As Told By Calynn M. Lawrence

You read it right. I, Calynn M. Lawrence, decided to give the pageant life a go. After being encouraged to try it for over a year by a dear friend, La'Sonya Alexander , I finally was convinced that it was something I was worthy of. All this time, I had thought of myself as the girl who stood on the sidelines and cheered everyone else on, while I had my own successes behind the scenes. Given, I do get a lot of press from being a media personality, but I never quite thought of myself as the Barbie Doll, Perfect Patty, cookie-cutter stereotype who wins a pageant. And, guess what? I'm still not. I may be a new pageant queen, but I'm still just as real, just as fun, just as ME as I ever was, and that will change for nothing. I currently hold the regional title Ms. Northern US 2019 in the  American Elegance pageant system .  At the end of October, I'll be competing at Nationals for the national title, Ms. American Elegance 2020. This pageant system is very unique, so uni...