American Coed Pageant focuses on ‘academics and confidence’
Cherry Hill native Britney Shukdinas, a Miss New Jersey Teen hopeful, will compete in the New Jersey state American Coed Pageants’ finalist competition July 25 in Parsipanny.
Though American Coed Pageants offers scholarships and modeling opportunities to young women across the nation, the competition strays from the stiletto-beaten path of the traditional pageant world. In American Coed Pageants, girls under the age of 12 are not permitted to wear makeup, and the competition does not hold a talent or swimsuit category.
Girls are judged on their extra-curricular activities, academics and personality. The pageant’s name stemmed from when it was a competition just for college-age women in its early days. Currently there are separate competition categories for girls ages 3 to 22. No males are permitted to enter the pageant.
Shukdinas, 17, will compete in the teen division against about 45 girls ages 16 to 18 from across the state.
If Shukdinas places in the state round, she will earn a chance to advance to the 26th annual American Coed national pageant competition in Orlando, Fla., in November.
Scholarship awards in the competition vary from year to year, depending on how many girls compete.
State pageant director Danielle Smith hopes that, in addition to providing scholarship opportunities, the pageant helps young women and girls improve on their public-speaking skills and poise.
The pageant judges focus on looking for girls with personality, academics and confidence.
“We are not a beauty pageant,” Smith said.
Smith said the “no makeup” rule for young children is popular among pageant parents. “We just want girls to be themselves and know that they don’t need to put on makeup to make them who they are. We don’t want them to be anyone else but themselves,” Smith said.
In the pageant, there are three main competition portions: an evening-wear competition, on-stage introduction to the judges and audience, and interview with a panel of judges.
This is the first time Shukdinas will be competing in a pageant. She was inspired to compete after viewing photos of her mother, who was a pageant queen in the 1980s. “I’ve heard great stories about the friends she made and the opportunities that can come from competing in pageants. It inspired me, and I wanted to see how far I can go,” Shukdinas said.
Shukdinas, daughter of Michael and Catherine Shukdinas will be a senior in the fall at Cherry Hill West High School.
Shukdinas is a cheerleader at her high school, attends TNT Gymnastics school in Maple Shade and teaches children’s karate at St. Andrews Church in Cherry Hill. After high school, she plans to attend community college for two years and later transfer to the University of Texas, Rutgers University or Penn State University with a major in marketing and communications.
In the community, Shukdinas volunteers her time providing food for the homeless through food collection and casserole drives for food banks in Camden. In addition, she helps to support area mothers’ nutrition needs by providing breakfast on the go at Christ Baptist Church in Burlington.
Shukdinas said she volunteers because she enjoys helping others. “I believe that I am blessed, and I know that every day I wake up it’s a gift. There are thousands of people in the world who don’t have what I have, and my job is to take the gifts I’ve been given and help others,” she said.
According to Shukdinas, the American Coed national pageant encourages contestants to seek a community sponsor to help cover the costs of entering the competition.
Along with the contest’s entry fee, shoes, outfits and jewelry are often purchased for use by the contest in the pageant. Shukdinas said that the total amount to compete in the contest could add up to $1,000.
Penina’s, a women’s clothing boutique in Marlton, donated Shukdinas’ outfits for the competition, and Cherry Hill tanning salon Forever Bronze also served as a sponsor to the contestant.
Penina’s co-owner Cheryl Rosov said after being in business for 28 years, she feels honored to be able to give back to the community as a way of thanking customers for their loyalty.
The special occasion-wear shop donated clothing for Britney’s pageant, and has also donated clothing to past pageant contestants, as well as items to homeless shelters in the area.
Though American Coed Pageants offers scholarships and modeling opportunities to young women across the nation, the competition strays from the stiletto-beaten path of the traditional pageant world. In American Coed Pageants, girls under the age of 12 are not permitted to wear makeup, and the competition does not hold a talent or swimsuit category.
Girls are judged on their extra-curricular activities, academics and personality. The pageant’s name stemmed from when it was a competition just for college-age women in its early days. Currently there are separate competition categories for girls ages 3 to 22. No males are permitted to enter the pageant.
Shukdinas, 17, will compete in the teen division against about 45 girls ages 16 to 18 from across the state.
If Shukdinas places in the state round, she will earn a chance to advance to the 26th annual American Coed national pageant competition in Orlando, Fla., in November.
Scholarship awards in the competition vary from year to year, depending on how many girls compete.
State pageant director Danielle Smith hopes that, in addition to providing scholarship opportunities, the pageant helps young women and girls improve on their public-speaking skills and poise.
The pageant judges focus on looking for girls with personality, academics and confidence.
“We are not a beauty pageant,” Smith said.
Smith said the “no makeup” rule for young children is popular among pageant parents. “We just want girls to be themselves and know that they don’t need to put on makeup to make them who they are. We don’t want them to be anyone else but themselves,” Smith said.
In the pageant, there are three main competition portions: an evening-wear competition, on-stage introduction to the judges and audience, and interview with a panel of judges.
This is the first time Shukdinas will be competing in a pageant. She was inspired to compete after viewing photos of her mother, who was a pageant queen in the 1980s. “I’ve heard great stories about the friends she made and the opportunities that can come from competing in pageants. It inspired me, and I wanted to see how far I can go,” Shukdinas said.
Shukdinas, daughter of Michael and Catherine Shukdinas will be a senior in the fall at Cherry Hill West High School.
Shukdinas is a cheerleader at her high school, attends TNT Gymnastics school in Maple Shade and teaches children’s karate at St. Andrews Church in Cherry Hill. After high school, she plans to attend community college for two years and later transfer to the University of Texas, Rutgers University or Penn State University with a major in marketing and communications.
In the community, Shukdinas volunteers her time providing food for the homeless through food collection and casserole drives for food banks in Camden. In addition, she helps to support area mothers’ nutrition needs by providing breakfast on the go at Christ Baptist Church in Burlington.
Shukdinas said she volunteers because she enjoys helping others. “I believe that I am blessed, and I know that every day I wake up it’s a gift. There are thousands of people in the world who don’t have what I have, and my job is to take the gifts I’ve been given and help others,” she said.
According to Shukdinas, the American Coed national pageant encourages contestants to seek a community sponsor to help cover the costs of entering the competition.
Along with the contest’s entry fee, shoes, outfits and jewelry are often purchased for use by the contest in the pageant. Shukdinas said that the total amount to compete in the contest could add up to $1,000.
Penina’s, a women’s clothing boutique in Marlton, donated Shukdinas’ outfits for the competition, and Cherry Hill tanning salon Forever Bronze also served as a sponsor to the contestant.
Penina’s co-owner Cheryl Rosov said after being in business for 28 years, she feels honored to be able to give back to the community as a way of thanking customers for their loyalty.
The special occasion-wear shop donated clothing for Britney’s pageant, and has also donated clothing to past pageant contestants, as well as items to homeless shelters in the area.
