Andi Walker
Staff Writer
Miss Malibu 2006 – Michelena Erickson
When thinking about a beauty pageant, most people imagine the beautiful dresses and silly talent routines. But Miss Malibu 2006 has much more to offer than an average beauty pageant contestant and with the Miss California Pageant this weekend (Oct. 14-15) , she is preparing to obtain another crown.
Michelena Erickson, a senior at Pepperdine, became the second Miss Malibu to be crowned. Erickson impressed the judges with her heart for service and knowledge of Malibu. She will be participating in the Miss California competition in San Francisco.
Erickson battled 13 other women in April at Pepperdine’s Smothers Theatre. Ironically, all of the contestants were students at Pepperdine. Ashley Jay, another Pepperdine student, was Miss Malibu 2005. Knowing Erickson’s desire to better herself and the community around her, Jay suggested Erickson compete in Miss Malibu.
Erickson recognizes that she has been through many struggles for her age and has not only overcome them, but strives to help others do the same. Her knowledge and thoughtfulness made her stand out against the other women. During the pageant, the participants had one-on-one interviews with the judges as well as participating in bathing suit and formal attire competitions.
Miss Malibu 2006 – Michelena Erickson
There were two turning points in the competition where girls were eliminated. First, one of the questions asked to the women was, “What motto do you live your life by?” “Not to judge others. It’s almost an impossible thing to accomplish but it is something that should always be at the top of your head so you can try to be a better person,” Erickson honestly replied. Once the competition was down to only three women – Michelena Erickson, CheVonne Burton and Eryn Longobardi – a final question weeded out Erickson from the other two girls.
The women were then asked to talk about something they wished to change about Malibu. Both of the other candidates gave the same response: they would like to see more female leadership in Malibu.
But Erickson added a different spin to her answer. She wanted to change the controversial proposal of the Liquid Natural Gas plants to be developed two miles off the Malibu Coast. “This is what I would want changed so the beautiful coastline was not ruined by such an eyesore and our environment isn’t damaged more than it already is,” stated Erickson.
Needless to say, Erickson won the competition for her unique answers and kindheartedness. Not only did Erickson win Miss Malibu, but she also received the Miss Community Service award.
Service is a huge part for her life and winning Miss Malibu has opened doors for more service work. She is currently working as the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation spokesperson. Crohn’s and Colitis is an organization working with raising money and doing research for people living with inflammatory bowl disease. This is something that Erickson is passionate about because she had the disease as a child and still deals with the disease today. It is her goal to show people with the disease that a successful and happy future is a probability.
“When Michelena initially told me she wanted to do the Miss Malibu pageant I thought it was silly, honestly. But when I put it into perspective that she wanted to do this thing only a few months after she had several major surgeries [and] withdrew from school for a semester […] I was going to support her no matter what,” Erickson’s boyfriend, Robert Howl, shared. “I felt like if she can go through all these surgeries and hardships and still get up in front of all these people I was going to be proud of her win or lose. And she ended up winning – which was a testament to how incredibly strong she is as a person.”
Erickson believes the Miss Malibu pageant has opened many doors, not only for community service, which considers much more important than the physical aspect of pageants, but also future job opportunities.
“Regardless of the title, prizes and opportunities to meet people, the pageant gave her the stepping stone she needed to rise to the challenge of coming back better than ever, inspiring everyone around her,” Howl explained “This was really evident at the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Run/Walk at UCLA where she gave a heart-wrenching speech, and about fifteen to twenty people throughout the day came up to her with tears in their eyes thanking her for giving their young daughters a genuinely positive message for hope and recovery. That’s why she did Miss Malibu, not for the sash and crown.”
She is a telecommunications production major at Pepperdine and is working as an intern at Style Network this semester. She has been traveling as a spokesperson for Crohn’s and Colitis and is excited for future opportunities.
At the Miss California pageant, Erickson will follow the same pageant format and events as the Miss Malibu pageant. This time, however, Erickson will be competing against 78 other women and will be contending for $10,000. If Erickson wins she will move on to Miss America in early 2007. She is sponsored by Desert Tan, her employer, for the Miss California pageant.
In preparation for Miss California, Erickson is more focused on participating in Miss Malibu events than anything else. Her service opportunities at Crohn’s and Colitis along with working with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, a cancer research hospital, are more helpful training than anything else she could do. “Of course, I always enjoy the shopping and I’m trying to stay in shape but it means so much more to me than that,” Erickson gushed.
With all the dedication and hard work Erickson has put into her title as Miss Malibu so far, it would be no surprise if she did well or even won the Miss California title. If she wins, she will continue on to Miss USA. If she does not win, she still believes being Miss Malibu has been an amazing experience and has already provided so many opportunities for her. She knows that all of the work she is doing with Crohn’s and Colitis will also give her more work and service opportunities.
10-15-2006
