Redmond woman vying for Miss Washington USA 2011

Published 1:22 pm Monday, October 4, 2010

Redmond resident Cassandra Searles is vying for the title of Miss Washington USA 2011. Searles will compete Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 9-10 at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien. And you can now vote online for her, in the Miss Photogenic portion of the competition, at www.misswashingtonusa.com.

This is Searles’ second year competing in the Miss Washington USA pageant.

Although she is representing Redmond, “there is not a formal contest on the city level,” she said.

“Other larger states such as California and Texas have thousands of girls apply so they have to have city/county level pagents. Washington isn’t considered a big pageant state so we have less girls who want to be involved.”

Searles explained, “The process starts by our director asking you a few questions over the phone to see if you qualify. … If you qualify, you go to the meeting with the director and talk about the pageant, opportunities, you have, etc. There is an entrance fee and you can either pay it yourself or collect sponsorships.”

The number of contestants varies each year, she said.

Currently, 28 young women are competing for the Miss Washington USA crown and 28 are competing for Miss Washington Teen USA.

“Last year I made the top 10, which I am very excited about, because I only had a month to prepare,” said Searles. “This year, I have had 10 months to prepare so I have been eating healthy, going to the gym four days a week, practicing walking and turning and reading about current events.”

Contestants are judged in swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories.

“The interview has two parts to it. The first one is having a one-on-one, two-minute conversation with each of the judges. The second part is for those who make the top five. The top five are asked one question onstage,” Searles stated.

So what’s her biggest challenge?

“I think the hardest part of preparing for the pageant, for me, is the commitment to eating healthy,” Searles noted. “I’m a Business Marketing and Management major at the University of Washington and eating out of vending machines around dinner time is so easy for me to do. I try to avoid that as much as possible.”

The Miss Washington USA contest is a precursor to the Miss USA competition. The Miss USA winner goes on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.

Winners get glamorous prizes and loads of exposure that can promote their careers.

We asked Searles, who is an assistant branch manager at Sterling Savings Bank on Redmond Way, what she hopes to accomplish if chosen as Miss Washington USA and then Miss USA.

“If I were to win the Miss Washington USA title and hopefully, the Miss USA title, I would use the title as a way to spread the word about the importance of volunteering. It is amazing what power you have when you wear the sash,” Searles commented.

Also, said Searles, “My career goal is to work as a vice-president in the marketing department of a large company. I think I’ve learned a lot about myself throughout this journey. I’ve become better at public speaking and I’ve also learned not to be afraid of failure, which I think is extremely important in the corporate world.”