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Fountain Hills High School senior Autumn Rynearson found a way to cope with her anxiety and depression.
Describing herself as socially awkward, she decided to enter the National All-American Miss Teen pageant. In November, she will compete in the Miss Teen and International Junior Miss Teen pageants in Orlando, Fla.
Rynearson won five awards in her first-ever pageant at the DoubleTree Resort hotel in Scottsdale this summer, and she’s excited to go out on a much larger stage.
Rynearson decided to enter to show herself and others that she can overcome her fears.
“I didn’t think of any particular person,” Rynearson said about her inspiration to compete. “I was thinking about my future self and who I want to be.”
The hardest part for Rynearson was public speaking. She had to give a 60-second speech about herself in an introduction and got a little jumbled under the bright lights and in front of a large crowd, but she said she has a much better idea of what to expect in Florida.
Rynearson felt more comfortable in her later events. Anxiety would build in the anticipation of an event, but she said she felt a lot better once she was actually out on the stage.
“I was expecting myself to be nervous the whole way through, but I ended up having a lot of fun, which is why I accepted to go to nationals,” Rynearson said.
Over the summer, Rynearson received an invitation letter in the mail to compete. She didn’t know if she’d ever get another opportunity like this again, so she signed up for several optional events in the National Miss Teen Arizona pageant this past July.
She surprised herself with her success in some events, and received exemplary scores for her formal wear, interview and casual wear runway.
Rynearson was the first runner up in the dream model, casual wear runway and heart of service events. She was second runner up in the fun fitness runway, and she also received the spirit of pageantry award for competing in so many events.
Rynearson danced with Kelly’s Dance Academy (KDA) for four years and was on the Fountain Hills Middle School pom team. She had panic attacks and said competitive dance got to be too stressful, but her self-confidence has grown over the course of high school.
The senior wants to promote self-positivity and mental health and hopes her platform will help other girls struggling with negative thoughts. Since she made her decision to compete, Rynearson has tried to live by the often unattributed quote, “Don’t adapt to the energy in the room. Influence the energy in the room.”
“To me, with the social anxiety piece playing in, really when I walk into a room, I feel that negative energy,” Rynearson said. “I feel that nervousness. I tend to look at the negative more. I realized I want to change my mindset to look at the positive, to see the opportunities in the room, to see how you can make it a better place.”
Rynearson needed titles for the national and international competitions, which will both take place at the same location from Nov. 18-26. She landed on National American Miss Fountain Hills Teen and International Junior Miss Grand Canyon State Teen. She also recently added Fountain Hills High School homecoming queen to her resume.
She signed up for the national and international pageants because she doesn’t know how many more opportunities she’ll have to pursue pageants and modeling. Rynearson is looking for sponsors and donations to help her cover travel, event and clothing expenses. Business sponsorships are tax-deductible as an advertising expense.
To donate directly to Rynearson, look up www.spotfund.com and type “Autumn Rynearson” into the search bar.
Rynearson tried something outside of her comfort zone and had the time of her life. She said it’s important for people to realize they can do anything they set their minds to and encourages others to take a chance on the next opportunity life presents them.
“It’s definitely not who I thought I could ever be, but I’m really proud of myself,” Rynearson said. “I’m really excited and I hope I can grow even more with nationals.”
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