Sierra Minott Interview
Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2005, 3rd runner up @ Miss America's Outstanding Teen
Miss Florida 2008 & 4th runner up @ Miss America 2009
Why did you decide to compete in the Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen pageant?
To be honest, when I first entered my local I didn’t even know there was a state pageant! I had simply entered Miss Southwest Florida Teen as a scholarship opportunity. I had never done a pageant before, but I was looking for money for college so that I could go to my “dream school” and figured that, being a ‘girly girl’ who loved performing, a pageant would be fun! I first heard about the Miss Southwest Florida Teen pageant through my Television Production class my junior year of high school. I volunteered to make a video promotion about it for our school news and the rest is history! The more I learned about the Miss America Organization, the more I realized it was something I wanted to be involved in. Beyond the scholarship opportunities involved, I was excited because I found that the core values of the Miss America Organization were very similar to the values that were instilled in me all of my life. Also, I had a desire to be a role model and cheerleader for my generation. Once I realized the huge opportunity before me, I was determined to win Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen. I saw being a titleholder in the Miss America Organization as a platform that would empower me to make a difference...and it sure did!
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen?
My year as Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen was filled with a lot of “firsts” and “memorable moments” as I got acquainted with “pageant world”! But without a doubt, one of my greatest memories is getting to go to New York City and learn my talent routine from Shea Sullivan, a professional choreographer, and former pageant girl herself, who has won numerous awards and been named one of the Top 6 choreographers on Broadway! We danced in what my 17-year-old mind marveled at as a “real” NYC dance studio with cruddy wooden floors and no A/C in the middle of June…and I loved every minute of it! She pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of as a dancer and encouraged me every step of the way. I had always dreamed of dancing on Broadway and this sure was close!
Why did you decide to compete in the Miss Palm Beach County pageant?
After serving as Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen, my heart became set on being Miss America, but I knew that I had to win Miss Florida first! I waited until my sophomore year of college before competing as a “Miss” and actually almost waited a third year, but an encouraging call from a friend confirmed that I was supposed to compete in the 2008 Miss Palm Beach County Pageant.
What was going through your head when you were announced as the new Miss Florida?
“Oh my goodness, I’m going to Miss America!” Honestly, I was scared to death! When you watch the video I seriously look like I’m going to pass out! It was almost like an out-of-body experience. I think in that moment I realized that a dream that I had been working so hard to accomplish actually came true and now I had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to become Miss America. It was all very surreal!
When did you begin to do theatre style dancing?
I performed my first musical theatre jazz solo when I was twelve years old and fell in love with the idea of incorporating acting a dancing in a single performance. I continued training in all styles of dance through high school, but my most authentic theatre-style dance was definitely my routine for Miss Florida/America.
Tell us about your platform you used during your reign as Miss Florida, “Inspiring Youth to Believe and Achieve”.
My goal as Miss Florida, and even now, is to inspire young people by helping them see themselves as a Valuable Individual with a Purpose and to give them the tools to help their dreams become realities. The truth is, our young people are faced with a lot of pressures and negative influences that cause them to doubt their worth and question whether or not they should “do the right thing”. My desire is to be a voice of truth amidst the mixed messages from the media and encourage young people to live lives of character, perseverance, and respect.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss America?
I have two…the first would be the day that we had the official Opening Ceremony on the red carpet outside of the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Being announced as the “2009 Miss America Contestants” was such a cool moment! That’s when it really hit me that we were there and we were the 52 young women carrying on this 88-year American tradition. The second moment would be Mario Lopez announcing “Florida” as the next contestant in the Talent competition. I was SO excited!! Obviously, my goal was to win the pageant, but getting to perform my talent on national television was something I wanted almost as badly as the crown, so it was a dream come true!
What would be your first thoughts when you were announced as in the top 15, and finally as the 4th runner up at Miss America?
I was announced 13th out of the Top 15, so hearing my name was a huge relief! Each “cut” was just as nerve-racking, but the announcement of the final placement was definitely the most anticipated. When I was announced as the 4th runner up I remember feeling uncertain of what to think or how to feel. I was so close! And yet, so far…But being in the Top 5 is a great honor and all along I had prayed for God’s will in the results of the pageant, so I had to put my faith into action and believe that this was His will for my life.
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Florida?
There are many moments from the past year that are hard to forget, but there is one that stands out in my mind as “this is why I do what I do”. During the spring I made an appearance at a middle school girls’ “Women of History” Tea. Since it was all girls, we were able to have some real “girl talk”! I spoke to the girls about how to be a successful female and really encouraged them to realize their worth, especially when it comes to their relationships with boys. I shared my commitment of abstinence from sex until marriage and explained how they can live lives of purity because they, too, are worth the wait! The next day I got a call from one of the teachers at the school informing me that one of the girls who had been present at the Tea went to the Assistant Principal’s office and told her that her boyfriend had been pressuring her to have sex, but because of what “Miss Florida” said, she realized that she didn’t have to do that and was asking her mom for a “purity” ring for Christmas! In that moment I was greatly humbled and overwhelmed when I realized that a commitment I made when I was thirteen years-old inspired this young girl to stand up for herself and not give in to the temptation to give part of herself away to someone who was not treating her with love or respect. It reminded me that we can change the world…one person at a time!
Lastly, what have you been up to?
Currently I am back at Palm Beach Atlantic University finishing my degree in Psychology and studying musical theatre as my minor. The title of Miss Florida, however, is still very close by! I have had many opportunities to continue my platform through speaking at various church and youth events over the past few months. God really used my year as Miss Florida to pave the way for the next step, which right now includes writing a book for teen girls and starting the first-ever talk show for teens on a Christian TV station based out of Florida. It’s all very exciting, but I am taking one day at a time. It’s amazing how you need so much time just to ‘debrief’ after a year as a titleholder!
To be honest, when I first entered my local I didn’t even know there was a state pageant! I had simply entered Miss Southwest Florida Teen as a scholarship opportunity. I had never done a pageant before, but I was looking for money for college so that I could go to my “dream school” and figured that, being a ‘girly girl’ who loved performing, a pageant would be fun! I first heard about the Miss Southwest Florida Teen pageant through my Television Production class my junior year of high school. I volunteered to make a video promotion about it for our school news and the rest is history! The more I learned about the Miss America Organization, the more I realized it was something I wanted to be involved in. Beyond the scholarship opportunities involved, I was excited because I found that the core values of the Miss America Organization were very similar to the values that were instilled in me all of my life. Also, I had a desire to be a role model and cheerleader for my generation. Once I realized the huge opportunity before me, I was determined to win Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen. I saw being a titleholder in the Miss America Organization as a platform that would empower me to make a difference...and it sure did!
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen?
My year as Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen was filled with a lot of “firsts” and “memorable moments” as I got acquainted with “pageant world”! But without a doubt, one of my greatest memories is getting to go to New York City and learn my talent routine from Shea Sullivan, a professional choreographer, and former pageant girl herself, who has won numerous awards and been named one of the Top 6 choreographers on Broadway! We danced in what my 17-year-old mind marveled at as a “real” NYC dance studio with cruddy wooden floors and no A/C in the middle of June…and I loved every minute of it! She pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of as a dancer and encouraged me every step of the way. I had always dreamed of dancing on Broadway and this sure was close!
Why did you decide to compete in the Miss Palm Beach County pageant?
After serving as Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen, my heart became set on being Miss America, but I knew that I had to win Miss Florida first! I waited until my sophomore year of college before competing as a “Miss” and actually almost waited a third year, but an encouraging call from a friend confirmed that I was supposed to compete in the 2008 Miss Palm Beach County Pageant.
What was going through your head when you were announced as the new Miss Florida?
“Oh my goodness, I’m going to Miss America!” Honestly, I was scared to death! When you watch the video I seriously look like I’m going to pass out! It was almost like an out-of-body experience. I think in that moment I realized that a dream that I had been working so hard to accomplish actually came true and now I had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to become Miss America. It was all very surreal!
When did you begin to do theatre style dancing?
I performed my first musical theatre jazz solo when I was twelve years old and fell in love with the idea of incorporating acting a dancing in a single performance. I continued training in all styles of dance through high school, but my most authentic theatre-style dance was definitely my routine for Miss Florida/America.
Tell us about your platform you used during your reign as Miss Florida, “Inspiring Youth to Believe and Achieve”.
My goal as Miss Florida, and even now, is to inspire young people by helping them see themselves as a Valuable Individual with a Purpose and to give them the tools to help their dreams become realities. The truth is, our young people are faced with a lot of pressures and negative influences that cause them to doubt their worth and question whether or not they should “do the right thing”. My desire is to be a voice of truth amidst the mixed messages from the media and encourage young people to live lives of character, perseverance, and respect.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss America?
I have two…the first would be the day that we had the official Opening Ceremony on the red carpet outside of the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Being announced as the “2009 Miss America Contestants” was such a cool moment! That’s when it really hit me that we were there and we were the 52 young women carrying on this 88-year American tradition. The second moment would be Mario Lopez announcing “Florida” as the next contestant in the Talent competition. I was SO excited!! Obviously, my goal was to win the pageant, but getting to perform my talent on national television was something I wanted almost as badly as the crown, so it was a dream come true!
What would be your first thoughts when you were announced as in the top 15, and finally as the 4th runner up at Miss America?
I was announced 13th out of the Top 15, so hearing my name was a huge relief! Each “cut” was just as nerve-racking, but the announcement of the final placement was definitely the most anticipated. When I was announced as the 4th runner up I remember feeling uncertain of what to think or how to feel. I was so close! And yet, so far…But being in the Top 5 is a great honor and all along I had prayed for God’s will in the results of the pageant, so I had to put my faith into action and believe that this was His will for my life.
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Florida?
There are many moments from the past year that are hard to forget, but there is one that stands out in my mind as “this is why I do what I do”. During the spring I made an appearance at a middle school girls’ “Women of History” Tea. Since it was all girls, we were able to have some real “girl talk”! I spoke to the girls about how to be a successful female and really encouraged them to realize their worth, especially when it comes to their relationships with boys. I shared my commitment of abstinence from sex until marriage and explained how they can live lives of purity because they, too, are worth the wait! The next day I got a call from one of the teachers at the school informing me that one of the girls who had been present at the Tea went to the Assistant Principal’s office and told her that her boyfriend had been pressuring her to have sex, but because of what “Miss Florida” said, she realized that she didn’t have to do that and was asking her mom for a “purity” ring for Christmas! In that moment I was greatly humbled and overwhelmed when I realized that a commitment I made when I was thirteen years-old inspired this young girl to stand up for herself and not give in to the temptation to give part of herself away to someone who was not treating her with love or respect. It reminded me that we can change the world…one person at a time!
Lastly, what have you been up to?
Currently I am back at Palm Beach Atlantic University finishing my degree in Psychology and studying musical theatre as my minor. The title of Miss Florida, however, is still very close by! I have had many opportunities to continue my platform through speaking at various church and youth events over the past few months. God really used my year as Miss Florida to pave the way for the next step, which right now includes writing a book for teen girls and starting the first-ever talk show for teens on a Christian TV station based out of Florida. It’s all very exciting, but I am taking one day at a time. It’s amazing how you need so much time just to ‘debrief’ after a year as a titleholder!