Page 5 - MidWeek West - May 26, 2021

MAY 26, 2021 5
Waipahu High Student Is Off To Florida
FROM PAGE 1
With coronavirus proto- cols in place, the prep wasn’t easy — “We had a lot of Zoom calls; my Wi-Fi is so bad,” Ilima says with humor in her voice — but never- theless, the Waipahu High School sophomore thrived.
feel like everyone doesn’t want to come off as weak, and voicing our insecuri- ties make us come across as weak or not as confident as we should be when, really, it’s OK to be vulnerable.
“I’m a huge fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, so I’ve been listening to a lot of RuPaul’s songs. It just gets me amped up.
On the Hawaiʻi Con- vention Center stage, Ilima, along with the other con- testants, participated in four rounds: interview, fitness, evening gown and talent. For the latter, she performed a hip-hop dance to Ali- cia Key’s 2001 hit Fallin’, which got her the Thom Mc- Garvey Talent Award, too.
“Our role models need to be people that aren’t afraid to show the real, unfiltered versions of themselves, so having this title would mean that I get to be the person that girls say, ‘She’s literally just like me and she’s going through the same struggles, but yet she’s still putting her- selfoutthereandisconfident in her own way by being her- self.’”
“Every season I fall in love with the new batch of girls and they’re so unapologeti- cally themselves, and that’s really what I want to be. They don’t use drag to change who they are, they use it to enhance themselves and to be a better version of themselves, and since they have so much love and positivity for themselves, they’re able to spread it to ev- eryoneelse.That’sreallywhat I want to do as a titleholder — not just love myself and feel confident in my own body, but make sure that everyone else can feel that way, too.”
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When her name was an- nounced as the winner, Ilima had a humble reaction.
With nationals on the horizon, Ilima says she’s pre- paring by dancing with 24-7 Danceforce in Kāneʻohe and watching her favorite TV show to boost her confidence.
To keep up with Ilima’s journey, find her on Instagram (@maoteenhi).
“I went blank,” she says with a laugh. “I really went blank for a moment. Some- one took a photo and it’s just me with big eyes in dis- belief. That’s my favorite photo from the whole thing. It really just captures how I was feeling.
“I was flooded with, not just disbelief, but being grateful that not only was I able to become the next Miss Hawaiʻi’s Outstand- ing Teen, but also because I was able to have done this during such a weird time in life,” Ilima says. “I really felt like I had done my best, which is all I really wanted to do. I wanted to make sure I put myself out there and leave my mark on that stage. Knowing that I won by be- ing myself and sharing my passion ... is crazy.”
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As her platform, Ilima chose to endorse body pos- itivity, which is a message that she feels passionate about as a dancer and teen- age girl.
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Ilima Sexton of ‘Ewa Beach was recently named Miss Hawai‘i’s Outstanding Teen.PHOTOCOURTESYJONFUJIWARA