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Not Just Another Set of Pretty Faces Exiting Queen Court Breaks Stereotypes

(By Kenji G. Taguma)

Forget all those preconceived stereotypes you may have about traditional beauty contests--air headed candidates, no-brainer answers, and vain women or girls full of themselves and willing to compete until the very last teardrops fall. Throw those notions out the window.

Why, you may ask? The reason is simple...the exiting 1995 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Queen and her Court defy such stereotypes with tenacious vigor. Not only do they possess the beauty that epitomize the more traditional contests, they also boast the brains to boot.

Led by third-year Hastings College law school student Melanie Mito, this talented corp of young women have proven themselves worthy of court stature, as they all are focused in each of their educational and personal endeavors.

The Queen

As the reigning queen, Honolulu native Mito provides an exemplary model to build upon. The Santa Clara University grad is enrolled in one of the most prestigious law schools in the country, and is determined to be the glue that holds the court together. 

Unlike courts of the past, the 1995 assemblage has made tremendous efforts to meet regularly, helping out at community events or just reflecting upon the good friends they have become. At the center of these gathering, calling the group for get-togethers, is Mito.

"I think she (Melanie) does a great job getting us together," says Michika Shimabe, who earned the title of First Princess as the runner-up in the pageant.

Mito was so amicable that the rest of the court named her "Miss Tomodachi" as well. 

Breaking

While many still conjure up images of traditional "beauty" contests, this court defies such stereotyping. All are either well-educated or on their way to achieving high educational attainment. Court members do have to struggle with the stereotyping, though. 

"They (people) think of it as a beauty pageant," regrets Jamie Tamura, a 21-year-old originally from Alameda. 

"Even though we know it's not a beauty pageant, it's hard to overcome stereotypes," said Mito, a 24-year-old Yonsei. "The only way for us to break stereotypes is for us to go out to the community."

Non-competitive

What can ruin a pageant, the court members say, is competition amongst the candidates. those who enter the pageant with sights on winning alone can cause for a lack of camaraderie and influence ill-feeling within the field. 

"We're so blessed not to have any competition amongst the girls," said Tamura.

"We're lucky...none of us came into the pageant and said 'I want to become the queen,'" said Jessica Takehara, a 19-year-old from Sacramento. "If there's one person who is competitive or selfish, then it can ruin the pageant."

Friendship Blossoms

Although they entered last year's pageant as complete strangers, the 1995 court exits as a close-knot group of friends. They have truly blossomed like a quilt that consists of many parts, interwoven into one. 

"Because we're so different, we come together," philosophizes Shimabe. "All parts make a whole."

People have become genuinely surprised and welcome of the friendship. "What people are surprised about is that they see my pictures and see how many friends I gained (from the pageant)," said Corrine Nagata, a San Francisco native now studying in North Carolina. 

"I look at Jess and Corrine as my baby sisters," said Tamura.

"We're all sisterly," muses Shimabe. "We clique very well."

Varying Personalities

The 1995 queen court featured a cast of young women from varying backgrounds, including two raised in foreign countries. first Princess Shimabe, the only native of Japan, has traveled from Tokyo to New Jersey when she was four years old. Her family then spent some time in Yokohama, Japan, before moving to San Jose, where they now reside. A freshman at University of California, Davis, this Shin-Issei plans to declare international relations as her major. 

Joining Shimabe as not only a foreign-born court member but a fellow Japanese-speaker as well is 24-year-old Naomi Quinones. Originally from Peru, Quinones made the trek to the Bay Area via Los Angeles. A Sansei, she had graduated from University of California, Berkeley in May of 1994 as a Japanese language major with an emphasis on Japanese literature and translation. An expert in the art of tai kwan do and judo, this high-kicking martial artist is currently working part-time in the UCB campus' martial arts office while helping out the Tomodachi Club (a UCB Japanese American organization).

"Naomi's always the quiet one," noted Shimabe.

"Until we get her on the dance floor," interjects Tamura.

Representing the court's eastern front is Takehara, a Yonsei born in Vallejo and raised in Sacramento. In her third semester at Sacramento City College, she plans to enroll at California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo as an architecture major.

Cara Mia Kubik, who hails from Concord, is also an aspiring college student. A Yonsei, Kubik is currently attending Diablo Valley College in the East Bay. Her experience with the court has actually helped her in her educational endeavors.

"When I first started the pageant, I was really shy," says Kubik. "I started crying in the rehearsals. (Now) I have opened up...and I got an "A" in speech."

Ready to face life after college is Tamura, who is in her last year at UC Davis. A Sansei majoring in linguistics, the Alameda native plans to major in speech pathology in graduate school. 

The "baby" of the bunch is the 18-year-old Nagata, a Yonsei from San Francisco. Currently attending the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, this accomplished dancer can literally float like a butterfly (but won't sting like a bee). Being the furthest away from home means that Nagata is the most unlikely to appear at all court meetings.

Positive Experience

One has to search long and hard to find anything slightly resembling discord within the 1995 court...and even then it probably won't become apparent. This assemblage is full of positive energy.

"I don't think we ever disagree with each other," recalls Tamura, as-a-matter-of-factly. Others note how they have grown together.

"When I look at them, they've grown a lot," says the "motherly" Mito. While each person has their own perspective of the court, at least one court member is thoroughly impressed with the others. "I see a lot of role models in front of me and it becomes encouraging," says an awed Shimabe. "Everyone has an aspect that is so admirable...it's not just one person but everyone."

So just what does the court see as so exciting this past year? For starters, they had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for Nisei Week festivities. As a group, the seven have participated in a host of community events, including spreading holiday cheer to residents of the Kimochi Senior Home in San Francisco's Japantown. On their last "official" trip together, they went to the Hawaii Cherry Blossom Festival last month. 

The rewards, it seems, were well worth the sacrifice.

"It's that feeling that you've gained something real positive," said Quinones. "In the end, the criticism from everyone else doesn't mean anything."

"I had the chance to really meet the community," muses Shimabe. "It's a great stimulus."

Praise from Others

Accolades for the 1995 court do not come just from the inside, but from others as well. 

"I think they're very outstanding," said Queen Committee Advisor Benh Nakajo. "We're very very very pleased with them."

Nakajo noted that unlike previous years, the group stayed together collectively. "In the past, the top three candidates have stuck together--the queen, the first princess and Miss Tomodachi," he added. "This year, uniquely, everyone got along."

Allen Okamoto, past co-chair of the Festival, echoes Nakajo's praises. "They're really outstanding citizens academically, talent-wise and they're all good-looking," said Okamoto. "The court shows a real camaraderie, a real friendship. I think they genuinely like each other."

So what's the greatest reward for this group of talented young women? Undoubtedly the growing friendship they have uncovered.

Perhaps Tamura sums it up best when she said "These are going to be my friends for life."

For most of us, we are just satisfied that the court was able to give us a breather from the norm, debunking stereotypes in the process.