NEVER be cast for something like that if they were with a legit agency.

I find it extremely frustrating that I allowed myself to get into a situation like this and I hope that those of you reading this who aspire to be actors or actresses or models learn to be careful and not make the same mistakes I have. I feel that somehow, I belong in either the modeling or acting world and I will continue to put my best foot forward and put myself out there. Now though, I know that I will never allow what happened to me to ever happen again. Have a good week.

January 13, 2019
I’m Competing in Miss Colorado!

Not too long ago, I received mail from Future Productions and the Miss Universe Organization, which are the companies that put on the Miss Colorado, Miss USA, and Miss Universe pageants. They wanted me to send in my pictures and information to see if I could compete in the Miss Colorado pageant. I am very excited to announce that October 26 and 27th, I will be competing for the Miss Colorado crown in Greeley.

For those of you who didn’t know, I used to compete in pageants. When I was in 3rd and 4th grade (I think) I participated in the National American Miss pageants. My second year, I got the Spirit of America award, which had something to do with my performance in multiple divisions. That was cool. I never finished top 10 but I always finished very high in each of the categories which was exciting for me and my family.

For the Miss Colorado pageant, there will be a swimwear, formal, and interview round and we’ll just see how it goes! I’m definitely going to be on the younger end of this pageant since the ages range from 18 to 28. It’ll be fun to see the different levels of experience and the different girls and women that are there in general. I’m also very excited to see how my experience from modeling and acting will contribute to this experience. The Miss Universe Organization lives by their motto, “Confidently Beautiful” and personally, I’ve struggled to like my body and its image. I hope that through this experience, I build confidence and figure out how to love myself a little more.

I’ll keep you all updated on how this experience goes for me and I’m so honored to have been picked to fight for the Miss Colorado crown. I honestly never thought my pageant days would make a return, but haha, here we are. If you’d like to stay updated with the pageant and other pageants under the Miss Universe Organization, click here. Have a beautiful week you beautiful people!

April 8, 2018
Not a Big Fan of New York, New York

I’ve been really lucky to do more travelling than usual this summer and this past Friday, I got home from New York after spending a week there, competing at a modeling and acting convention. I will definitely agree with most that New York is a really cool and different city, but I think I’d prefer my Rocky Mountains and 300 days of sunshine in Colorado.

The view from our hotel room

My mom and I arrived in New York on the 9th, early in the morning. Our trip began with a thirty-minute taxi ride from JFK to the Hilton Midtown in Midtown. Wow, was that an adventure. Taxi drivers in New York City are RUTHLESS. The man we had driving us was super sweet but once he got behind the wheel, he became an aggressive, hardcore racecar driver. It was kinda cool to see how he dodged cars and semis and sped down the highway. We got some pretty good air hitting a jump one time too. What a thrill ride!

Once we arrived at the hotel, the week was a whirlwind. There were a lot of outfit changes, late nights, hairspray and makeup, and quick runs to grab food. I wish that my schedule at the convention allowed for me to do a little more sightseeing and wandering around the Big Apple, but it is what it is. The convention itself, was fun, but not nearly what I expected it would be. I think that for some people, it opened doors, but for the most part, it seemed fake. There were a lot of promises made by agencies and the convention themselves that were not followed through on and that’s ok. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot from the experiences I had and I’ll never forget that adventure. Something I learned from my experience this past week and the whole experience I had with my former agency was that you have to be really careful in the modeling and acting industries because there are a lot of real, good people and there’s also a bunch of sneaky people who might seem like they are legit but actually aren’t. They could care less about who you are and are only concerned with how much you’re willing to pay to sign their “contract”. I respect who I’ve worked with in the past and I wish them all the best and I’d just like to say that it’s tough to discern who the real people are but after this interesting journey, my eyes are more open than ever, and I know what I have to do.

When I had time to be outside of the hotel, my mom and I had a lot of fun. We visited the Rockefeller Center and took a tour of the NBC Studios which included seeing the sets of the Tonight Show, SNL, and the Late Night Show with Seth Meyers. That was super cool. It was exciting to get to be in the same room and even step in the same places as some famous and talented people. My mom and I even got to make our own late night TV show at the end of our tour and we enjoyed that. That was probably the highlight of my NYC trip.

We also visited Central Park and Times Square while in the Big Apple and those were both cool places to visit. I honestly imagined Times Square, specifically where the ball is dropped on New Year’s’, much bigger and wider than it was. There were a lot of sketchy people and pushers making attempts to sell my mom and I stuff or get us to take pictures with them. That was definitely uncomfortable. Also, it was incredibly hot and humid while we visited Times Square and that made it a struggle to do a lot of walking. We spent about thirty minutes wandering Times Square and then frantically searched for the nearest Starbucks or air-conditioned place to cool off and head to Central Park. After a quick trip to get some iced tea, we walked to Central Park and I enjoyed seeing nature and trees and endless (not really) green. It was a nice escape from the dirty, crowded, and crazy place that New York City is. I enjoyed getting to see the many different people in Central Park and see a variety of plants and trees, because trust me, there were soooo many different types of trees. It was pretty cool.

At some point during our stay in NYC, we also managed to find a few good places to eat at, like Fresh & Co, an artisan bakery with really yummy sandwiches and coffee, and a great pizza place called PizzArte. Food, well actually everything, was EXTREMELY pricey in New York and it was crazy how much we spent on food. At PizzArte, one of the pizzas we got was $24!! Holy cow, was it expensive, but it was also probably one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. We also found an ice cream truck chilling right by our hotel one day, and that half-and-half ice cream cone was one of the best ice cream cones I’ve ever had. I never wanted it to end.

I did enjoy my time in New York City, but I will honestly and confidently say that it’s not my favorite city. I wish I did a little more sightseeing, as mentioned earlier, and I hope to go back in the future and see more of the city. I could do without the gross smells and the unhappy people and the sketchy people and the trash constantly fluttering the streets and the awful traffic and sound of sirens every hour or so, but not every city is perfect. Actually no city is perfect! The time I had in New York was worth it and I’m ready to go back (whenever I do) and have another adventure.

I took this picture near Carnegie Hall on the way to Central Park. What’s with the giant pile of trash?!

July 16, 2017
My Five Favorite Actresses

I’m a really big movie person and I absolutely love getting wrapped up in a great movie with an interesting plot and getting lost for a few hours. There’s a myriad amount of wonderful, talented actresses out there but for this I could only have five. Here are my five favorite actresses, and they are not in any specific order.

Audrey Hepburn

I feel like Audrey Hepburn is a favorite for many and I’m with the many. She was such a talented and funny actress and in general, she seemed like a great person. I loved her in My Fair Lady and Roman Holiday. She is such an iconic and inspiring and also gorgeous actress and I feel like everyone could learn something about class and grace from a fabulous actress like her.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence was the star actress of The Hunger Games trilogy and that’s where I grew to love her as an actress. She is so funny and also very talented. She performs wonderfully in any role she’s thrown into and I think I would enjoy almost any movie she’s in.

Julie Andrews

This amazing woman has been in so many iconic and spectacular movies including Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Princess Diaries, and many more. Like Hepburn, Andrews is a graceful and very classy woman who has a beautiful singing voice and a lot of talent to share. Her movies always make me so happy and I would consider her as one of my idols.

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley is another one of my favorite actresses because of her kick-butt job in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. I loved her as Elizabeth Swann. When I was younger, I really wanted to be Keira Knightley for Halloween because I loved her so much, and I still do!

Emma Watson

I know I talked about this great actress last week but I just can’t stop! Emma Watson did a fantastic job in the new Beauty and the Beast and I loved growing up with her in the Harry Potter series. Emma Watson is an incredibly kind and smart and wonderful person and I also really look up to her.

And there you have it! There are my five favorite actresses. There’s so many other great actresses that I love watching, not only in movies but in TV shows too. I’m currently really into Criminal Minds and I love AJ Cook in that show. She’s also a great actress. I haven’t seen her in anything but that show, but she’s a good one. I would recommend checking out Criminal Minds if you enjoy crime shows. I would warn you though, there can be some violence and definitely some thrills if you’re up for it.

Have a good week! 🙂

March 26, 2017
Finding a Good Monologue
Whether you’re auditioning for a school play, TV show, or movie, you’ll most likely need to find a monologue. Casting agents and directors look at monologues because they show memorization skill and also ability to be creative and portray a specific character within a long block of speech. The funny things with monologues is that a good one can be tough to find. It can also be challenging to find a unique and fresh monologue. Casting directors and agents call a lot of people in for auditions and they do not want to hear the same monologue over and over again. Here’s a few tips for finding the perfect monologue.
1. Search farther than the first page on Google. Often times, people will type in “funny monologues for teens” or “monologues for female roles” or something along those lines. Many people are satisfied with those first few monologues because they’re easy to find and finding them doesn’t require a lot of work. DON’T BE LAZY when finding a monologue! You should spend a few days and at most a week or two finding a solid monologue.
2. Look for something from your favorite actors or actresses. One of my favorite actresses, for example, is Audrey Hepburn. While some of her stuff may not be age appropriate for a teenage girl monologue, I might be able to find a monologue from one of her movies and make it age appropriate. Finding something from a favorite actor/actress of yours is a good way to refrain from picking super common, popular monologues.
3. Stay age appropriate. As mentioned in the previous tip, if you find a monologue you like but it doesn’t quite fit your age range, you may be able to adjust it to fit. Be careful though. There are some monologues out there that definitely can’t be adjusted and should just be avoided by certain age groups all together.
4. Stay away from new movies and TV show episodes. Monologues from new movies and TV shows will be grabbed by all of the people too lazy to look deep. I would also recommend staying away from monologues in super popular movies and TV shows. Those will also be commonly used.
I hope these tips will help your hunt for a solid monologue if you need one. Once you find a good monologue, practice it over and over again. You’ll want it memorized and you’ll also want to add character and movement to it and that will come after you memorize your monologue. Good luck!
March 5, 2017