Beauty is more than just someone’s outward appearance — it “radiates from the heart and is manifested through how someone loves others,” states Alexa Gilomen. Alexa was named Miss Historic Buford 2018 on Saturday, August 26th. This is the second year of the crowning of Miss Historic Buford.
Alexa started participating in pageants at the beginning of this year with Miss UGA, and placed first runner up which is where she caught the “pageant bug.” She also won Miss Fulton County, allowing her to compete in Miss Georgia, where she placed in the top ten. Winning Miss Historic Buford has given Alexa the opportunity to compete in Miss Georgia for the second time.
The Miss America organization has given Alexa amazing opportunities to work with a variety of charities. She has worked with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, the Atlanta Mission, and Project Safe. While volunteering with these charities, she was able to raise money, donate clothes, books, and other goods to those who need them.
Working with the Miss Historic Buford was definitely the most “fulfilling pageant for me.” Even though Alexa was sick the week of the competition, she knew she wasn’t going to give up. Instead, she trusted her intuition and when she got on stage she “felt totally at peace” with her performance and ended up winning Miss Historic Buford.
Alexa’s platform is Music Matters: Educating and Empowering Through Music. She started raising awareness for this cause in middle school, where she advocated funding of the music programs in schools, and also began an after school music mentoring program.
Ever since that first speech in middle school, she has been supporting music education awareness and the importance music education’s influence on children. Currently, Alexa is part of a group called MUSE at the University of Georgia, where they bring music mentoring programs to elementary and middle schools in Athens.
The three stereotypes that are projected onto beauty queens are that they are not intelligent, and are catty and self-absorbed. Alexa says the pageants participants are actually quite the opposite. The women in the pageants are “some of the most intelligent, caring, and selfless people.” Alexa feels like the pageants have actually made her “the best version” of herself than ever before.
Pageantry has taught Alexa more than any other experiences she has had thus far in life. In such a short time, she has learned to accept criticism happily, and to keep her head up high no matter what happens. Alexa has embraced these things through her short, but wonderful experience with pageantry.
There are many things that keep Alexa active in the pageantry world, mainly because of the difference she is making in the community. Being involved with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is very important because they actually saved her life when she was younger. Alexa wants to be the “light in the lives” of the children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and show them that they can accomplish anything in life no matter what adversities they have been through.
“Relief and peace” were the first things that popped into Alexa’s head when she won Miss Historic Buford. “I am just very, very lucky,” she says about winning the pageant. Alexa is “thrilled” to be working with the board that truly appreciates the participants in the pageant and wants to see everyone succeed.
Although Alexa grew up in Suwanee, she frequently visited Buford. The city of Buford has a “sense of community like no other.” Alexa cannot wait to share Music Matters with the local schools and teach the students how important music is in education.
