As a little girl, Rebekah Larson sat perched in front of the television admiring the beautiful women who competed on the pageant stage. She shared the same dream as many other girls watching along–that one day it would be her turn. This past weekend, her dream came true.
For Rebekah, she loves all the aspects that surround the pageant stage: hair, makeup, elegant dresses like this long blue homecoming dress, modeling, and speaking out on her beliefs. These interests spurred on the vision that captivated her as a young girl. It was in the past year, however, that she and her parents decided to mobilize her dream and have Rebekah compete in the Miss Nebraska Teen USA pageant.
Working towards her aspiration took months of preparation. Rebekah worked with pageant coaches Robin Gifford and Emerie Gifford who showed her how to be a confident, empowering woman. She also trained in nutrition and strength & fitness to prepare for the swimsuit competition. Equipped with valuable information, she said she learned how to properly fuel her body and has developed healthy habits.
The apogee of Rebekah’s new venture came last weekend in Omaha. Twenty-five contestants competed at the Rose Theater on January 15-17 for Miss Nebraska Teen. The girls competed in a swimsuit competition, evening gown competition, personal interview, and stage questions. With a very full weekend, Rebekah said she found comfort by trusting God for peace. “The phrase that I continually was repeating was ‘I have told you what I want, but God I know that you know what I need.'”
As the weekend progressed, she eventually found herself standing in the top 5. “It truly felt like I was dreaming,” commented Rebekah. She proudly placed as the 3rd runner-up in the competition. Earlier in the weekend, she also received the Spirit Award. In true sportsmanship fashion, Rebekah proudly described how wonderful her weekend roommate, the new Miss Nebraska Teen USA winner, Erika Etzelmiller is.
Reflecting on her experience, Rebekah commented, “This weekend I hoped to shine a light for girls in the pageant and all around that beauty is so much more than skin deep. I gained new friends that I will cherish for a lifetime, and I grew as a person in so many ways.”
As she looks to the future, Rebekah has her sights set on attending Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is currently wrapping up her senior year at Heartland. While she would like to compete again in a pageant, she is still cherishing her recent experience and is enjoying the rest of high school.
