Christiana Monarez reflects on her pageant experience

The United States of America Pageants hosted the 2020 Ms. USOA Pageant in February of last year, and the winner was Christiana Monarez, a longtime member of the Fallbrook community. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the US, Monarez realized that her year of service would be unlike any other.

Monarez first began competing in pageants as a baby, but "retired" at the age of 2 and began pursuing gymnastics and her many other passions. As she grew up, she lost interest in competing in pageants until a friend from high school pushed her to enter the Miss Fallbrook pageant in 2009.

"I told her that I...