NOVEMBER 2011
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fairest of them all<br />
Kristen Danyal wins state title<br />
By Joyce Wiswell<br />
Kristen Danyal of Sterling<br />
Heights trusts her gut. When<br />
everyone was offering advice<br />
in preparation for the Miss Michigan<br />
USA pageant, she stayed polite – and<br />
then did exactly what she wanted.<br />
Her instincts were obviously right<br />
on, as she won the state crown on October<br />
1 at a pageant in Port Huron.<br />
Though she was crowned Miss<br />
Michigan Teen USA in 2008, Danyal<br />
wasn’t sure she wanted to enter<br />
this latest contest. She ended up deciding<br />
to go for it just two weeks before<br />
the pageant, which meant a giant<br />
scramble to find the perfect dress.<br />
She even flew to New York to look.<br />
But nothing seemed right until<br />
she decided to alter the gown a friend<br />
wore to a wedding. Danyal had a<br />
seamstress modify the hemline, add a<br />
belt and make other changes – a task<br />
completed just the night before the<br />
pageant.<br />
Even after she signed up for Miss<br />
Michigan USA, the 21-year-old tried<br />
to keep it a secret from friends and<br />
family. But with four other Chaldeans<br />
in the contest – Chanell Hana, Reem<br />
Goria, Elin Shammas and Rasha<br />
Yousif – word soon got out and the<br />
unsolicited opinions came pouring in.<br />
“People started coming up to me<br />
and telling me what to do – smile<br />
like this or walk like that,” she said.<br />
“Everyone was giving me advice that<br />
was getting away from who I really<br />
am. I said, ‘I’m just going to do it like<br />
I did it last time.’”<br />
Those suggestions included<br />
checking online to see the questions<br />
the judges would be asking.<br />
“I knew that if I knew what the<br />
questions were I would have tried to<br />
create an answer in my head beforehand<br />
and then stumble when I tried<br />
to repeat it,” Danyal said. “So I tried<br />
to void everything and go in with a<br />
very fresh mind.”<br />
The strategy worked, and when<br />
Danyal was asked the final question<br />
– what are the most important values<br />
parents can teach their children? –<br />
she nailed it.<br />
“I answered respect, because it is<br />
the foundation of every value children<br />
learn as they grow up. Treat<br />
others as you want to be treated and<br />
you’ll get very far in life.”<br />
Besides nerves, her biggest challenge<br />
at the pageant was keeping<br />
from crying and ruining her makeup<br />
when she made it to the top five.<br />
“My tears were stuck in my eyes<br />
so I just looked up to make sure the<br />
tears didn’t roll down,” she said.<br />
“And I tried to make myself laugh.”<br />
When the big moment came,<br />
hearing the names of the runners-up<br />
grew increasingly surreal as she realized<br />
she was winning, Danyal said. “I<br />
kept thinking, ‘oh my God I’m still<br />
here, I can’t believe I’m still here.’ I<br />
finally realized where this title was<br />
taking me – to Miss USA.”<br />
That Donald Trump-produced<br />
pageant takes place next summer,<br />
most likely in Las Vegas. It’s a threeweek<br />
process for the 50 contestants.<br />
Meanwhile, Danyal has plenty to<br />
keep her busy. She’s making pageant<br />
appearances, especially those for<br />
breast cancer awareness. She’s working<br />
toward a marketing degree at<br />
the University of Detroit Mercy and<br />
works part time at Nordstrom in the<br />
Somerset Mall. She hopes to one day<br />
have a career as a wedding planner.<br />
“I love chaos and I work well under<br />
pressure,” she said.<br />
But for now, Danyal is looking no<br />
Kristen Danyal reacts<br />
to hearing her name<br />
called ... and walks<br />
the runway in victory.<br />
further than graduation in May and<br />
prepping for the Miss USA pageant.<br />
“I have a one in 50 chance,” she<br />
said. “So I want to put into my head<br />
that I can win it.”<br />
Danyal said she was buoyed by her<br />
fellow Chaldean contestants, two of<br />
whom, Shammas and Yousif, made it<br />
into the top 15. She appreciates the<br />
support of her extended family – 25<br />
to 30 people traveled to Port Huron<br />
to cheer her on – and said she’s seen<br />
nothing but enthusiasm from the<br />
community.<br />
“I love how supportive the community<br />
has been. Everyone knows it<br />
can be a really big competition between<br />
Chaldeans, but everyone has<br />
been so nice,” she said. “It has reaffirmed<br />
my faith in human nature –<br />
and in Chaldeans.”<br />
Kristen Danyal is blogging about her<br />
journey to Miss USA. Follow her at<br />
MissMIUSA2012.BlogSpot.com and<br />
on Twitter at RealMissMIUSA.<br />
36 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>NOVEMBER</strong> <strong>2011</strong>