Beauty and the Beats: CMU sophomore readies to compete in Miss Michigan competition
A college student’s life is busy enough without worrying about representing an entire state, but Julie Claveau is eager to go for it.
The Scottville sophomore is training to compete in the 2011 Miss Michigan Scholarship Pageant June 18 in Muskegon.
“It’s really exciting,” Claveau said. “If I were to win Miss Michigan it would be a really great opportunity.”
Claveau qualified for the competition after winning the Miss Ludington Area Pageant in November.
She said she will compete against 20 other women from all across the state. The winner will receive a $10,000 reward and $50,000 worth of scholarships, she said.
Claveau said she trains for about 10 to 12 hours a week and participates in fundraising events and parades to prepare.
In it to win it
Claveau said the Miss Michigan competition is divided into multiple parts: A 10-minute interview in front of the judges, an onstage question and answer session about her platform, the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and a 90-second talent performance.
She said she will play bass guitar for the talent portion of her performance.
Claveau said she has been in four pageants total.
Her father, Dan Claveau, was the one who first encouraged her to compete.
Dan Claveau said he had to miss seeing Julie compete in her first pageant, the Scottville Harvest Festival, because he was sick with pneumonia and in the hospital.
Julie visited him in the hospital after she won, he said.
Dan Claveau said he will definitely be there this time.
“The only thing that will take me down is if I can’t walk,” Dan Claveau said. “I think she will do an extraordinary job.”
Julie’s roommate Stephanie Jaczkowski, a Clinton Township senior, said she screamed on the phone with Julie in excitement after hearing she won the Miss Ludington Area Pageant.
“Julie is a really great girl and works really hard,” Jaczkowski said. “I’m excited for her.”
Platform a passion
Each contestant runs on the platform of an issue they want to promote. Claveau’s platform is the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.
She has played clarinet for the CMU Marching Band for two years. She said competing in pageants allows her to promote and raise money for music education.
“Music has always been my passion,” Claveau said. “I feel that it’s important for schools to have music programs despite the low budgets or low incomes they may have.”
She said she used to be think of herself as a “band geek” until she went to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in middle school.
It was there, she said, she found many people who share the same love for music she does. She said she remains friends with many of them today.
