Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2015

WOW! What a week!! I am now at home and rested from one of the best weeks of my life!!! (I am not exaggerating when I say that either.) Each and every girl was so sweet and such a joy to be with, I can definitely say we will all be sisters for LIFE!
In this blogpost I'll give you a rundown of the whole week and how much fun we had at the Atlantis on Paradise Island!!

Day 1

I arrived in the Bahamas on Sunday (two days before check-in) to spend some time in the sun with my family. My family rented a condo that was right on the beach so it was super convenient being able to walk about the patio door and being right by the water. The first thing I noticed about the Bahamas is that you have to drive on the LEFT side of the road. Thank goodness my dad was driving because I would've been a nervous wreck... literally. LOL. Nothing too eventful happened this day, just a typical day full of travel!

Day 2

This day was so fun and relaxing! I woke up and started my day with a run on the beach which was so cool since the scenery was so beautiful! After that I spent about 75% of my day outside laying on the beach and swimming in the crystal clear waters with my family. The beauty on Paradise Island is so incredible, you're going to have to visit and see for yourself :)

Day 3

Check-in day!!! Check-in day was a blast from beginning to end. All of the contestants checked-in to our rooms and got our swimsuits fitted to make sure everything was flawless. After that, a few of us went to dinner at Mosaic at The Cove which was SO delicious. We were definitely very well taken care of in the food department, everywhere we went the whole week was so tasty! After that I had the opportunity to explore Atlantis with my family! I also met a few fans on our adventure :)

At 8 o'clock, we kicked the week off with the Pajama Party! We all had a blast dancing the night away and getting to know each other a little more with a fun "Get to Know You" game! We also received some AMAZING goodies from Image Skincare and Sherri Hill!!

Day 4

This day was one of my favorites! We were able to explore Aquaventure! Aquaventure is the water park at the Atlantis which has the "lazy" river and several different water slides! Miss Florida Teen USA, Jara Courson, and I went down The Surge slide which was so exhilarating! I definitely recommend trying it out if you find yourself at Aquaventure :)

After we had a ton of fun in the sun, we worked hard in rehearsals the rest of the day to make sure the show was perfect! Our last event of the day was the Miss Teen USA Welcome Reception! This was so great because I got to see my family and update them on all of the fun we have been having together!

Day 5

OBSTACLE COURSE DAY!! This was by far my favorite activity of the week! We started out by being split up into four groups, West 1 & 2 and East 1 &2. Each group competed against each other in this activity. We went through several obstacles, our first being a water gun contest! We had to fill up water to a certain level on a water meter by only using the water guns they gave us to use. Next, our mission was to fill up a bucket with water, the catch was we had to do that with a cup that had holes in it! After we filled it up, we were allowed to race into the water to the obstacle course and find as many ping pong balls, handkerchiefs, and "eggs" as we could and bring them back to shore to our team leaders in 15 minutes. After that, we had to pick two people from our team to perform the next tasks, we picked Nevada and Oregon! Their goal was to put multiple writing pens on the back of their hand and catch them all with the same hand. They did such a good job!!

Next, I was chosen for the next activity. I was given two bottles that were taped together with skittles in one side, the goal was to shake the bottles and get all of the skittles to the other side.

Once that was done we all raced onto the obstacle course again to do the same thing that we did earlier. After it was all over they announced the winners and the winner was,,,, WEST 1, THE SUNRAYS!! We all started jumping and screaming when we found out that we won!! It was such an exciting moment.

After all of that excitement, the rest of that day was spent in rehearsals with our amazing choreographer, Kent Parham! He did such a great job at teaching us quickly and making us feel prepared for the show.

Day 6

"Prelims day ALREADY?!"

At this point we are all like, "where did the time go?!" Our time together went by so fast. Interviews took place this morning and the preliminary show was that night! It was such a blast being interviewed by the judges and having the opportunity to perform on the Miss Teen USA stage! Besides the actual competition, we rehearsed the whole show from beginning to end to make sure everything was smooth.

After the preliminary show, we had a Sherri Hill Fashion Show!! It was such a blast! Thank you Sherri Hill for the adorable cocktail dress!

Day 7

Finals day!! This day was so bittersweet, it was our last day together in the Bahamas but so exciting because the day had finally arrived! After all of the rehearsals earlier in the week, we didn't have much to learn this day which was a relief! It definitely took a village to make the show as big of a success as it was. Also, placing in the top 15 was such a huge honor! I feel so blessed to have stood next to my best friends throughout the process.

From Paige's Snapchat Story <3

From Sierra's (Delaware) Snapchat Story <3

Green tea lovin' North Caroliona Girl :)

I want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported me throughout my journey to Miss Teen USA!! Thank you to Jorge Esteban for helping me prepare for my state pageant, the skills you taught me were super helpful at a national level. Valerie Hayes, thank you for giving me great interview advice and making sure I was prepared for the interview competition. Brian Attebery, thank you for working with me for the past three years. You have taught such great lifestyle changes that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Serendipity Prom, thank you so much for sponsoring my national evening gown! Sherri Hill, thank you for the beautiful opening number dress, fashion show dress, and for designing the gown of my dreams!! Stefanie Somers, thank you for designing and sponsoring the most stunning earrings for my national gown, it was the perfect finishing touch! Thank you to Sun Kitten Swimwear for sponsoring our swimsuits, they were so adorable! Nicole West, thank you for the makeup lesson! You are so incredibly talented, I don't know what I would've done without you!! Beaux Wellborn, Will Henderson, and Zac Grimaldo, thank you so much for your support, advice and guidance! I can't thank you three enough. Jason and John Vannatta, thank you for making sure all of us Vanbros girls were 100% ready to hit the national stage with poise and confidence.

Last but not least, thank you to my incredible parents for working so hard so I have the opportunity to chase my dreams. Since I was little, you have always told me that I can achieve anything I set my mind to, with dedication and hardwork, and I am so grateful for that. I love you two so much, thanks for putting up with me and my crazy dreams <3

A HUGE congratulations to the adorable Katherine Haik from Louisiana on being crowned Miss Teen USA 2015! She is such a doll and I know she will represent the Miss Universe Organization with such class :) So happy I got to know her!

Sincerely,

Cherokee Dawn Pearce

Miss Oklahoma Teen USA 2015

Before the party

Thank you so much to everyone who attended my Send-Off Party at the Belvidere Mansion on Wednesday! I was absolutely blown away at the amount of support I received from friends and family. A huge special thank you to those who drove from Dallas, Texas and Oklahoma City, your support means so much to me! When I began this journey six years ago I never imagined having this much support.

If you're wondering why I had my Send-Off at the Belvidere Mansion, here's the story...

The Belvidere Mansion was built in 1907 by John Melville Bayless. I grew up hearing stories about this incredible place as my mother did before me. My great-grandmother, Fannie Hause, remembered being inside the mansion in approximately 1911 when she was just 13 years old. She spoke in detail of the mansion about how it looked and how magnificent the decor was. She loved the mansion as it was one place in Claremore that was there as long as she was. Because of that, my family decided to celebrate her 100th birthday at the mansion!! My great-great-grandfather, on the Collins side on my mother's side of the family did some thrashing work for Mr. Bayless (owner of the mansion). Mr. Bayless once told my great-great-grandfather that if he named his child after him, he would buy him a new suit. My great-grandfather was born and named Hansel Bayless Collins. His name lives on through my uncle, Matthew Bayless Collins. I loved hearing these stories growing up! I often wonder who must have stepped inside this incredible place when it was first built.

My send-off party was held in the 3,200 square foot ballroom located on the top floor. I am so thankful for those that could share in the fun we had that night. As I watched my friends celebrate with me I couldn't help but think of the events that must have taken place there, and I am honored we are a small part of the mansion's history.

To learn more about the Belvidere Mansion. click on this link!