Strangers!
I’ve always been a bit of a fashionista. So whenever I’d
go out someone would tell me I needed to model, be in a pageant
or do something that would put me in the lime light.
Needless to say, I was flattered and here I am.
MPA
How did
you feel as you were traveling to the pageant?
Kami
Very excited! I ran into Brandi Nash and Kim Parmenter on
the flight to Monroe and we hit it off instantly.
MPA
What was
your favorite part of the Pageant?
Kami
The Viva La Diva Party was my favorite! It allowed us to
really relax and forget about competing. (Latasha) Miss
Washington and I shut it down on the dance floor! It was
wonderful! I love her.
MPA
Tell us
about the new friends you made.
Kami
I plan on going into more detail about the
relationships I developed during the pageant, but in the
meantime, I will say I met a lot of beautiful souls and I will
certainly keep in touch with them.Love ya ladies
MPA
What was
the toughest part of the competition?
Kami
Hearing other
people’s accounts on how the competition was and is.
Everyone’s experience is different. Once you realize that,
the rest is easy. For me, it wasn’t tough at all.
MPA
What was
the most difficult question to answer in interview?
Kami
None of my
questions were difficult. The judges asked me about
myself. Since I’m the best person to talk to about me, I
did just fine. I simply let my Leo personality take over
and it’s like I was among friends.
MPA
How did
you feel during the opening number?
Kami
Well, (Devon) Miss
Virginia can tell you that our experience (being in the very
back) was totally different from everyone else. There was
no pressure to dance perfectly. We just had fun with it.
MPA
What was
the mood back-stage?
Kami
Do you really want
me to answer that question?! It was a lot of stress,
nervousness, compliments, positive & negative attitudes as well
as support back-stage.
MPA
What was it like knowing that National
Geographic was filming you?
Kami
I’m very
comfortable around any camera.
MPA
What was the first thing that went through
your mind when you heard your name called for top 15?
Kami
Finally!!......But
really, I’m a firm believer in that we can speak things into
being. I believed I’d get the crown and I did.
That’s “The Secret” to my success.
MPA
Describe
your crowning moment.
Kami
There was a bit of drama behind my
crowning moment to which I apologized to a couple of people for.
So if you see me frowning in pictures it’s because I was being
awarded with a trophy and not a crown. I know quite a few of us
were nervous and I should have handled it differently. So
I deeply apologize for that again ladies. But for the most part,
it was exhilarating! All the hard work my family, friends
and I did finally paid off. I felt like the Belle of the
ball.
MPA
What
plans do you have for your year's reign?
Kami
I just plan on
doing everything I can do to promote this pageant, the
experience and celebrate a happy, healthy and realistic body
image and lifestyle.
MPA
How do
you plan to promote your platform?
Kami
I have chosen
Melpomene for my platform because I believe that although we are
considered plus sized women, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take
charge of our health. In today’s fast food world, it is up
to us to teach ourselves as well as our children the importance
of proper nutrition and daily activity in order to achieve a
long and healthy life. I believe these ideals are
paramount if we plan to avoid weight related issues such as
diabetes, hypertension, blood disease, etc. My goal is to get
more women to embrace their curves, love themselves and be
encouraged to get out there and become a lot more active and
healthy.
MPA
What
advice would you give to anyone looking to enter the Miss Plus
America pageant?
Kami
Go for it!
Forget the excuses. More importantly, be true to yourself
no matter what anyone says and try to stay positive through it
all. Simply put, WORK IT MAMA!!
Choose The Month You Wish
To Read! (Updated Monthly)
Mrs. Illinois
“Nikeya”:
I’d like to thank you and your husband for your kindness and support
before and after my win. You’ve got a good one girl, don’t let
him go!
Mrs. Louisiana
“Bobbie”:
You’re so very sweet and I think your Mom was one of my biggest
fans. Her huge smile was the only one I noticed in the crowd
after I was crowned. I even waived at her.
Mrs. Texas
“Toniette”:
(a.k.a. my sister) Girl you know you worked that evening gown!
I loved it! Stay wonderful!
Mrs. Washington
“Felicia”:
I absolutely loved your Indian inspired dance routine in the talent
show, it was wonderful. One day you’re gonna have to teach me
how to shake my junk like that!
Mrs. Ohio
“Daiquiri”:
I wish I had more time to spend with you because I know you’re a
sweetie.
Ms Florida
“LeTonya”:
(aka Seamstress Extraordinaire) I loved your original dresses and
thanks again for letting me borrow your steamer so I wouldn’t make
my 1st stage appearance looking like a hot, wrinkled
mess!
Ms Illinois
“Nicole”:
What can I say about a Diva such as you?!
Thanks so much for keeping us laughing. I’m elated you won Ms
Congeniality because you deserved it. Also, thanks again for
that gorgeous ring you gave me after the competition! I always
get compliments on it.
Ms Nevada
“Consuela”:
Thanks so much for your support and word of wisdom. You really
kept me going sometimes. Also, thanks for the fierce stilettos
that I love so much!
Ms Louisiana
“Angela”:
Hey Baby! Oh, I mean Hey Puddin’. Girl you are too jazzy
for me! Thanks so much for the info on derma-blend and body
tape. Who knew!
Ms Oklahoma
“Ellaleilani”:
(a.k.a. La-la-la-lani) A true Designer Extraordinaire! For
those of you who don’t know, I watched her make a dressy top for the
Elegant Pants wear Competition in 3 minutes flat! Mama you’re
fierce! And not to mention, one of the prettiest women I’ve
seen since I looked in the mirror this morning! Keep in touch
because you and I have work to do.
Miss Arkansas
“Krystal”:
A total sweetheart. You know we were all jealous at the party
because you had a date and we didn’t! You guys look great
together. I love your pics on myspace.
Miss California
“Jennifer”:
Diva! The one of the only women in the world that can hold her
own with me! Mama you worked those eyelashes on the stage in
your “Jessica Rabbit” gown. I saw them from the back door!
Thank you for daring to be sexy. And pulling it off!
Miss Illinois
“Shettima”:
(a.k.a. Black Barbie) Thanks so much for your support Beautiful!
You and Ms Illinois really made my day when you guys spoke to me
after my win. Remember to keep massaging those ankles!
Miss Kentucky
“Christiana”:
I loved your performance at the Talent Competition. You worked
that stage honey! I really enjoyed spending time with you.
Stay sweet!
Miss Louisiana
“Andrea”:
You’re adorable! I still talk about your talent performance to
this day! How unique! I’m so happy you won the photogenic
award too.
Miss Nevada “Rosie”:
It’s no secret many of us now have a girl-crush on you! You’re
beautiful Mama! For those of you who don’t have it, buy her
pink lipgloss immediately. It’s wonderful!
Miss New York
“Ashley”: (a.k.a.
Pretty in Pink) OMG! Where do I begin? Your entire
wardrobe was flawless! You have such a great since of style.
Simply put, you’re fierce honey!
Miss Oklahoma
“Candace”:
1st runner up, you really gave me a run for my money!
I knew we would end up at the top together. Next years’
delegates better watch out for you honey! Let’s just hope
there won’t be a Candie Scott running next time!
Miss Virginia
“Devon”:
No one should ever get on your bad side
sweetie. You have a mean karate chop! And the jump kick
is nothing to sneeze at either! We all loved your talent
performance. Thanks for being so kind.
Miss Washington
“Latasha”:
From one Amazon to another, you’re fabulous! I love your
personality and look forward to seeing you again soon. Tell
your Mom I said hi!
My 1st official appearance as your
new Miss Plus America 2009 was for Curves at
Town Square for a pre-event
called the “Santa Run”. This was a fundraiser hosted by
OpportunityVillage in support of
mental illness. I was asked to speak on behalf of Curves to
promote fitness and health through an active lifestyle. I got
lots of support from the patrons and vendors at this event.
Although the temperature reached about 108, we still had a great
time! I’ll be following up as a quest speaker for the actual
event in the month of December. This will include a 1 mile
walk & 5K run through
Town Square to help raise
more money for
OpportunityVillage.
For my 2nd official appearance, I
was an honored quest at the “1st Annual Princess Tea
Party” held at the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club. This was so
much fun for me! I’ve made appearances there before, so as
soon as I walked in some of the girls shouted, “Look! It’s
Miss
Alabama!” I got to sit down
and have tea and crumpets with girls of all ages. Everyone got
to dress up w/ hats, “diamond” rings and feather boas! There
were lots of prizes and other activities. One of my favorite
parts of the program was my introduction. The girls really
liked my crown and scepter. They also didn’t mind asking me
every question under the sun! I was also asked to be a judge
and helper at the Club’s pageant to be held March 2010. I’m
really excited about that.
This month's appearance was wonderful! I was invited to
model for Monif C. in a
New York fashion show for
the birthday of the one and only Gwen DeVoe. For those of
you who don’t know, Monif Clarke is a major plus-sized
fashion designer whose dresses have been seen on various
Hollywood fashionistas and 3
consecutive years on the BET hip-hop fashion show called
“Rip the Runway”. Gwendolyn DeVoe is a former plus model
who now specializes in plus model training, development and
management. The show was held at the BLVD nightclub in
downtown NYC. The location was perfect and the other models
were equally beautiful and supportive. I had a blast and
look forward to doing things like this in the near future!
I was quite busy
this month as far as appearances are concerned. My first
one was as a guest of Monif C. on the Curvy Girls at Sea
Cruise. I had a wonderful time cruising to Bermuda! Those
6 days went by so quickly. It was great to get some very
positive feedback about my dress designs as well. (I was
adorned in my very own "Lioness Movement" attire during the
entire cruise) I was also a model for her lovely fashion
show on the actual boat itself hosted by "Stylist
Extraordinaire" Brandon Coates. Thank goodness for
Dramamine because the runway was literally rockin'. I can't
wait to see what Monif will have in store for next year's
trip. I certainly hope to see some of my MPA sisters come
along for that one!
Kami Scott
Miss Plus America 2009
September Diary Entry Supplemental
My second appearance for September was
the Super Soul Gospel Fest! Unfortunately, everyone was
prohibited from taking pictures in the actual stadium, but I
got some good pics outside of it. I had a great time at
this one because there were vendors from all over selling
some really great items! Everyone knows I'm an accessory
addict, so I was in heaven when I saw the handmade jewelry,
scarves, skincare and other girly things. The concert was
great too! There were children of all ages singing and
dancing to the beat of gospel music and modeling in their
Sunday-best clothing.
Kami Scott
Miss Plus America 2009
September Supplemental 2nd
Edition
My third appearance
was at the Cultural Fest hosted by Black Image. This was
really good too! There was music, food and goods from
various cultures. I loved the salsa music performed
onstage! The event was held at the Fremont Experience, so
needless to say, it was quite large. I posed for so many
pictures and signed autographs until my wrist was sore.
Simply put, I loved it! My Mom actually came down with me
for this appearance and was moved to tears. She didn't
really understand how much love and support us MPA girls get
from the general public. I had to tell her that we are
local celebrities and for every negative response from a
passing jackass, there are 10 positive responses from
complete strangers! So when a woman or young girl comes up
to me with tears in her eyes because she's never seen anyone
like me wear a crown, it's all worth it in the end. I'm
very proud to represent my title as Miss Plus America 2009!
This one is dedicated to Miss Kelsey and Miss Elise.
This month's
appearance was really fun! The director of the Nevada Plus
America Pageant, Miss Consuela Gaines, set up a meet and
greet for me at Torrid in the Boulevard Mall. I was there
promoting the upcoming pageant and trying to get as many
delegates as possible to sign up. We met a lot of nice
woman there! I also met a breast cancer survivor that was
very enthusiastic about the Plus Pageant world. When I
introduced myself to the employees, they were like: "Oh my
goodness, we see you shopping in here every week and had no
idea you are Miss Plus America 2009!" They really rolled
out the red carpet for me and I had a great time.
Unfortunately I
was a bit under the weather and was only able to make
one appearance this month. However, it was indeed a
good one. Lots of the local schools have partnered with
many of the libraries here to help encourage our youth
to read more. I was asked to come down to the Nate Mack
Library and listen to as well as read some of my
favorite childhood books. Some of the children were so
animated! I mean they really got into it. It gave me
such a wonderful feeling to look around the room and see
so many wide-eyed toddlers sitting on the edge of there
seats waiting to hear the stories unfold. My favorite
books growing up was anything about Curious George and
the all too popular, Green Eggs & Ham. The children
really got a kick out of that one. All in all, I'd say
the day went off without a hitch and the check out rate
has almost doubled at that particular library!
Kami Scott
Miss Plus America 2009
www.TheLionessMovement.com
I made appearances in both Ashley Stewart and Lane
Bryant this month. These appearances were very
important to me because, as a plus sized woman, I know
for a fact that there are not that many options for us
when it comes to stylish fashions. Everyone at the
pageant, both state and national, wore attire from
either Lane Bryant, Avenue, Ashley Stewart, Monif C.
or Torrid. So until my line of "Lioness Movement
Clothing" hits the stores, it's really important that
we continue to support these chains because they help
to make us look our very best. Actually, quite a few
of them even sponsor or have sponsored our Pageants!
So we wouldn't be where we are now without their
support. So one behalf of all the women of MPA, I
thank you!
P.S. Thanks
to all you for supporting me after the recent loss in
my family. It really made the process a lot easier
for me to know you ladies were there in my corner.
I made an
appearance at our beloved
Catherines this month! As many of you know,
Catherines actually sponsored the Miss Plus America 2009
Pageant. It was so nice to get such a generous gift
card on behalf of them after I won my title. I know all
of us are really appreciative of all the love and
support they give us. I'll always be a fan of their
Lycra undergarments because they smooth us curvy girls
out better than any other product I've tried thus far!
The ladies at my local store are great too! They're
always so accommodating and knowledgeable about the
products offer. I'm a lifetime fan!
This month I met with Denise Arendt,
the owner of Vegas BBWs And Our Admirers. The Admirers is
a social group, founded July 2004 with over 200 members,
where you can come and enjoy meeting new people on line and
in person. It’s a place where you can start relationships
with BBWs and the Las Vegas men who admire them. People are
able to form new friendships through an active, drama free
group in a size acceptance atmosphere. They enjoy
everything from game nights, parties, bbq’s, live music,
movies and more! There are 4 regularly scheduled events
every month. Denise’s group has made it possible for woman
& men of all races, backgrounds and sizes to enjoy the
events, change their lives for the better and realize that
they too can fit in. The group has made it possible for
plus-sized adults to become comfortable with themselves and
the skin they’re in. For more info please feel free to
visit the site at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Vegas_BBWs_And_Our_Admirers/
This month I had
the pleasure of being a part of the Annual St. Patrick's Day
Parade in downtown Henderson with some of our new local
queens. I had a great time waving to the huge number of
patrons that showed up to lend their support and shaking my
junk on the float! We had a ball! The cuisine was very
diverse and there were plenty of activities to keep the
families busy for hours.
My 2nd appearance was at the local Fashion Bug store. They
are proud supporters of MPA. Every year they have a fashion
show featuring "real women" to show off the new fashions in
stock. The store manager was very hospitable and the event
was very well organized. We all had two wardrobe changes
and she even let us use our own accessories! (You guys know
how much I love accessories) There was a pretty good turn
out and I had a great time strutting my stuff on the
catwalk! I hope to do another one very soon.
This month I
attending the Nevada Plus America 2010 Pageant! Consuela
really did her thing! The pageant went off without a
hitch. I especially like the dance number before the girls
made their 1st appearance on stage and the music was
spectacular! The pre-pageant dinner with the judges was
really delicious too. (I've never had spinach dip so good)
I really appreciate Consuela allowing (Miss NV Plus America
09) Rosie Mercado and I to participate in the pageant as
well.
We had the honor of crowning the new Ms NV Plus America10,
Rebecca Peck, Miss NV Plus America 10, Renonda Jones & Mrs
Nevada Plus America 10, Erika Taylor-Ruffin!
The girls looked radiant, the venue was beautiful and I had
a blast! I'm really looking forward to seeing what
Consuela's going to pull out of her hat for next year's
pageant!
Kami Scott
Miss Plus America 2009
The Miss Plus America
Pageant is in NO WAY affiliated with the Miss America Organization, the
Mrs. America Pageant,
the Ms America Pageant, the Miss Teen America Pageant or the Miss Teen
America Scholarship Pageant
.
