The Miss New Mexico Pageant provided Manzanares with the platform to speak out against bullying, helped her find confidence in herself, and tear down pageantry stereotypes.
Shattering many comfort zones, Manzanares said, "For 21 years, I was raised in the world of sports—the idea of dresses and tiaras were things that only appeared in ‘Miss Congenitally.'"
Transforming from a college athlete to a well-groomed princess not only changed her appearance, but changed her as a person. She started to take more pride in her appearance, and she became a role model to young girls wanting to be smart, graceful and successful just like she is.
Before entering the pageant world, she signed autographs for defeating other sports teams. Manzanares says that as an athlete, you must hold yourself in an aggressive and intimating way. Kids are always watching what you do, and they aspire to be on the court and field.
When she announced she won a contest that required gracefulness, her parents thought she was kidding. Becoming Miss Blackwater Draw shed a different light on being a role model for Manzanares.
"For once, I was being admired for my brain. To them, I was a princess from a storybook. I was Belle who was intelligent, Cinderella who was kind, or another princess that represented something amazing," Manzanares said.
When she first heard about pageants, she envisioned a room full of stereotypical skinny, blonde, drama queens. However, after competing in Miss New Mexico, she realized that it was one of the most humbling experiences of her life.
She did not realize how hard each girl worked to compete on the Miss New Mexico stage. Her respect for pageant women is beyond words.
"Miss America is more than just a beauty competition… The women that enter these competitions are some of the most educated and talented people I have met."
Not only did Manzanares bounce out of her comfort zone by wearing high heels and dresses, she addressed her experience of being bullied in school. Before the glitz and glam of the pageant lights, she never spoke about her experiences to a large audience or bigger public.
When choosing her platform, an issue/idea each of the contestants is required to be passionate about and advocate, she knew immediately she wanted to address the growing issue of bullying. For her, bullying was something more than just an issue that my school counselors talking about, it was personal.
"The things that I experienced, I wouldn't wish on my biggest enemy," Manzanares said.
If she saw someone was going through bullying, she was always there to listen and support. Her belief is that a helping hand and voice is what helped her through the dark times.
Manzanares said she allowed her oppressors to define who she was. Her trust in people was broken, her anxiety was high, and confidence nonexistent. She was one of many at risk of suicide.
Her advice to those who face it, is to continue to fight for who are and remember their worth. She wants those to speak up, even if it is scary because they will be helping others who face the same struggles.
She wants to be a public speaker to help those in oppression. Since winning her title, she has spoken at schools about bullying on and off social media, and succeeded in contacting big anti-bullying associations.
She will never forget the moment that she stood on stage for the last time. She may not have won the crown and sash, but she left the Miss New Mexico stage with lifelong friends, pride in herself, and sore feet.
"As the time was running out this new journey, I was walking away with something I thought I would never find—confidence in myself."
