Miss ND Teen USA wants to use her title to be a positive role model | News, Sports, Jobs

Submitted photo Codi Miller, Miss North Dakota USA 2024, left, and Jaycee Parker, Miss North Dakota Teen USA 2024, right, were crowned May 12 in Watertown, SD. The titleholders will advance and compete later this year in the Miss USA and Miss USA Teen National Pageants.

Jaycee Parker, 17, of Minot Air Force Base, wants to use her new title of Miss North Dakota Teen USA to be a positive and reliable role model.

“I feel like I'm letting people know that I'm still a teenager. Yes, I wear a crown and a banner. Yes, I participate in competitions. Yes, I'm wearing a $1,000 dress, but none of that matters because at the end of the day, I'm a teenager. I'm going to the lake and I'm going to have fun with my friends”, she says.

Parker has been competing in pageants since she was 6 years old and will now represent North Dakota on the national stage on August 1 at the Miss Teen USA pageant in Hollywood, California.

She will compete for the national title live on television.

“It's really exciting. I've done a lot of preparation work. It's tough competition. It's really tough. It's really scary. You get one show and that's it. But as long as I “Go out there and do my best, that's all that's really important to me because I know I'm going to make myself proud. Most importantly, I want to make North Dakota proud.” she says.

Parker is the daughter of Amanda and Chaplain (Captain) Jared Parker. She was introduced to the beauty pageant when a student's mother, Amanda Parker, who was a teacher, offered to take Jaycee to a pageant. Jaycee Parker, a poster child of pageantry, was bubbly, energetic and full of personality.

She stuck with pageantry for 11 years and came close to the Alabama state crown twice in previous competitions, finishing first runner-up at 14 and second runner-up at 15. His hard work resulted in North Dakota winning the crown at 17.

The Parkers moved from Alabama to Minot AFB last year, which Parker said was a scary transition. She said she was worried about what others would think of “new girl” and was afraid of not having the opportunity to meet new people because she is homeschooled. Her fears were conquered when she met new friends while participating in a local competition.

“It's so rewarding to have this experience because in high school, girls can be mean, really mean. But this group of girls and the way this system works is so cool,” Parker said. She said that even though the pageant girls had known each other for years, they welcomed her with open arms.

Parker said some preparation is necessary for a competition, but it takes more work to prepare mentally than physically to ensure she does her best.

Another aspect of pageantry that judges consider is community service. Parker has a platform called Charms for Freedom, which raises awareness about human trafficking. As part of this effort, she is creating security key fobs with pull alarms.

She started traveling alone at the age of 14, so safety is at the forefront of her concerns. She hopes to eventually partner with Polarius, the number one hotline for human trafficking organizations.

She also has the opportunity to go to area schools, read and spend time with the students. She said some people look up to her like she's a princess.

“It’s so nice to be able to brighten their day. We don't really know what's going on at home and some of these kids don't really have the opportunity to experience things like that. Having someone who makes them feel special, someone to look up to, is really great for them. she says.

Parker said if she hadn't decided to compete in the North Dakota competitions, she would be sitting in her room wondering what to do. The brotherhood that comes with competing has allowed him to make new friends for life.

Parker has faced her fair share of bullying and wants young viewers to know that the struggles they face today won't matter 30 years from now after they've moved on and started their own families.

“People were saying mean things to me and telling me I shouldn't compete in North Dakota because I'm not from there – 'You don't belong there, it's not your home .' North Dakota is my home now. I really like it here,” she says.

Through her competitions, Parker has learned a lot about herself, saying: “I am stronger than I thought and I can do the things I put my mind to. I am a very hard worker. I have great determination. When I knew that I was going to choose the competition and that I was going to think about it, I was going to do it, and I think that's a great quality, especially because I have a lot of future goals. Whether as a nurse, in the Air Force, or as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, I have a lot.