photo: CarlosVelez
Hey everyone! Welcome back to another "BeYOUtiful" Blog! It has been a little over a month since my last blog was posted but this is for sure one of my favorite blogs yet and I can't wait to share it with you all! This blog is about the beautiful, smart, and accomplished Shayla Jackson the current Miss Georgia Teen USA 2020.
Tell us about your year as Miss Georgia Teen USA and competing at Miss Teen USA making it into the Top 5! What is something you learned from that amazing experience?
Being Miss Georgia Teen USA has been an incredible experience for me. I am blessed with the opportunities I was given to share my story! Competing at Miss Teen USA was obviously very different this year due to the pandemic we all are living in right now. The Miss Universe Organization made sure we were all following the right precautions to keep everyone safe, and I was very thankful for that. It was so nice to finally get to meet all the girls, socially distanced style, of course. Even though there are so many things I have learned during this experience, something I definitely learned is ways for me to be able to communicate better, while everyone is wearing a mask. Being hearing-impaired, it was definitely a challenge, but because everyone was so understanding and so willing to help me, it made my whole experience there even better. Being on that stage was something I have been dreaming of for a while, and I am 100% proud of what I left on that stage and brought back home to Georgia.
Have you ever been bullied? If so how did you overcome and what is your advice to others being bullied?
Because I am hearing impaired, I had my fair share of bullies. I moved to different elementary schools, so I was always the “weird one” when it came to that first day of school. When I was younger, I never actually really understood WHY I was being bullied, I knew I was different, but I was still just like them. Also, I was very shy, so I wasn’t exactly confident with who I am. Then one day, I asked my mom, “why is everyone treating me so differently?” She told, “What makes you different makes you beautiful.” Because of that advice, I wasn’t afraid of the bullies anymore because I began to gain self-confidence in who I am. That will always be my advice to someone being bullied. We all have something that makes us different, so if you’re being bullied.. remember to be confident in who YOU are because what makes you different makes you beautiful.
You are an inspiration to so many people on a daily basics. What do you think makes you truly “BeYOUtiful”
Staying true to who you are and not letting yourself be swayed by others to do or be someone that you’re not. With a focus on social media, so many people feel the need to try and be like someone else or think someone else’s highlight reel is better. Just continue to stay true to who you are and you will always be BeYOUtiful.
What is something you hope others have learned from you and will continue to learn from you as you finish your year as Miss Georgia Teen USA?
I hope others learned that the only limits that you set are the ones that you make yourself. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from or how different you are from someone else. If you want to do or be something, then go out and work hard and do it. Don’t let others tell you that you can’t!
What is something you would tell someone that feels like they don’t fit in?
For the longest time, I felt like I didn’t really fit in with everyone else. I was always given weird looks and would see others whisper about me. This may sound super cliche but the most important advice I would tell someone is to be yourself. I’ll never forget the day that I was by myself on the playground trying to reach the sky on the swings. Then, a classmate came up to me and asked to play with me and thought my hearing aids were so cool! The best part is, we’re still friends to this day. If you be yourself, you will find a place where you feel like you fit in. I use to hate not fitting in, until I realized I was born to stand out and that God made me this way for a reason. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
You can continue to follow Shayla on Instagram
@shaylajacksonn and @missgateenusa
photos: Carlos Velez
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