The Miss Hawaii pageant was held May 30th, 2015 and featured one of BYU–Hawaii’s own, Kuliaikanani Murray, who placed in the top 14.
This pageant gave Murray and other contestants the chance to win scholarship money through competing in talent, interview, bikini, and evening gown categories.
Murray, a senior and Hawaiian studies major from Maui, shared what she went through to compete in this prestigious. Murray said she didn’t grow up in the pageant life, she won the first pageant she ever entered, which gave her the title of Miss Valley Isle (Maui) in 2015.
She spoke of how she got started, saying, “I did my first pageant when I was a senior in high school. I was never really into it. I’m more of an athlete. I play volleyball here [at BYUH] and I’ve danced hula my whole life, so pageants weren’t and still aren’t really my thing.”
Murray explained how both her mother and grandmother had competed in the pageant in earlier years and had both won the Miss Hawaii title. She said things have changed over the years, and how the pageant has developed to become more rigorous and a longer process to win. Even though Murray believes that it’s more difficult today to compete, she stated, “because they were Miss Hawaii's I figured I’d go in their footsteps.”
Being Miss Valley Isle qualified her to continue to the preliminaries and finally to the state competition. One thing a Miss Hawaii pageant contestant must have is a charitable platform. Murray stated, “My platform was based on sports clinics, and trying to help youth understand that they can go to college and to start planning early, because I didn’t have that. That’s one way I could help contribute back to the community.”
This pageant is a part of Miss America, a prestigious and sought after organization, according to International Business Times. It is mostly a scholarship event meant to further women’s education, not just a beauty pageant, as judging places great value on talents and skills to prove they have the complete package.
Murray shared her opinion on why this pageant is so highly looked upon saying, “You’re competing for a scholarship, because you want to continue your education without having to pay so much money. I think it helps women a lot.”
The process isn’t all glitz and glamour. Murray told of how it could be difficult to not compare herself to the other girls. She would see them at rehearsal eating fruits or protein bars and she would just want a good plate lunch. Even just the clothing she wore made her question herself and would wonder if she should wear different clothes to not look so “native.”
She learned to discipline herself and not compare herself to others and shared, “In the midst of all that I realized that’s not my purpose of being there. My purpose is to better myself. I’m competing with myself. I’m competing with the judges, not with anyone else. The whole thing was for my betterment. Being prepared spiritually helped out so much.“
Murray ending up placing in the top 14. She said many of her family and friends were surprised and thought that she was easily going to make top 4.
Murray, however, feels like she’s accomplished what she had set out to do, “I went in with the intention that I’m going to give it my 210 percent with no regrets. ... Although I didn’t place as high as I wanted to I did get what I wanted. People saw my passion through my talent. Even when I walked on stage they just loved it and I was very passionate about that. I even had people contact me about different opportunities. I feel like I’m the real winner.”