A beauty contest, or beauty pageant, is often looked at as a competition based on just that—beauty. But to those involved in the industry, it is way more than that. It’s a journey of discovery, the chance to represent your roots and beliefs and reach out for a purpose. Motions takes a look at seven pageant winners and how they made their titles an instrument for their cause.

[Pilar Laguana] Miss Guam Universe 1976

From the Munich Massacre of members of the Israeli Olympic team by Black September in 1972, the oil crisis in 1973, protests against the Vietnam War which ended in 1975, the devastation of Supertyphoon Pamela in Guam in 1976 to the Iran Hostage in 1979, anyone can agree that the 1970s was a tumultuous decade internationally. For one of Guam’s island girls, however, 1976 could be considered the year that positively changed her life.

Pilar Martha Laguana, crowned Miss Guam Universe in 1976, started a whirlwind reign that led her to Hong Kong to vie for the coveted Miss Universe crown and then to Manila, Philippines the following year to compete in the Miss Asia Quest Pageant.

“I was kept busy from day one and started with the preparation for competing in the Miss Universe beauty pageant,” Laguana says. “From there, I was selected and honored to represent our island in the Miss Asia Quest Pageant. I also became involved with the Guam Visitors Bureau and participated in numerous overseas promotion trips to attract visitors to Guam.”

“As the very first (of) Jimmy Dee’s Chamorritas, I also had the privilege of performing in many

island cultural shows locally and abroad. With all this experience, it led me to opportunities to do some modeling as a John Robert Powers model. With many thanks to Belta Perez, as one of Guam’s Model of the Year, I was able to experience a world of runway modeling in places like New York and Paris,” she adds.

Currently, Laguana holds the position of marketing manager at GVB. She first stepped into the agency as the first candidate under the GVB Management Promotions Internship Program in 1977. She advanced through the ranks and at one point, held the position of deputy general manager of the agency. She played a key role in the bureau’s efforts to open up the Korea market in the 1980s, and continues to play a role in the consistent growth of other market segments, including Australia, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Micronesia, North America, Philippines and Taiwan.

Other accolades in Laguana’s biography include a three-time recipient of the Outstanding Young Woman of America award, Institute of Japanese Studies awardee, recipient of a Guam Legislative Resolution in recognition for her involvement in the research and production of the Jack DeMello Music & Legends of Guam, and a Governor of Guam Honorary Ambassador-at-Large distinction. Laguana also was honored with the 2009 Pacific Asia Travel Association Award of Merit.

From a bright-eyed young woman at the Miss Universe pageant in 1976 to the present day  successful woman, Laguana has met many influential people that have helped shape her life.

“I think that when a person grows with life experiences, you can’t help but want to develop characteristics that you most admire from all the special people who influenced you,” Laguana says. “Some key lessons that I learned in my own journey is to be true to yourself, make each day your masterpiece, help others, drink deeply from good books, including the Good Book, make friendship an art, build a shelter against any rainy day, pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.”

[Rita Nauta] Miss Guam World 1988

Imagine standing on top of the pitcher’s mound and hurling a baseball to a ready catcher in front of more than 50,000 screaming and cheering baseball fans. The crowd cheers with every movement you make up until the baseball pounds into the catcher’s mitt. It’s then that the crowd goes completely wild.

Rita Pangelinan Nauta, a former Miss Guam World, knows. “The most memorable (event) was when the owner of the Yomiuri Giants invited me to throw the first ball at the opening game of the Giants in the Tokyo (Dome),” Nauta says. “As I made my way to the pitcher’s mound, the entire stadium of about 50,000 people stood up and kept cheering for me. Afterwards, I was bombarded by people that wanted my autograph. It was really unbelievable!”

The ceremonial first pitch Nauta threw before a Yomiuri Giants baseball game was one of many events and promotions Nauta attended during her reign as Miss Guam World in 1988. As Miss Guam World, Nauta assisted Guam Visitors Bureau in promoting Guam as a travel destination, participating in travel trade shows, fashion shows and television interviews in Japan.

The same year, she also traveled to Spain for the pageant’s preliminaries and eventually to London in November, where she competed against 83 of the world’s beauty elite at Royal Albert Hall for the coveted Miss World title. Other than providing her the opportunity to represent the island on a world stage, her experience fueled the passion she has for Guam and its culture.

“The roles and responsibilities of a titleholder really boils down to the personification of our island,” Nauta says. “When I was first crowned, an elderly Chamorro woman approached me and said in Chamorro, ‘My daughter, I am so proud that you are who we call Guam.’ At that point I realized that it wasn’t about me – my identity as Miss Guam World was defined by the people and island I represented.”

Embodying Miss World’s “Beauty with a Purpose” slogan was not only a pageant requirement for Nauta, but a concept that to this day has served as a catalyst for her commitment to her family, career and community involvement.

“It’s been over 20 years, although during my reign, I realized even more so that we, all of us that call Guam ‘home,’ must be engaged in our community in one form or another,” Nauta says.

Since being crowned Miss Guam World, she has participated in various events for children, including Special Olympics and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nauta also has actively volunteered in local pageants, including the Liberation Queen pageant, and in other community related projects focused on preserving and promoting Guam’s culture and history, she says.

One project is Guampedia, which Nauta likens to a virtual museum of Guam.

“Although we are a ‘forward thinking’ society, it is so important that we learn and understand our past, to help guide us into our future,” Nauta says.

Currently, Nauta is the business development and marketing manager for Guam Economic Development Authority. She has held the position for about a year and a half, after a six-year hiatus, during which she focused on raising her family

[Janiece Sablan] Miss Guam Universe 1989

At the age of 17, a small-town Yigo girl left Guam for a short bit to Cancun, Mexico. It wasn’t for Spring Break fun, but a chance in a lifetime to compete for the Miss Universe crown among 75 of the world’s most beautiful women and doing so in front of more than 13 million television viewers.

The former Janiece Santos represented Guam in the 38th Miss Universe pageant at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel in Cancun, Mexico. Later the same year, Sablan competed against 46 other beautiful women in another pageant, the 29th Miss International, held in Kanazawa, Japan, where she again competed with fellow 1989 Miss Universe contestants, Austria’s Bettina Berghold and the United Kingdom’s Victoria Susannah Lace.

“In stark contrast to my experience in Mexico, in Japan, “Guam” is a recognized name and never confused with Guatemala,” Sablan says jokingly. “My favorite part of being Miss Guam was traveling with Guam Visitors Bureau to numerous cities in Japan to represent the island. I felt that in a small way, I could represent our island’s uniqueness through a genuine smile and friendly interaction,” she says.

“I also enjoyed being on Japanese game shows – they were a blast! I also got to meet Jackie Chan, who was awesome, and Ringo Starr who told me to leave him alone when I asked for an autograph,” Sablan adds.

Currently, Sablan keeps her hands full with a variety of endeavors, including her work as the president of the Discovery Group of Guam Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to opening U’Zeum Children’s Discovery Museum of Guam.

“Having (experience competing in the Miss Universe pageant) would be an impetus for my current work as one of the founders and president of the Discovery Group of Guam Inc.,” Sablan says. “I realized then that many, if not most of Guam’s kids would never travel or enjoy the varied experiences the world has to offer. One of the goals for the U’zuem is to bring some of those experiences right here.”

Sablan also is a researcher for Chief Appraisals, the music program coordinator at American Music, a freelance writer, and a dedicated mother of five young children. Although her workload seems hectic, her current arrangement still allows her the flexibility to pick up her kids from school, taxi them between violin lessons and gymnastics and even go on field trips with them, Sablan says. Other than her family, her greatest passion is the volunteer work she does for the children’s museum.

“My biggest goal in 2009 is to launch some exciting, fun-filled family events to raise funds for the children’s museum,” Sablan says. “Having five young children is motivation enough to achieve the dream of opening U’Zeum Children’s Discovery Museum of Guam.

“I have traveled enough to know that Guam is a great place to raise kids, but there is definitely room for improvement. Not every child growing up in Guam is going to travel or have Miss Universe caliber experiences, but with a children’s museum on the island, kids can have some of the same wonderful learning experiences that kids all over the world enjoy,” she adds.

[Cherlyn Cabrera] Miss Northern Marianas Universe 1999

Who would have thought that in 1952, a local competition spearheaded by Catalina Swimwear in Long Beach, Calif. would transform into an international annual tradition with countless young women around the world vying to become a part of Miss Universe history?

Cherlyn Cabrera wasn’t one who gave it much thought until she was asked to participate. “I’ve always admired beauty queens and beauty pageants as a little girl. I was approached as a teenager to join the competition but my priority at the time was to get myself a college degree,” she says. “After I graduated from college, I returned to the islands and wanted to be an active part of the CNMI community. I had a few friends who encouraged me to join saying, ‘You have the personality of a beauty queen, you promote the islands so naturally, and you can have such a positive impact.’ At the time I had just become a Christian and wanted to do something to represent God well. So for my personal reasons and my sense of citizenship I joined and was so excited for the challenge of the competition.”

Cabrera was crowned Miss Northern Marianas Universe in 1999 and went on to compete in the international pageant in Trinidad and Tobago. “What an honor it was to get to meet and compete with the most beautiful women in the world.” This is the memory she took away with her — not the controversy surrounding another contestant’s alleged pregnancy and other matters. She says it’s great to be doing something for your community. “I felt like an ambassador for the CNMI, especially when I attended events that were off-island and in other communities. What I learned about being a beauty queen is that it is an honor to represent your community.”

Today, Cabrera works as a high school counselor at Marianas High School and is very active in her church. For fun, she says she enjoys living on an island where she can enjoy the outdoors as often as she wants and loves hosting guests, showing off the island’s beautiful scenery and uniqueness.

Within the next few years, she says she hopes to complete her master’s in international education as well as her master’s in counseling. “I wanted to be a positive role model for women in our community. My favorite activities (during the pageant) were the ones where I got to inspire young people to dream big,” she says. “I hope to continue working with young people.” She also wants to visit more countries in Europe and Africa.

“The biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome is stress. My heart wants to do so much, but it’s a challenge to balance my many work, church, community, and personal activities.”

This is why she defines success as being able to balance achievements and relationships. “Many people have achievements but sacrifice their relationships in the process. True success would be achievement plus relationships. Setting goals but not sacrificing others to reach those goals.”

[Olivia Tebuteb] Miss Northern Marianas South Pacific 2003

In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger became the governor of California. Though that popped into mind when Olivia Tebuteb was asked about the significant events of the year, it was also the year that she was crowned Miss Northern Marianas South Pacific.

Tebuteb said it was through the nudging of her friends that she finally decided to join a beauty pageant. “I was highly encouraged by my peers,” she says. Aside from that title, she was also the first runner up for Miss CNMI Universe. For the South Pacific pageant, she got a chance to travel to Western Samoa to compete.

“Being the CNMI’s first Miss South Pacific delegate was a challenging experience,” she says. “I didn’t know what to expect and preparation was stressful during that short period of time. I overcame the obstacles through the undying support of my friends and family, most especially my chaperone/pageant consultant, Auntie Annie K.”

She says one of the title’s biggest rewards was being able to have a sense of empowerment as a woman in today’s society. “(Another) is being able to meet other contestants from outer-lying Pacific islands who share similar island upbringing, but with different cultural experiences.”

As a title holder, Tebuteb used her role to make an impact in the community by attending various community events and working collaboratively with various organizations. These include Women’s Affairs, Veteran’s Affairs, Division of Youth Services, Marianas Visitor’s Authority—all of which she used to promote cultural values. “(I invested) my time teaching the youth and other paddling members the importance of our cultural sport, the one and only, outrigger canoe paddling.”

On the side, she says, “My social life consists of spending time with intimate friends, family and my work.” During her “regular” day, Tebuteb works for the CNMI Division of Environmental Quality. She helps with its mission to issue regulations and implement programs to protect the air, land, and water of the Commonwealth.

Her job is directly related to things she loves to do. It allows her to continue her love of outdoor activities, such as beach combing, watching ball games and paddling. But she says it is an ongoing challenge. “Just being an environmental advocate on education and outreach at the Division of Environmental Quality…which includes schools presentations and coordinating environmental awareness campaigns, it’s an ongoing process.”

On Tebuteb’s calendar in the coming months are the 2009 Environmental Expo on April 21 and the Pacific Islands Environmental Conference slated for June 21 to 26.

In the next few years, she hopes to complete her natural resources management certification and pursue other hobbies.

“My message to the young girls out there is to always believe in yourselves. Pursue interests and desires with passion. Bottom line is, realize when naysayers and dream stealers are in your path and surround yourself with influential, positive people,” she says. “I believe that success isn’t all about the title or how much money you make. It’s about being able to give and do the right things for the right reasons. Success means living up to my commitments and shaping my results.”

[Jennifer Neves] Miss Guam Earth 2008

Though relatively new in the pageant arena having only started in 2001, the Miss Earth competition has already garnered world-wide acclaim as the third largest beauty pageant in terms of the number of national-level competitors to take part in the world finals.

In 2008, Guam entered the competition, appointing Jennifer Neves as Miss Guam Earth after taking the spot of first-runner up in the Miss Guam Universe pageant. But Neves was no rookie.

“I started competing in pageants at the age of 11,” Neves says. “My mom wanted me to do something in between sports, so she put me in them.” She has since won seven pageants overall.

She says the Miss Earth pageant is different from the others she’s done before because it focuses primarily on the environment, looking for women who will stand for the protection and preservation of the planet. The pageant lives by the slogan, “Beauties for a Cause.”

As a title holder and business partner at JB’s Ukulele Hut, Neves says she values having great time management skills. “My schedule is pretty full with my business, community service events, speaking at schools, workshops, and setting up foundation for the Miss Earth Guam Pageant.”

But she has definitely faced some challenges along the way. “The biggest challenge that I had to overcome in my life was always being told that I was too young to be a manager, or too young to run my own store, or too young to own a store.  I used those words as a driving force in my life not to prove anything to anyone, but rather prove to myself that it’s okay to be young and be in business. I will make mistakes that will be life lessons.  I won’t make all the right decisions, but I will learn from them.”

She says that with great rewards come great responsibilities, but she is proud to represent the island she loves. “I am the voice for our island to talk about the successes and challenges of our islands environment and how it will impact our future and the future of our children.”

Neves upholds her duties, determined to empower youth and adults on Guam who could take on environmental issues and projects. “Our vision is to encourage those by creating a chain reaction of awareness throughout our islands schools and communities on the importance and preservation, protection, and care for not only the basic environment that we live in, but the magnitude of the problems that Mother Earth faces today.”

Her business participates in different charitable events and programs, such as Juvenile Drug Court, Music Matters, and the annual Youth-for-Youth Conference.

As her reign comes to its end, she says she has a few plans for the future but is taking things one at a time. “Many people define success as one with fame and or fortune. However, at some point in their lives they realize that fame and fortune are only temporary. I define success as being fully satisfied with your life and all that is has to offer you spiritually, intellectually, physically, and financially.”

[Sorene Maratita] Miss Marianas Universe 2008

“Since I was a little girl, I’ve always dreamt of entering a beauty pageant in order to represent my culture and heritage,” said Sorene Maratita. “As an ambassador to the Marianas, I hope to influence the women of the CNMI.”

Though only a new graduate of Saipan Southern High School, she already has big dreams. But she says she knows she will face challenges along the way. “As a title holder and a role model, the biggest challenge I face is trying to promote health awareness and the prevention of teen pregnancy throughout our islands in the Marianas,” Maratita says. “Many of our people face obesity and diabetes because of the lack of proper knowledge in healthy lifestyles and nutrition, as well as lack of physical activity.  Teen pregnancy has also been a major issue here in the CNMI because of the increase of young parents in today’s society.”

With her title, she has received the opportunity to reach out to the public, especially to young people, by encouraging community involvement in the hopes of bringing change to better the society.

She definitely represents the local spirit in her mission. “I’m a typical island girl who enjoys going to the beach and spending quality time with family and friends. I enjoy bowling, seeing the latest movies, going to the gym, and many outdoor activities such as playing basketball and baseball.”

She says in five years, she hopes to graduate with a degree in physical therapy and secondary education while being a member of the Unites States Air Force.

“The biggest challenge I will have to face is…leaving the comfort of my family and friends, and the place I call home, in order to become an independent individual and to better my life in the pursuit of following my dreams,” she says. “But my message is to be confident in yourself and don’t give up on your dreams. With effort and hard work, you will go far. Success is not being the best at something, but accepting failure and finding the power to prevail.”