My Pageant Journey

By AshLyn Sterling

For as long as I can remember, pageantry has been a part of my life. But for most of that time, it wasn’t something I celebrated, rather something I ran from. My earliest experiences in the industry came from the spotlight I was given on Toddlers & Tiaras, where my twin sister and I competed against each other under the pressure of the big screens, reality TV fans, and all the glitz and glam that came along with it. While the show gave me a glimpse of what it meant to be on stage, it also came with a stigma that followed me for years. A stigma that for a long time kept me from competing again. But now, standing here with my first local Miss America Organization title, I can finally say: I am reclaiming my story. 

Growing up in the child pageant circuit, I was constantly compared to my twin. Who had the better smile? Who had the better walk? Who would win? It didn’t matter that we were sisters, the competition between us was inevitable. At such a young age, I was learning to tie my win to a crown, and when I didn’t win, it felt like I wasn’t good enough. Then came the public perception and the dramatized version of what reality TV chose to show them. By the time I was old enough to make my own choices, I wanted nothing to do with pageants. I was done with the assumptions, the judgement, and most of all, the feeling that I had to be perfect to be worthy. 

For years, I stayed away from pageantry, choosing instead to focus on school, sports, and personal growth. I wanted to be known for my intelligence, my work ethic, and my ability to make a difference. Not just as another girl who once wore a crown on TV. But then, I discovered the Miss America Organization. Unlike the child pageants I had once competed in, MAO wasn’t about who had the biggest hair or the sparkliest dress. It was about scholarship, leadership, and community impact. It was a system that valued intellect as much as stage presence, and for the first time, I saw pageantry as something that could help me grow instead of just defining me.

So, after years of saying I’d never return, I did something I never thought I would, I stepped back onto the stage. Competing again after so many years was terrifying. The little girl who had been judged on her beauty and presence was still inside me, worried that she wouldn’t measure up. But this time, I wasn’t competing to be perfect, I was competing to be me. I poured my heart into my talent, spoke passionately about my community service initiative, and walked across the stage knowing that I had something meaningful to offer. And when my name was called as the new Miss Tri-County, it wasn’t just a victory, it was a moment of redemption to my little self and reclaiming the world of pageantry in a different light. 

Now, as a titleholder in the MIss America Organization, I want to use my story to challenge the way people see pageantry and the women who compete in it. I want to show others that just because you come from a certain background, whether reality TV, childhood pageants, or a place of self doubt, it doesn’t mean you can't redefine yourself. For years, I let my past dictate my future. I let the assumptions of others keep me from doing what I loved. But today, I stand here as proof that you don’t have to be who the world expects you to be. You can take control of your own narrative. 

During my local interview, I said something that I’ve come to live by: You are your biggest competitor, and you can only be better than you were yesterday. That mindset has guided me through this journey and now, as I wear my first local title, I hope to inspire young girls to believe the same. You don’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to fit into anyone’s mold, just work toward being the best version of yourself. 

I am not just a former Toddlers & Tiaras contestant. 

I am not just a girl who once competed against her twin. 

I am a titleholder, a leader, and a woman who is proud to be a part of the Miss America Organization. And this is only the beginning.

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AshLyn Sterling is the current Miss Tri-County. You can find her on her title's Instagram and/or her personal Instagram. 

This is her first blog for Section 36 Forevers.