I am so grateful to have been able to participate in 2018’s Miss District of Columbia competition. This Miss DC was the last one before the premiere of Miss America 2.0, and may be the last Miss DC featuring a swimsuit competition (#byebyebikini). It was truly an end of an era, and I can’t wait to see what the new Miss America Organization has in store for us!

The day before the public competition, we had our private interviews with judges at the Newseum. They interviewed us about our scholastics, platform (mine is “Art, Technically: Promoting STEAM education”), work, extracurriculars, and why we feel we would represent DC well. The next day, we arrived to Arena stage early for all day rehearsals. Then, public competition started off with introductions.

“An 18 year old junior at American University, I’m Lily Donaldson.”

Then we went to the last swimsuit competition of Miss DC. While I value the swimsuit competition as a Miss America tradition and was happy that I got to participate in one before its official end, I think #byebyebikini is a necessary step for Miss America to remain relevant to the modern American woman.

We had onstage question next. Mine was on President Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs on our allies/trade partners (EU, Canada, Mexico) and the possible (and unnecessary) trade war that it might cause.

Next was talent. I performed “Sail” by AWOLNATION on the piano with an upbeat rock backing track I made myself. I love a good classical piano piece, but I wanted to keep things interesting so I opted for a less traditional song. Though I had some issues with feedback in rehearsals and again onstage, I concentrated and once I found the beginning beat it was perfect from there. Talent was the most fun part of the competition for me.

The last item was evening wear. This portion is nice because everything that could cause you stress (namely onstage question and talent) is over with, and you can relax in an evening wear outfit that makes you feel elegant and confident. I opted for a velvet mustard yellow gown with blue beading up top. The color is one of my favorites in general and with my hair color.

Overall, I am satisfied with my experience with Miss DC 2018, and I can’t wait for another season! Let’s see what Miss America 2.0 has in store for us!