POQUOSON — Natalie Hamon, a Poquoson High School freshman, was recently crowned Miss Virginia High School and is raising funds to attend the national competition this June in Arkansas.
Hamon, who began competing in pageants when she was living in Alaska, learned of the Miss High School pageant through a friend.
“I was very, very shy when I was in elementary school. I went to a private school and I was just not social at all and I really wanted to work on that,” Hamon recalled.
During her first pageant experience, Hamon remembers enjoying the entire process.
“I loved every single second of it. All of the stereotypes that I was nervous about were not true at all. All of the girls were so sweet to me and overall it was the best experience ever. When I went back to compete the following year, I was named runner-up,” Hamon said.
Armed with the confidence that she could win the competition one day, she competed again the following year and won the Alaska title and represented the state as Miss Alaska Junior High.
Her family was then stationed in Virginia and the Hamons moved to the commonwealth. After settling in, Hamon began preparing to compete in the high school division at the pageant.
During the state competition, Hamon competed in evening gown and fun fashion. She also had to prepare for a five-minute interview with the pageant judges.
When her name was called as the winner, Hamon was shocked.
“I thought my interview portion was terrible. I went crying to my mom about how bad I did. But when the pageant was over and I had won, I got the opportunity to talk to the judges about what they liked about me and what I could improve on. Every single one of them said that they loved my interview portion because of how natural I was,” Hamon said.
Hamon, who is competing with the community service initiative of Go Red for Women, is passionate about raising awareness for women’s heart health for a very personal reason.
“One of my mentors that I met during my first year of pageantry, she has had nine procedures on her heart. When I was on the fence about competing in the high school division, my mentor told me that if I were to compete, she would pay my entry fee. Now that I am Miss Virginia High School, I am so honored to bring the Go Red for Women platform to a national level,” Hamon said.
Hamon is now raising money to pay for travel and expenses to get to the national competition in Arkansas. The Hamon family is currently asking for donations towards the program at the competition. Businesses and individuals who sponsor Hamon for $100 will also receive recognition on her Miss Virginia High School Instagram account.
“I would just be so ecstatic if I won the national pageant. This is such a big goal of mine that I’ve been working towards since fifth grade,” Hamon said.
Those interested in sponsoring Natalie can reach out to Hamon’s mom via email.
To keep up with Hamon’s year-long reign, follow her on Instagram.