Meet pageant queen and UNC allstar Kelly Glendenning
‘We’re not just pretty faces’
Kelly Glendenning is a UNC senior, sister of Alpha Chi Omega and past winner of two Miss America pageants.
We met at McAllisters, where she ordered a Diet Coke and I barely stopped myself from ordering a delicious order of mac n’ cheese.
“What do you think is people’s largest misconception about pageants?”
She looked up from her straw. Shit just got real.
Kelly was the past winner of Miss Raleigh and Miss Capital City pageants in the Miss America Organization.
She grew up a “jock” in her athletic family from Cary, North Carolina. Swimming and soccer practices always filled her calendar. She began dancing at age 6 – a passion she says helped form her love of the stage.
“When I was little I had a lot of stage fright. Dance helped me get over it and now the stage is my happy place. It’s where I can be myself and entertain people.”
She didn’t start pageants until her junior year of high school and won her first title as a senior – Overall Supreme of Wake County.
She went on to become Teen Miss Princess of NC, representing Victory Junction – a summer camp for children with chronic illnesses run by the Petty family of NASCAR.
Miss Princess NC prepared her for the Miss America Organization pageant circuit. Kelly won both Miss Raleigh 2013 and Miss Capital City 2014 – allowing her to compete in the Miss North Carolina Pageant twice.
Each Miss America Pageant has five categories – private interview, talent, life and fitness, evening gown and on-stage question.
Kelly drives to Wilmington nearly every weekend during pageant season to train with her pageant coach Dana Reason-Evans, a former Miss North Carolina. They rehearse walking in evening gowns, run mock interviews, and practice on-stage questions.
“Questions can be anything from ‘If you were a shoe what would you be?’ to ‘What is your stance on Obama’s foreign policy?’ Anything is game,” she said.
Kelly also trains with a private instructor in Cary for the talent category and exercises six times a week for the life and fitness category – the two-piece swimsuit competition.
Commenting on the swimsuit portion, Kelly emphasizes healthiest doesn’t mean skinniest to her or the Miss America organization.
“They really stress in the Miss America system – and that is one of the reasons it was so appealing to me – that being healthy is the main goal. Not looking the best or being the skinniest or most toned. It’s called lifestyle and fitness for a reason – the lifestyle has to be healthy.”
Miss America is also passionate about each of its contestants having a personal platform – a cause or charity they officially support. Kelly’s platform is for the Vs. Cancer Foundation founded by Chase Jones.
Jones was a baseball player at UNC who was diagnosed with cancer during his freshman year. Although many thought he would not survive, he received treatment in Texas and is now cancer free.
The foundation works to fund research of pediatric cancers and improve the lives of children undergoing cancer treatment. Kelly travels with Jones to make appearances at fundraisers or to do other charitable work with the organization. As Vs. often pairs with sports teams, Kelly feels the organization brought together her passion for athletics and helping others.
Although Kelly admits it is sometimes hard to balance pageantry with school and her other activities, it also motivates her to achieve her best.
“I owe my success to pageants because they made me remember not to procrastinate, but also because the Miss America Organization emphasizes academics. They want you to be someone who cares about their education and takes school seriously.”
Along with being the best for herself, she strives to be a good role model for the little girls who look up to her.
“When the real little girls walk up to you, they look at you and they think you’re an actual princess. Sometimes I will get down on my knees and put my crown on their head and seeing their faces makes it all worth it. I want the next generation of girls to feel empowered to be what they want to be. Whether that’s a princess or a doctor or a lawyer.”
Most of Kelly’s friends, family and Alpha Chi sisters are very supportive of her pageant lifestyle. She says most of her friends support how pageantry has helped her conquer her fears and motivated her to become the best version of herself, and she is happy her presence in the community has helped to break down the stigma regarding pageant girls.
“Most people when they meet me wouldn’t have guessed I’m a pageant girl…and I’m glad they see me as real and relatable. People don’t realize that it’s a lot about your charisma and your ability to empower people. Judges are looking for a girl who people will listen to.
“The biggest misconception is we’re just pretty faces or girls in crowns. But I’m at UNC Chapel Hill, I’m a double major and I want to be a lawyer one day. You can’t tell me I’m not intelligent.”
Kelly says her main goal in pageants is to empower and inspire other women. Her sorority works to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault – two incidents she says affect many women and are often overlooked in today’s community.
“It is so great to be a part of a community of women who are so dedicated to a cause – they don’t only raise money for it, they truly care about making a difference.”
In March 2016, Kelly plans to compete in either the Miss Clayton or the Miss Johnson County pageant. Both pageants are part of the Miss America Organization. She will continue to work with the Vs. Cancer Foundation.
Soon after, she plans to take the LSAT and apply to the South Carolina School of Law. Kelly hopes to work in Sports and Entertainment Law.
Law student, Miss America contestant, Philanthropist, Friend. And lover of Diet Coke.