Courtesy Photo
By Brittney Coulter
Reporter
Proving that pageants are about more than just beauty, Plano senior Christine Tang was crowned Miss Plano Sunday.
Along with winning the Miss Plano title, Tang was named “Miss Congeniality” and also won “Best Overall Talent” and “Best Interview.”
The pageant, in which 14 women competed, was judged based on the participants’ poise, interview, talent and fitness level.
According to Cynthia Shiner Fennell, the business director for the Miss Plano Frisco Organization, judges look for a number of characteristics like these in choosing a winner that go beyond the exterior.
“Overall, what they’re looking for is someone who has drive and has really strong presentation skills,” Shiner Fennell said.
She also said that participants have to be knowledgeable about issues affecting the state and committed to a platform, which she describes as a contestant’s “push for a cause to raise funds or awareness.”
Tang agreed.
“A lot of people think that pageants require you to focus on the exterior, but actually it’s really all mental,” Tang said. “Pageantry is really a sport and your competition is with yourself; so there’s a lot of self-examination that goes along with this process, because you need to know yourself in order to engage with others and benefit your public.”
Part of Tang’s duties as Miss Plano includes serving as an ambassador for her platform titled “Love Life: Equipping and Empowering in Unplanned Pregnancy.”
She has been passionate about the cause since she was 18 years old and hopes to spread awareness about the issues surrounding unplanned pregnancies.
“My platform derives from my position that all human life, at any age and point in time, possesses irrevocable value and meaning,” Tang said. “I believe there is no greater or more precious issue than life and no greater cause to defend.”
“I’m just very humbled and grateful,” Tang said of her win on Sunday. “There were so many incredible women up on that stage, so much talent and intellect and personality, so I was very honored.”
Tang participated in her first pageant in 2008 and went on to compete in the Miss Texas pageant that same year, placing in the top 10.
She will continue on to compete in the Miss Texas pageant again this summer.
In order to prepare for the Miss Texas pageant, Tang will be working with her board of directors, her interview coach and Mental Management Systems, a company that helps people prepare mentally for high-pressure situations. She will also continue keep up on current events and issues related to her platform.
Kennedale senior Erin Hunt, last year’s Miss Plano, crowned Tang on Sunday. It was a particularly emotional moment for Hunt, as she and Tang are both members of Delta Delta Delta Sorority Inc. at Baylor.
“When they called her name as Miss Plano, that was a really special moment for her and I being Tri-Delt sisters and me getting to crown her, knowing that she’s going to have a great year,” Hunt said. “I’m very excited for Christine, and wish her the best of luck at Miss Texas this summer.”
