The saying "beauty is only skin deep" surely doesn't apply to Kristen White. The recent Miss Black USA winner and graduate of Tennessee University proves you can have it all; beauty, brains and a heart.

White, an advocate for missing and exploited children created an organization of her own called Project Protect, to help in the prevention and awareness of child abduction. White recently sat down with Black Voices to discuss her future goals with her organization and offered some advice to young women in pursuing their dreams.

How long have you been involved in pageants?

I've been doing pageants since I was 20 years old. I had participated in three pageants prior to Miss Black USA; national and local pageants. Miss Black USA is the first pageant of its kind that I've participated in. I wasn't pushed into pageants at all, it was really something I chose to do on my own.

How has being Miss Black USA helped you personally?

This pageant first and foremost is a scholarship program, so it has helped me a great deal financially in paying off my schooling. I attended college at Tennessee University and majored in Business Administration. The pageant has also allowed me to get involved even more with my community. I have my own organization called Project Protect: Missing and Exploited Children Awareness and Prevention. This program is an educational reference program I developed to spread the message of awareness and prevention of missing and exploited children. With the title of Miss Black USA I hope to carry the message of Project Protect even further.

What message would you like to send to young black females?

Always follow your dreams. And that sounds so cliché, but it's the truth. If there is something that you really believe is your purpose that God has put you in place to do, then do that. That's not to say that is won't take hard work, that it's not going to take perseverance, that you're not going to be tested or that you're not going to experience struggles. If it is definitely something that you can articulate as a dream, then you have to go forth with it and be able to put the work into it. Also understand how important education is to that dream and how much of a vital role it plays in you achieving that dream. Whether it's a technical school, a vocational school or a four year institution, always hone your craft. Always try to be the best you can be at whatever it is you are trying to pursue; in education, in being abreast of all of the things out there to make you the best person at it are very key.



Do you think beauty pageants today are more or less popular than they were 10 to 20 years ago?

I definitely think they are more popular today, because there are so many that are available right now that weren't available back when I was a little girl. So that definitely speaks for itself. I just think of them as positive. When I look at Miss Black USA, it's all about promoting African American women and all of their achievements. These women are striving for excellence and that's a great thing. Again, it's promoting education and community service, and really showing what we as women can do in our communities and our respective organizations. It's a positive message. Anything that is showing you the true meaning of beauty, aesthetically but also physically, mentally and emotionally is a very good thing.

How did you become the spokesperson for Exploited Children's?

Because of my own organization Project Protect, I've been adamant for years about protecting children from abduction and exploitation. Project Protect and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have been working together since 2005, well before I took part in the pageant. It seemed like a great fit for me and I'm honored to be the spokesperson for the organization. I hope to partner up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Polaroid Camera Company to sponsor KidCare events. These events will enable parents to have mini-bio books, which include a current picture of their child, to provide to law enforcement in case of an emergency. I truly believe that together we can educate people and make them aware of this ongoing issue, and be able to protect children from abduction and exploitation.