Pierce College student Noura Hervani was a contestant in the 2015 Miss Teen Pasadena Pageant Competition on March 1, 2015.
Hervani decided to compete in the pageant in order to win the prize scholarship, and was selected to participate after she passed the preliminary round.
“Being from the East Coast, all you hear about is the amazing schools in California,” Hervani said.
If she wins, she will apply for the scholarship to the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California.
“Being an out-of-state student and having my parents pay for everything didn’t seem fair,” said Hervani. “I wanted to try and help them out.”
The pageant was divided into four divisions: Junior Pre-Teen, Pre-Teen, Junior Teen, and Teen, based on age. Hervani is 18 years old and is in the Teen division, which ranges from ages 16 to 19.
Hervani accepted sponsors and donations so she could receive training and compete in the pageant. She also planned to donate five percent of the donations she received to the Starlight Children’s Foundation.
“I just want to see everyone happy, and entertainment gives people joy,” said Hervani.
She chose this charity because she believed everyone should receive education and entertainment.
“Why not share the joy with everyone,” Hervani said.
“She seemed very positive and is a young, Persian woman. I decided I wanted to help her,” said Barbara Ardalan of Barbara Ardalan & Associates Insurance Services, a sponsor of Hervani.
A representative of South Coast Engineering Group Inc. explained their decision to sponsor Hervani and said, “We like to be able to help communities and promote those who can help the community.”
“I just want to be a part of the community and be involved as much as I can,” said Hervani. “In high school, I completed over 1,000 hours of community service. I also formed different clubs and was involved in activities from soccer to leadership to tutoring the less fortunate children every week.”
According to the 2015 Miss Teen Pasadena website, the competition consisted of three parts.
The first part was a one-on-one interview with the judges. The second part was the Casual Wear Competition, where contestants wore either an outfit that showed their personal style or a sport uniform. The third part was the Formal Wear Competition.
The contestants were allowed to wear a gown or party dress based on the division they were in. In the final segment, they performed a model routine and asked a question. “Personal self-enhancement and modeling will be the focus of the contestant’s Training Classes and Rehearsal.”
