Q&A: 2018 Miss Stanton Contestant #12 Camara Johnson
KATELYN COLLEY AND ARIANA ALCANTARA | FEB. 22, 2018 | Q&A
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (SCPDA) — With the Miss Stanton Pageant around the corner, the pressure is on for all the young women who are participating to represent Stanton. To understand their hopes for the pageant and what they have taken away from it, Devil’s Advocate interviewed them and got their side of the story.
DEVIL'S ADVOCATE: Why did you decide to run?
CAMARA JOHNSON: I decided to run for Miss Stanton because I wanted more opportunities to indulge in public speaking, and I wanted to get to know the girls and make new friends.
DA: Who do you consider to be your biggest role model and why?
CJ: I consider my mother to be my biggest role model because she is always balancing so many different tasks and it's amazing to me how she finds time for them all.
DA: How do you respond to the negative connotations that come with beauty pageants?
CJ: I choose to be completely ignorant of the negative connotations that come with being in a pageant. I think at Stanton, no one expects you to be a stereotypical, dumb, pretty girl because we're all so intelligent, so it's not hard to ignore it.
DA: If you could change one thing about Stanton, what would it be?
CJ: If I could change one thing about Stanton, it would be the lack of a support system. Many kids drop out because they feel that Stanton is too emotionally stressful, and I find that there should be something we can do about that because it's not fair that all these bright kids are losing these opportunities because they can't handle the stress.
DA: Is there a cause you are passionate about that you'd like to amplify?
CJ: The cause that is important to me is universal healthcare. I find it to be important because in other countries, people who don't have systems are dying from everyday diseases that we would never die from, such as asthma.
DA: If you win, how will you juggle daily school life and the new title?
CJ: If I win, the pageant stuff is simply going to replace my previous track responsibilities. I already know how to balance between an extracurricular and school, so it would be easy for me.
DA: What does the title of Miss Stanton mean to you?
CJ: To me, the title of Miss Stanton means an opportunity to have a platform where I can voice change, especially in education reform, at least within Stanton.
DA: If you win, how will you make a difference at Stanton?
CJ: If I win, I'm not sure what powers I will be given, but I will do everything I can to make sure there are more resources for the mental health of students.
DA: What talents/differences that separates you from other contestants?
CJ: I think something that makes me different from my fellow contestants is my lack of willingness to conform. I find things that I am passionate about and I'm not willing to sacrifice my passions for others.
DA: What has been the most rewarding part of this pageant experience?
CJ: Not to sound materialistic, but the most rewarding part of this pageant has been hanging out with the girls and not only that, but the fact that they keep buying us food.
DA: Aside from yourself, which other candidate do you think should win Miss Stanton?
CJ: I feel that Zahria Womack deserves to win because Zahria is actually a role model for me. She is so smart, pretty, talented, and overall, an amazing person.