On September 30th
in New York City’s Bryant Park Tiara Magazine Brand Ambassador Jackie Schiffer
interviewed Miss Earth United States Nicolle Velez on her recent win and what’s
next!
1.
How did it feel to be crowned Miss Earth United
States?
I was very excited. It was a
moment I hoped for, but I did feel a little bit of fear because my life would
change. My first thought was oh my
goodness, I can’t believe all of this
is coming to me at once, but you’re never given more than you can handle.
2.
What drew you to the Miss Earth system?
I had done the Miss USA system and
did Miss US International. I had heard about Miss Earth and didn’t know too
much about it. Miss Hawaii, a friend
from a previous pageant, had contacted me and told me what it was all about. I
had always considered environmental law and I was excited that it was
environmentally conscious.
3.
Can you tell me about some of the highlights of
pageant week?
The girls were great. They were
the nicest girls I’ve ever dealt with in the pageant systems as a whole.
Everyone wanted to talk about their platforms and the environment. No one
seemed to be there for just a competition. As far as the events, we went to so
many places. We went to Hilo Hattie a traditional Hawaiian store where you can
get beaded necklaces and typical Hawaiian things. There are shows in there and
we got to try traditional Hawaiian good. When they took us to the beach,
there’s nothing like it!
4.
Can you explain about your platform and what
made you choose it?
My platform actually came from the
development of my accounting thesis. I was comparing environmentally friendly
and non-environmentally friendly companies and their balance sheets compared to
each other, how economically stable they are in the long-run. I chose companies
that were trading in palm oil and companies that had switched to a more
sustainable oil. I found that they were just as strong economically in the
long-run and decided to pursue with the environmental aspect of that.
5.
What advice can you give to women interested in
competing in the Miss Earth system?
The Miss Earth system is a little
more relaxed. You always want to look your best, but it’s more about your
personality, knowledge of the environment and being a good person overall.
Unlike other pageants, Miss Earth system has real and false judges. You are
always surrounded by false judges. There might be 15 people and you don’t know
which 5 of the 15 are your actual judges. They are trying to get a feeling of
you when you are with the girls, what you say when you aren’t on stage. They
don’t want it to be an act.
6.
What drew you to pageantry?
My family is pretty big on
pageantry. My cousins had all participated. My mother participated as well. I
did some child pageants. I was drawn originally to the glamour, dresses and
being really girly. You really do gain so much confidence. I feel like I can
accomplish anything
7.
What has been your biggest take away with
pageantry?
I trust myself and what I’m able
to do. While my parents do appreciate what I’ve gained from pageantry and do
support me, it’s my own pursuit. I feel I can accomplish a lot on my own.
8.
What are you looking forward to most about
internationals?
I can’t believe
I am going to the Philippines! I’ll be listening to different languages,
learning customs and meeting contestants from all over the world. The pageant
is only one day, but I will be there for a month! There are lots of
appearances, news interviews and charitable appearances.
9.
What are your goals for your reign?
I really want to have even more
girls participate. Have each state have a girl attend. Hopefully my legacy provides
more awareness with the environment. I’d also like to connect the environment
with my accounting background
(Nicolle holds a B.S. in Accounting. She wants to obtain her CPA and
plans to pursue masters studies in Environmental Engineering).
10. What are your keys to success?
·
Be confident and be yourself
·
Be kind to everyone.
·
Be relaxed. Take things as they come.
·
Don’t be concerned about how anyone else is
doing. Just try to shine as much as you can
·
Be ambitious- See your end result never counting
the years. Sometimes I would be discouraged thinking it’s 2 years for a masters
and 4 more years of school, but you can be 30 and be where you are at because
it was available or 30 and where you want to be. Just keep going and always
keep your vision in sight!
