Pageants are known for glitz and glam, but for senior Nataly Sanchez, something different motivated her to strap on her heels and compete in the Miss Minnesota Latina Pageant on May 25 at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center.

Already crowned Miss Minneapolis Latina, Sanchez said she hopes to use her platform of Latino education to get to the national and international competition level.

“I want to help young Latinas graduate from high school successfully and then enter their first year of college successfully and my sister’s background is in social work, and I thought that I could use all of the expertise that I have gained from being president of the Latino group at the University of St. Thomas.” Sanchez said.

To practice her platform delivery, Sanchez has attended mock interview sessions with pageant coach Cheri Kennedy. Kennedy said that these mock interviews are important for success.

“(Mock interviews) show the girls the most important parts to get out of their interview. To be able to talk about themselves with confidence, not to be nervous, not to be too humble… but to be confident and to not be shy,” Kennedy said.

Sophomore Christlo Gittens, who helps Sanchez with her pageant walk, said she is a great contender for the pageant.

“I think she should win it because well… when I met her it seemed like she was a really nice person and she just exuberates just… just really nice vibes and I just feel like that’s what somebody needs to win,” Gittens said.

Sanchez said preparing and participating in the Miss Minnesota Latina pageant has changed her life for the better.

“It’s actually helped me all the way around,” Sanchez said. “I’ve been eating better, my fitness is better… I feel like through this experience, I have learned so much about myself and about what I want to do in the future from here on out.”

Alison Bengtson can be reached at beng4632@stthomas.edu.