Before she was crowned (加冕) Miss Amazing National in Chicago? US, Vanessa Cleary had never thought of herself as a beauty pageant (选美) competitor.
Yet the way in which Vanessa told the story of her birth mother's struggle to help her with her disabilities and the positive impact the adoption had on her life helped her win over the judges last month. After the pageant, in which she took top honors in the junior teen division, the 15-year-old girl said she's looking forward to telling her friends about her experience so they can join in as well. "I want everyone to have the experience I had," Vanessa said. "It was really fun and I really enjoyed it."
Miss Amazing is a pageant for girls with learning disabilities. In the ten years since it began, 1700 girls with disabilities have benefited from it. The pageant is designed to help the girls who participate to build sisterhoods, develop life skills, and so on.
The main event of the pageant is the stage performance, in which participants get to showcase a talent of their choice. When Vanessa's mother first heard about Miss Amazing, she thought the pageant would be a great opportunity for Vanessa to showcase her skill for public speaking. Vanessa wants to be a teacher to teach other students who have disabilities like her.
Vanessa's hearing isimpaired, and she has a disability that makes reading difficult for her. Despite these, she is very active and loves public speaking. For Vanessa, it wasn't about winning the pageant. It was about the opportunity for her to participate and feel supported.
