GAHANNA, Ohio — At just 5 years old, Brielle Harkness has her eye on the "Miss America" crown. But for now, she holds another title.
“I’m Miss Ohio Elementary Kindergarten,” she said. “I won the crown last year and 2024 is my year.”
The new year marked the beginning of her journey. She’ll represent Ohio in the Miss Elementary America pageant in Little Rock, Arkansas this June.
“I enjoy watching her, she gets really amped up and in the moment. She loves pageants,” said Brielle’s mom Brooke Mix.
Community service is also something this little pageant queen loves. It comes with the job. Her pageant platform is anti-bullying and Brielle takes her “bully-free zone” message to events throughout central Ohio.
“When someone’s getting picked on you tell their mom. When they’re getting bullied, you tell a grown up,” Brielle said.
Pageantry is a family affair for Brielle. Her older sister is the reigning ‘Miss Gold’ at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida and is one of Brielle’s biggest role models.
But the family says pageantry is not just about winning and bringing home the crown. Pageants also prepare young girls for success in life.
“When you are competing in these pageants, public speaking and confidence is a huge thing. I want her to have that always,” said Mix. “I tell her that she’s smart and she’ll say she’s kind. So just self-affirmation and reminding her that you are what you repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence is not an act, but a habit.”
If you ask Brielle what it means to be a pageant girl, she’ll say it means being in a pageant and being a good girl. It’s that simple for her. She realizes that despite her young age, she is a role model.
But it’s not all glitz and glamour. Brielle is only 5 years old. She still likes to play with her friends, try different hobbies and color in her coloring books. Her mom knows she could one day lose interest in pageants and that’s OK.
What she’s learning and the confidence she’s building within herself while participating in these competitions is something she will always have.
“She’ll still have the poise. She still has the speaking ability. She is still friendly to people. She still knows how to make friends. So it’s not like we’re losing if she decides not to do a pageant anymore,” said Mix. “We’ll just move to the next thing and allow her to conquer that.”
The Miss Elementary America pageant runs from June 27 through July 1st. Brielle and her family will travel to Little Rock for the competition in hopes of winning and bringing the crown and title back to Ohio.
But the bigger hope is to have fun, make new friends and live in the moment. In that sense, Brielle is already a winner. She’s smart, she’s kind and she cares about others. If that’s not the definition of a winner, what is?