By Kate Scriven
Many of us tune in each year to the Miss America Pageant, oohing and ahhing at the dresses and holding our breath at each interview question. The accomplished young women on stage started their journey with a county-based pageant. Locally, the Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program (MTCSP) has been active since 1975 and in recent years has seen resurgence in sponsorship and participation.
Held in March, the Miss Thurston County Pageant gives young women ages 17 to 24 the opportunity to compete for scholarship dollars as well as the crown. The pageant is focused on helping young women develop character, prepare for future opportunities, and promote their dreams.
The current Miss Thurston County 2014, Clista Rakow, knows first-hand how hard contestants work and the rewards, and responsibilities, which come with winning the crown. Rakow was born and raised in Yelm, Washington, daughter of a local dentist and 2012 Yelm High School graduate. She hadn’t competed in pageants when young and admits applying for the Miss Thurston County pageant was partially motivated by the prize money and scholarship award as she is attending Pierce Community College and supporting herself.
However, she quickly learned she’d gain more from her experience than money. “As the workshops started prior to the pageant and we started learning different things, I noticed that I began developing into a different person,” she shares. “I was becoming more confident and motivated. I wanted to be like those girls you see on the Miss America stage – doctors, lawyers, Ivy League students – these are some of the most promising women you’ll ever meet.”
Rakow was excited to compete, feeling it would create opportunity for her. “I competed in 2013 and lost,” she recalls with a laugh. “But I learned so much that year and when I returned in 2014 I was much more calm and able to learn even more.” Each time she participated at the local level, then again during the 2014 Miss Washington Pageant, she gained something new.
The organization trains contestants in interview skills, financial planning, character and more. These skills are used during the pageant, but also as the winner and into the real world. “I’ve nailed every interview I’ve had since the pageant,” shares Rakow. “The practice and coaching has taught me how to prepare and deliver during tough situations.”
One aspect of the competition is to select a platform. Introduced in 1989, the platform concept is a social issue that contestants care deeply about and is important to their greater community.
“My personal platform is something very close to my heart – Suicide Prevention and Awareness,” shares Rakow. “I am a suicide attempt survivor and a daughter of a veteran. These two really interlinked with wanting to help our military and rehabilitate our veterans who struggle with PTSD – really opening the conversation about mental illnesses and ending the stigma.”
Rakow opens up to people about her own story and is able to start conversations in the greater community through personal experience. Through these conversations, and her dedication, Rakow has helped pass House Bill 2315. “The bill requires all front-line health care workers to take six hours of continuing education in suicide management assessment and prevention,” Rakow explains. “Washington is the first state to require this training.” There are now several other states following Washington, and Rakow’s, lead.
In addition, she is also a Field Advocate for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention working on local, state and federal bills and policies related to suicide prevention. Through this work, Rakow contacted the governor of California in an effort to install a safety net under the Golden Gate Bridge. The $76 million project passed in June 2014 and is a huge victory for suicide prevention advocates like Rakow.
Locally, she participated in this October’s Out of the Darkness Walk and was moved by the open dialogue among participants impacted by mental illness and suicide. “I’m thankful that I’ve been given a second chance to help people and really find out my true passion,” Rakow reflect.
Holding the title of Miss Thurston County 2014 initially entailed ongoing preparation for the July Miss Washington Pageant. “You build a great sisterhood with the other contestants,” she shares. “It’s not like anything you see on TV with all the drama and cattiness,” explains Rakow of the supportive environment she experienced.
As Miss Thurston County, Rakow makes appearances and gives speeches throughout the area. She can be found face painting at Arts Walk, picking up road-side trash, or speaking on suicide prevention to area high schools. She will also serve as mentor to the 2015 contestants and help prepare them for what lies ahead.
“For me, the title and life are not two separate things. I am myself 24/7 and hope people see me as approachable and real,” Rakow says. “After nine months as Miss Thurston County, my white sash is all dirty and stained. I think that characterizes my year wearing the crown.”
For more information about the Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program, visit their website here. Applications for 2015 contestants are due Friday, December 5 and can be filled out online here. Completing an application is not an obligation to participate. Stay up to date with Clista and Miss Thurston County Scholarship Program on Facebook.
