WEST POINT, Ala. — The Miss Horizon of Hope Pageant has been going on for almost 20 years now. Not only is it put on for a good cause, all of the participants also got to walk in honor of or in memory of someone who has had cancer. West Point Freshman Layla Franks took home the crown this year but being able to take part in an event that meant so much to everyone involved was more important to her than winning the crown.
“I honestly truly believe it was just a blessing. The whole day was just so calm and exciting. I’m so grateful to be able to help out such an amazing organization. The amazing group of people who run the pageant are so caring and giving to every girl who walks backstage, and I think that it’s just thrilling to watch God work through people who just have the most amazing intentions. I’ve done this pageant so many times throughout the years, and every year, it just gets more real to see and be a part of. This group has raised over $90,000 for the Bruno Cancer Center. This truly speaks to me, because as someone who has watched cancer work on one of the most amazing people I know is very hard,” Franks said. “The person I walked in honor of, Tracey Hepinstall, is one of the kindest people I know and is a survivor, so to watch a group of people see how others hurt and volunteer their time and money to help those people, truly means everything to me. That is why I love competing in the Miss Horizon of Hope pageant system. It means the world to me to have the honor to compete in this system. I’m so grateful to be able to give my support to this amazing organization.”
Layla loved getting the chance to compete along so many other talented young women and she believes the pageant helped bring them closer.
“As I’ve gotten older, I think that competing with other women is a true honor. I think that other people don’t realize how special it is to get to know these girls for the first time backstage. Many of the friends I competed with at Horizon of Hope, I’ve known them for a long time, but through pageants, it genuinely has brought us closer,” Franks said. “I think we have all learned things from each other. Personally, I’ve learned that doing pageants just for fun is the most positive thought you can have. Losing a friendship over a crown or sash isn’t worth it. One of my best friends has taught me that being confident in yourself and what you’ve worked for is what judges notice most and watching her compete and seeing that through her is so amazing to see. Being able to pray with not only just your friends, but the other girls you’ve met backstage, is such an honor, not only to watch, but to hear as well.”
Layla talked about her preparation for the pageant and some of the things she did to get ready. Walking in honor of Tracey Hepinstall meant so much to her.
“I do many coaching lessons with my mom. My mom is also amazing at giving pep talks and not letting me forget what the true meaning of this pageant is,” she said. “I prayed so many times not only for myself, but for my friends and the group of people that started this system. I started going to Temple Baptist over the last year, and it has truly impacted me as a Christian and my walk with Christ. Tracey’s daughter, who is one of my closest friends, encouraged me to start going. I started getting to know her daughter, Adi, and her family. Tracey has always been there for me. She’s prayed for me time after time. She encourages me through every up and down. She comes and supports me at my events, and she was there praying with me as I got saved. Honoring her is just giving back to the little she has given me. I hope and pray that one day, everyone can know Tracey and her testimony, because she truly is an inspiration and someone I will always look up to.”
Layla was shocked and thrilled to learn she had won, and she wants to use her platform to be a role model for the younger girls that were in attendance.
“I personally was shocked to be able to win that title, as I had just competed against three other women. I’m only 15 and had competed in an older division. My friends and family poured into me with all of their support as well,” she said. “For the past couple of months, I have been coaching and working with younger girls myself. I know how I used to look up to older girls when I was younger, and I still do to this day. I think it’s very important to show kindness and confidence to younger girls. In this generation, it is really hard to not compare yourself to others around you, but from experience, I’ve always gotten to know someone before I compared myself to them, because I would rather learn kindness from someone than how to wear my makeup properly. Being able to teach younger girls kindness is the most important thing to me.”
Franks shared some advice to any girls that want to compete in pageants themselves.
“I strongly encourage pageants to absolutely everyone out there. You will gain so many friendships that you never knew you needed. You will quickly learn that after so much hard work and time that was put into preparing for the pageant, God will give you the biggest reward in the end,” Franks said. “Never forget that just because you didn’t win a crown this time doesn’t mean you will never win a crown. It’s just for fun. Find your dream dress and get pampered with your closest friends, because one day, you will look back and realize how amazing that opportunity was. It is truly the biggest blessing. Being able to look back on the memories I’ve made in the past and recreate them with some of the same people is such a beautiful thing. I make new memories with new people almost every weekend, and it’s just a joy to be a part of.”
God has played a big role in Layla’s life, and she leaned on a particular Bible verse during the pageant.
“He has truly blessed me with the most amazing people and titles. I’ve met so many people through pageants who have guided me closer and closer to Him, and I truly believe He sent them for me, because He knew I needed them as encouragement,” she said. “This past week, I’ve really leaned on 2 Corinthians 12:9: ‘My grace is all you need, for my power is the greatest when you are weak.’ Being able to hand God all of the weight that is causing you weakness is such a surreal experience. Knowing I can just give it all to Him when I become stressed or worried is such a blessing. We have a very good God, and I’m blessed to worship Him every day.”
Layla talked about her most memorable moment during the pageant and learned a lot from the experience.
“My most memorable moment during the pageant is just being able to pray for everyone. Even if they didn’t know that I did that, I know that God told me I needed to do that for a reason, so I know that it helped someone, and that is all that matters,” she said. “What I’ve learned from this experience the most is to just do it, because it is helping someone. I may never meet the person that this is helping, but I know I am helping them, and that’s all that matters in the end.”
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