Crowns Magazine September 2020

Photo by Austin Ryde

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

STORMY KEFFELER Recently crowned Queen Beauty USA 2020 during NYFW, Stormy Keffeler has competed in pageants for 27 years. This 5?10? brunette-haired, hazel-eyed beauty is a first-generation college student. She received an athletic scholarship to play softball while studying communications with an emphasis on journalism.

After college, Stormy played three years of professional football as a center and linebacker for the Seattle Mist. With sports having such an influence on her life, her family founded the non-profit, PlayOnSports, to benefit young athletes from low income families.

Currently, she is a manager and lead stylist at the bridal boutique, Dolce Bleu, where she empowers women and celebrates their magic moments - her true passion. As a survivor of domestic violence, Stormy truly understands the powerlessness women can feel at the hands of others. Her passion is to help women understand they are not alone; do not have to be victims of their circumstances, and are capable of taking back control of their lives.

As an avid Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars fan, she wants to channel the warriors and heroines she grew up watching and admiring into every aspect of her life, including her reign as Queen Beauty USA. Stormy will compete for the prestigious title of Queen Beauty Universe later this year.

Qu een Beau t y USA is t h e of f icial cou n t r y pr elim in ar y f or t h e pr est igiou s in t er n at ion al Qu een Beau t y Un iver se pagean t . It is ow n ed by in t er n at ion al beau t y m ar k et in g an d pr odu ct ion com pan y, Br odeu r Kazan jian Beau t y & Fash ion . Qu een Beau t y USA h as been called t h e "pagean t f or m odels" w h er e beau t y is t h e f ocu s an d beau t y is celebr at ed. If you 'r e t h e n ext f ace of t h e USA, w e'r e t h e pagean t f or you . Beau t y is back !

MAURAH RUIZ

BEYOND THE BEAUTY

MAURAH RUIZ Maurah Ruiz is a professional model, entrepreneur, and the current Miss Global USA. She has worked as a professional runway model for Austin Fashion Week, Fort Lauderdale Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, St Petersburg Fashion Week, and Milan Fashion Week. She was also a second-round gold ticket finalist for the iconic Sports Illustrated brand in 2019 and represented Maxim at their Super Bowl Celebration last year.

As a former Miss Austin America, Miss Heart of Texas USA, Miss Palm Beach USA, Miss Miami Global, Miss Florida Global, and current Miss Global USA; Maurah has graced the stage of various pageant systems and is skilled at public speaking and writing.

She is the founder of two companies- Skinny Lily, popped water lily seeds, which is a healthy alternative to popcorn and Acv Gummi which is the world's first keto apple cider vinegar gummy. She is passionate about health and fitness and focuses on always keeping a healthy body, mind, and spirit which is the motto behind both of her companies.

Maurah is also passionate about serving her community and is an ambassador for The Little Lighthouse Foundation, an organization that serves underserved youth in South Florida. Additionally, she has been involved with Ronald McDonald House Charities, Boys and Girls Club, Southside Community Center, Adopt A Highway, and Women's Emergency Shelters. She is an alumnus of ?Do the Write Thing,? a national campaign to end youth violence, where she has published work at the Library of Congress.

Photographer: Carlos Velez Foto Makeup: Blake Walters Beauty Dress: Terani Couture from Bebe?s and Liz?s

Rogers Polk Photography

SEPTEMBER TOP MODEL CRISTIANA THOMPSON

Rogers Polk Photography

Rogers Polk Photography

USA NATIONAL MISS MARYLAND JR. PRINCESS Cristiana Lynn Reid-Thompson is a 6-year-old Afro-Latina from Germantown, Maryland. She is the current 2020 USA National Miss Maryland Jr. Princess.

Cristiana has been doing pageants for two years. Pageantry has opened the door for modeling. She walked in NYFW Hitechmoda in the September 2019 and February 2020 shows.

At such a young age, Cristiana has already earned two Presidential Service Awards. In addition, she has completed over 300 hours of community service in just two years.

When she is not serving her community, Cristiana enjoys reading, playing at the park, playing UNO, and playing with her Barbie Dream House.

A fun fact about Cristiana is that she knows her alphabets in sign language. She wants to be a police officer when she grows up .

CRISTIANA REID-THOMPSON

AJPhotoz

Brian Ach Photography

KATIA GERRY

ON THE COVER Katia Gerry is a community activist who makes the changes she wants to see in her community.

At age 14, Katia founded her first nonprofit company, Shoes for Africa. This company allowed her to pursue her two favorite passions: her love of people and the earth.

Stay Gorgeous Girls (SGG) founded by Katia in 2014 is a non-profit organization that teaches girls about confidence through rallies. Katia serves as President and Event MC at all SGG rallies where girls attend classes about building their self-esteem. They are also gifted free prom dresses, make-up, jewelry, a photo shoot and, most importantly, confidence. Her Stay Gorgeous Girls platform over a time span of six years has helped thousands of girls feel more confident about themselves.

Katia?s love for the earth has inspired her to create Project Breathe, a platform dedicated to raising awareness about air pollution and the small things that each person, especially her generation, can do to help reduce this problem.

The concept is to think globally, but act locally!

Reducing pollution in our communities, one at a time, will lead to global cleanup. There is so much her generation can do to make a difference, and Katia intends to be a leader in this global effort!

Growing up, Katia realized the importance of keeping our planet clean. During her research, she discovered that 4.6 million people die from air pollution each year.

Globally, air pollution kills three times more people than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Her goal is to help bring awareness to this issue, so we as a community can be educated and safer. Over two billion people use social media, and that?s exactly how she plans to spread the word about Project Breathe. She produces short videos along with posting photos with information about improving our air quality and always end with ?Pass It On?, #passiton, to encourage others to spread the word.

Katia attended high school senior at Abeka Academy and is was on the Dean?s List. She is a freshman at Biola University with a major in cinema and media arts. Katia enjoys film and television, and some of her lifetime goals are to become a television talk show host, entertainment writer and producer.

In her personal time, she enjoys thrift shopping with friends, making TikToks, cooking, creating her clothing company, and most importantly, writing.

Crowns Magazine would like to thank all of the participating titles holders for making our first partnership with the World Cleanup Day Project a huge success. Hats off to Katia Gerry, Crowns Magazine's 2020 World Day Cleanup Ambassador, for her amazing commitment to the project. A clean earth is a safe earth and we can't wait until next year to do it all again. Please salute the featured title holders for their hard work this year.

KATIA GERRY CROWNS MAGAZINE' S WORLD CLEANUP DAY 2020 AMBASSADOR Why I Chose Echo Park Lake The vast history of this historical park starting out as a reservoir, to the making of several Hollywood Silent films. Today the lake not only serves as a recreational body of water, but also as an important part of the Los Angeles ecosystem. It is part of the local watershed.

I was happy to have my Sister Queens to help with this project.

- Hanh Tran, Mrs. California Earth - Faith Tabayoyong, Elite Miss Nevada Earth - Jocelyn Min, Teen Miss Nevada Earth We worked from 11am-1pm collecting six bags of trash. During this time, I realized the importance of leading by example. As we were cleaning, the bystanders were amazed by our efforts. We even got a ?Thank You?. I hope our efforts inspire others who enjoy this park to ?Leave nothing but their footprint.?

KATIA GERRY - TEEN CALIFORNIA EARTH ECHO PARK LAKE

ECHO PARK

ELIANA GROVES - TEEN MISS UTAH EARTH

Photo by Scott Hallenburg

Photo by Marc Reynolds

GREAT SALT LAKE STATE PARK Photo by Scott Hallenburg

Photo by Scott Hallenburg

Photo by Scott Hallenburg

Photo by Scott Hallenburg

LEAH HINCHEE - TEEN MISS ATLANTIC OCEAN EARTH WEIR HIGH SCHOOL

Photo by R Nolan Photography

SYERE HALL - NATIONAL USA ROYAL MISS PRE-TEEN M YRTLE BEACH

STEFFANIE POWELL - JR. MISS NATIONAL AMERICAN AMBASSADOR A CHURCH PROPERTY

Photo by Abiding Light Photography

CALLIE NOE - NATIONAL USA ROYAL LITTLE MISS

GLEN HILTON PARK

ANDREE TOMAS - NATIONAL AMERICAN YOUNG MISS

A BUSINESS PROPERTY

Photo by Abiding Light Photography

MCKENZIE STONE - NATIONAL USA ROYAL MISS JR. TEEN

HIGHWAY 501

ADESUWA OSAYAREN - MISS GRAND CANYON EARTH

A VACANT LOT

PAIGE MERCER - TEEN MISS OHIOEARTH M ILL CREEK PARK

KAITLYN CIRILLO - NATIONAL AMERICAN COLLEGIATE

DISNEY WORLD

CAM ILLE SCHRIER September is Recovery Month! Today in the United States, over 2 million Americans are addicted to prescription and non-prescription opioids. More than 130 Americans die every single day from an opioid overdose. That means an American dies every 12 minutes from an overdose of opioids. I hope that one day that statistic is rewritten to read ?every 12 minutes, an American enters recovery from substance use disorder.?

Do you want to know what you can do to help?

Read Camille's latest blog post here

Photo by Abiding Light Photography

TITLE ?I live a patriotic life by protecting our natural resources.?

I am Antoinette King, ?Little Big Eagle,? from the Chowanoke Nation located in Ahoskie, North Carolina. As a Native American, I have a unique responsibility to help care for the Earth. It is my patriotic duty to keep our Nation filled with beauty by reducing single use items, such as styrofoam cups, plastics, and straws through recycling endeavors. For example, nearly 5 million straws are thrown out each day which cannot be recycled. So often, I see heaps of trash and want to let everyone know that we can do better. My husband and I use metal straws when we eat out and heavily recycle. We also encourage all family and friends to do the same, as well as the general population.

As an indigenous person, I have a connection to the land and all things living. It?s more of a deep respect for nature so to see our resources become contaminated and diminish is painful. I would like to make everyone aware of blind consumption before it?s too late because our natural resources such asclean drinking water and fresh air are not valued until absent. And what a shame because when in balance, there is tremendous abundance and power in plants, animals, trees, and the land. We cannot forget the foundation that was laid on battlefields and countless lives lost fighting for our freedom. May we honor our homeland keeping it beautiful and preserving our natural resources. It is our patriotic duty and how we give thanks for their service and scribe.

TODAY' S INTERVIEWBY ERICA CARNEGIE JENNIFER POST Miss World International Woman Miss World International Ambassador Q: When did you get started in pageantry?

A: I started competing in my forties and want women of all ages, shapes and size to know they are beautiful.

AMELIA LISOWE Little Miss of the Natural State Q: Amelia, you are a competitive dancer. What is your favorite style of dance?

A: I like jazz because there are a lot of kicks, turns and techniques.

REAGAN ELIA Miss First Coast Junior Teen 2019 -2020 Q: What are your future goals?

A: I plan to graduating veterinary school and pursue a career as an equine veterinarian.

JORDYNN HUSKISSON Little Miss of the Midwest Q: Tell us about your platform?

A: My platform is called Blankets of Hope and benefits pediatric cancer patients.

JENNIFER POST German-born Jennifer Post moved to England for love thirteen years ago. Living in a new country, she was met with new challenges. She started a business in health and beauty. As a personal stylist she won an award as "Best Fashion Stylist" in Liverpool. She helps and supports ladies to find their own unique style and confidence.

Jennifer is a mature and curvy lady who knows the battle in society to look the best version of yourself. At the age forty, she started to model and found the love of pageantry. She loves to express herself on stage through her personality and fabulous outfits, which won her a number of awards and titles and gained a lot of respect throughout the pageant world.

Her biggest achievement and proudest moment came in August 2019, when she was awarded with two international titles in Miami, FL: Ms World International Ambassador and Ms World International Woman. She uses her titles to promote her system and to inspire other girls and ladies that everyone can be glam and gorgeous on and off stage, regardless of age, shape, and size.

As an entrepreneur, Jennifer runs her own sauce business, which she started as part of a charity event. She organized it in 2018 to celebrate the Royal wedding (Harry&Meghan). The sauce business took off. You can find more information on www.dipnpour.co.uk.

As a missionary, Jennifer has participated in numerous international trips. She traveled to Ghana, India, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and South America. She has also raised aboutÂŁ10,000/$12,000 for different charities and still continues to support and raise money and awareness.

Her platforms are versatile. She went to Ghana with "Gateway Northeast" to work with special-needs children. This was her first time and she embraced the experience and used her international title, Ms World International Ambassador to organize two beauty pageants in two different schools in Ghana "Acra" and "Cape Coast".

Jennifer also works with local charities to promote their fashion on social media. It is still a stigma to go to charity shops since they are perceived as dirty and smelly; however, she showcases the opposite with beautiful fashion items she finds in them.

Through the Covid-19 lockdown, she started a new YouTube Channel, "German Girl in the UK". She shares her experience in the UK, in every aspect of life. Her love for fashion is her passion.

A very energetic and talented lady, she never stops and puts her hands on everything very successfully. She is being called "The Wonder Woman".

AMELIA LISOWE Amelia Lisowe is a nine-year-old 4th -grade student from Benton, AR. She is the reigning Little Miss of the Natural State and was runner up to Little Miss of America in 2018.

She is a 6th -year team member of the Arkansas Dance Center company team and won a National Championship for her dance solo in Branson, MS in 2019. She is a member of the Young Players at her local community theater and has been seen in five productions, including playing the lead in ?Miracle on 34th St.?

Amelia loves to volunteer and show other youngsters that they are never too little to make a difference. In 2018, she began collecting nightlights for foster children when several organizations told her she was too young to volunteer with them. Amelia worked with her school counselor to set up a day where students could bring in donations. She was able to donate over 500 nightlights in Central Arkansas.

Today, over 5,000 nightlights have been distributed across all 50 states through her nonprofit, Lisowe's Lights!

REAGAN ELIA Reagan Elia is an academically gifted student who served as the ninth grade Class President, the SWAT and CFA Leadership Academy president, and was a member of the Beta and 4-H Clubs.

She is also the recipient of multiple academic awards, including the year-end Engineering Academy Design Award. Way to go, Reagan!

She recently started 10th grade and plans to keep excelling in both academics and sports. Reagan is currently captain of the varsity golf team, a member of the tennis team, rides horses, and is enrolled in Advanced Placement classes.

Reagan has competed in several pageants and has held the titles of 2019 Teen Miss Clay County and Miss First Coast Junior Teen 2019-2020.

Serving as a title holder gives Reagan the opportunity to promote her platform - Ending Animal Euthanasia in shelters. It also allows her to volunteer in her community and serve as an animal rights activist. Her goal is to be a veterinarian and continue her work with animals.

Reagan has competed in several pageants and has held the titles of 2019 Teen Miss Clay County and Miss First Coast Junior Teen 2019 - 2020.

Serving as a title holder gives Reagan the opportunity promote her platform Ending Animal Euthanasia in shelters, volunteer in her community and serve as an animal rights activist. Her goal is to be a veterinarian and continue her work with animals!

JORDYNN HUSKISSON Jordynn Huskisson, Little Miss of the Midwest, is a bright, bubbly 10-year-old who has done so much for pediatric cancer patients!

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, and we are so thrilled to feature her nonprofit @blanketsofhopebyjordynn.

Jordynn started her own 501(c)(3) organization called ?Blankets of Hope by Jordynn?where she makes tie blankets for kids with cancer. She has made over 500 of them since she started in August of 2018. Jordynn asserts, "I know it doesn?t sound like a lot but let me tell you they take about 2 hours to cut and tie. I deliver them with a stuffed animal and a children?s book."

Seeing the smiles on their faces means everything to her. Jordynn loves to volunteer and gets in about 25 hours a week (well until COVID-19 hit then she had to get creative.) She volunteers at food pantries, Feed Our Kids, Special Olympics, Ronald McDonald House, St Jude, cancer benefits, Make-A-Wish, and The Alzheimer ?s Network, just to name a few.