Pepperdine sophomore Brittany Dawn Brannon is a race car driver ballet dancer pianist violinist and 2007’s Miss Teen America. She may seem like wonder woman but she describes herself as being your average teenager only much busier.
Brannon grew up in Paradise Valley Ariz. – a place where pageantry was almost unheard of. Although there were 40 girls in her state’s pageant most Southern states had more eloquent pageants. Brannon’s story truly is a Cinderella Story.
Brannon had only participated in one pageant before Miss Teen America. Most contestants had taken part in an average of 30 pageants before Miss Teen. Brannon is not your typical beauty queen. In fact she didn’t even consider pageantry until she was 17 years old.
Brannon had danced ballet for most of her life and was passionate about it. When she was 17 she had foot problems and had to get surgery. She was told she’d never dance again. After receiving that news Brannon didn’t know what to do with her life. She learned about pageantry from the director of the Phoenix Honors Cotillion a program devised to motivate women in all areas of their lives. The woman suggested pageantry as an alternative to ballet. At first Brannon was skeptical but she ended up giving pageantry a shot.
Three weeks prior to the pageant Brannon added her name to the list of contestants. She believes that it was her trust in God as well as the support from her family that led her to victory.
“Pageantry shows you who your real friends are Brannon reflected. It’s disheartening but then again it’s good to know who’s there to support you every step of the way – through failures and successes.” Brannon lost friends in her hometown due to her busy schedule. She also had to persevere when people stereotyped her.
“Pageantry has made Brittany a more mature disciplined person Cindy Brannon, Brittany’s mother, proudly stated. Competing has made her well-rounded too because she had to learn about world affairs keep herself in shape physically and overcome a lot of obstacles to become who she is today.” She went on to describe her daughter’s determination and perseverance.
Brannon explained that because many former pageant winners used their titles exclusively for their own benefits she was stereotyped as well. “For example everyone knows about the stupid remarks that Miss Teen South Carolina made so people assumed that I was like that too.”
Brannon is not like that though. Aside from pageantry Brannon also has a Bond Lurant racing license. According to Mark Brannon Brittany’s father racing has been in their family for three generations.
Brittany’s grandfather taught her father how to race and he in turn taught Brittany. Brannon’s father had pursued national championships with his father and explained that he taught his Brittany how to race so she would learn how to drive defensively. “Racing is a community of fun and friendship Mark Brannon stated. It’s just something that brought us together as father and daughter.”
The Brannon family races historic vintage cars. To be a historic car the car must be manufactured between the years of 1930 and 2002. Brittany raced a 1972 Lotus Super 7. Brannon loves to race because it gives her a rush.
Music is another one of Brannon’s passions. She plays the piano and the violin with extraordinary skill. In fact the violin was Brannon’s talent for Miss Teen America.
Brannon loves to travel and has been to more than 25 different countries. She believes that traveling is the best form of education because it allowed her to learn about other cultures firsthand. Learning about others allows Brannon to make new friends and appreciate other backgrounds.
Through pageantry alone Brannon has met lots of new people. She admits that some girls do live up to the pageant stereotype but a great deal of the contestants weren’t as fake as she thought they would be. Her advice to those pursuing pageantry is this: don’t lose yourself.
Brannon knows how easy it is to forget to be true to yourself and your beliefs. She believes that one of the biggest challenges pageant contestants face is not a part of the pageant itself but to stand firmly by what you believe in. Brannon remembers times where other contestants or their parents have come up to her with the specific purpose of bringing her down. Brannon knows that one of the keys to success is to have the confidence to believe that you can win.
Although confidence is key Brannon clearly stated that by no means does confidence mean being cocky. The typical belief that having a title such as Miss Teen America is equivalent to having instant popularity is a complete misconception. “My popularity didn’t change at all Brannon explained. I did meet a lot of people through pageantry but their relation to me isn’t necessarily associated with the negative connotation of popularity that is expected at pageants.”
Brannon is a role model and a leader. Her pageant platform dealt with self-respect for women. Brannon believes every woman should have respect for herself and her body. Brannon’s integrity inspired many women. She persevered through a variety of challenges and heartbreaks nothing was ever handed to her and she still came out on top of the world. She thrives because of the support of her parents her older sister Tiffany a senior at Pepperdine and her younger brother Brian a freshman in high school.
She admitted that her family showed infinite support financially physically spiritually and emotionally. Their support in her was a good investment because Brannon isn’t as ordinary as she appears. She’s simply extraordinary.