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Arts & Culture
The Daily Aztec
March 11 - 17, 2020 EDITOR: Ceighlee Fennel • arts@thedailyaztec.com
Student wins pageant crown, prize money
Photo Courtesy of Christi Ransom
SDSU student wins $500 in the Miss San Diego 2020 Scholarship Competition, complete with roses and crown.
by Catlan Nguyen STAFF WRITER
There’s much more to pageants than the elaborate dresses and crowns. The Miss San Diego 2020 Scholarship Competition was held on Feb. 22 at the Young Actors Theatre to help women build their public speaking skills and confidence, make new friends and win scholarship money. Two San Diego State students took home top prizes at the competition. Marketing and business freshman Mary Kohaut won Miss San Diego and public health senior Melissa Cook won runner-up. “It overall is just a big way to boost
one’s confidence and learn about how to be comfortable in your own skin,” Cook said. “It’s a lot of pressure to walk up in front of people and be judged about your appearance or how you speak.” The first place winner won $500 in scholarship money and the second place winner took home $250. Each contestant could choose a movement or platform to promote during the competition or create one of their own. The red carpet outfit competition also included a 15-second elevator pitch about each contestant’s social impact initiative. Cook said she chose the campaign Stop Vaping, Start Living because she was alarmed at the high rates of vaping among
high schoolers and young teens. Kohaut said she chose Operation Gratitude and the Military Spouse Association because of her brother who’s in the army. Kohaut said once you win a title, the events and volunteer work can become time consuming. She put in about 24 to 30 hours a month for her previous title. Cook said what inspired her to join Miss San Diego was her sister. Her sister had competed when she was in college in the Miss America Organization, and she made it very far, winning more than $40,000. Her favorite part of being a part of Miss San Diego was the support she got from her family and friends. Many made signs and paid $25 to see her in the pageant. “Prior to the competition, I listened to Mel talk about it – all the training and preparation she was doing for it and I felt like it was this secret life she was living because I couldn’t imagine it,” Cook’s friend, Brianna Ruloma said. “Then to see her on stage, so confident and radiant, I was just in complete awe. I felt empowered by her presence and I just can’t wait to see all she does in her bright future.” Cook said the Miss San Diego Scholarship Organization is the largest provider for scholarships for women in the nation. Miss California pageants have undergone a lot of rule changes such as eliminating the swimsuit category and renaming the evening wear section to the red carpet section to encourage alternative outfits options such as pantsuits. Kohaut has competed in the Miss California and Miss Canyon Hills pageants before and this is her
second local title win. “I’ve seen girls go in who started out so shy and by the end of it they loved it,” Kohaut said. “The environment and community – it’s not like ‘Toddlers and Tiaras.’ The stereotype that it’s a pageant and you have to be beautiful and you have to be confident. It’s like the complete opposite of that. It’s a scholarship organization.” In the past year Kohaut has competed, she’s won $2,600 in scholarship money. Miss San Diego had practices every week for roughly two months before the competition. They practiced public speaking and walking while bonding with the other contestants. There were six judges and they judged each woman based 50% on talent, 30% on an interview and 20% was based determined by on-stage questions. “The majority of the points are given for the interview process which is very intense,” Kohaut’s mother, Maureen Kohaut, said. “These girls need to know everything going on in politics, express their knowledge and opinion without offending anyone.” Cook is a contemporary pianist and she played “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey for her talent portion. Kohaut sang “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé. Each woman only had 90 seconds to perform their talent. Miss San Diego 2020 and the way the pageant world is evolving gives women opportunities to connect with causes that matter to them and further their education. Both Cook and Kohaut look forward to entering future pageants and creating a better community through the connections they’ve created.
Latino community conference leaves a big impact on campus by Roxanna CONTRIBUTOR
Boren
Activists for the Latinx community speak about struggle and advocate for equality, inspiring students to push for change. The Latino Student Social Work Association held a Multi-Disciplinary and Cultural Conference at San Diego State on March 5. Guest speakers included Dulce Garcia from Border Angels, Dr. Shirley Weber from the California State Assembly, the Voices of Our City Choir, Sahra Abdi from the United Woman of East Africa support team and Dolores Huerta an American labor leader and civil rights activist.The President of LSSWA and social work junior Melanie Ramirez said, “It is important that we as a community hear different perspectives on social problems so that we can understand and help other vulnerable communities. Our conference will give attendees an alternate perspective on current issues.” Border Angels focuses on migrant rights and immigration reform while advocating for equality. Dulce Garcia, a member, spoke about the Water Drop Program which encourages volunteers to make the treacherous hike migrants take when attempting to cross the desert to reach the U.S. from Mexico. Volunteers drop off water and clothing to assist migrants in their journey. Garcia spoke to the
Graphic by Emily Burgess
tribulations she’s experienced throughout the years while seeing human beings, including her own brother, with no criminal records stripped of their humanity in detention centers due to their lack of papers. She left the audience saying, “hateful language leads to hateful acts, let’s change the narrative.” Dr. Shirley Weber, spoke of her own story coming from a family of sharecroppers and going on to earn her degree from UCLA. She established the Department of Africana Studies at SDSU where she taught for 40 years. Weber spoke about the importance of having self-identity and not being generalized as a minority group, but to embrace and prosper in your culture’s individual community and independence. “People always tell me that I am courageous, but that is not true,” Weber said. “I am the beneficiary of courage. Regardless, it is important to have courage in your conviction.” The keynote speaker of the night, Dolores Huerta, closed out the conference. She is a civil rights activist who worked with Cesar Chavez to co-found the National Farmworkers Association. She spoke about the vital importance of voting and how a democracy is only effective if we are civically engaged. Today, at nearly 90 years old, Huerta is still going doorto-door encouraging people to vote and to make their voices heard. The speaker’s impact resonated with many individuals in attendance. Psychology freshman Citlaly Ramirez, a member of LSSWA, said the personal anecdotes shared at the event suck with her most. “I found it specifically moving when Dulce Garcia was telling real stories about people suffering over the way our country treats refugees,” Ramirez said. “I think it was a really emotional moment knowing both kids and adults risk their lives for a better future.”
CANDIDATE DEBATES NEXT WEEK March 16-18, Noon Aztec Student Union Courtyard
as.sdsu.edu/elections
