MONROE — As a young child, Jayde Kapple was introduced to the world of pageants. She competed in the National American Miss from ages 5 through 10. After a few years away, she wanted to get back into the pageantry world, and now, at age 16, she re-entered the fold.
“I was looking into pageants online, and the Petite USA Pageant had caught my eye right away,” said Kapple, a Monroe High School sophomore who stands just 5-feet tall. “I picked this pageant to open new opportunities in my life. I wanted to start doing pageants again, and I thought this would be a great start.”
Great it is: Kapple was named the 2023 Teen Wisconsin Petite Queen and will represent the state in the Petite USA pageant in Milwaukee, to be held Aug. 9-12.
She said the process was surprisingly simple — she first filled out an application that was sent to a committee. That committee then decided she’d be a semifinalist for the state title.
“About a week later I got the news that I had been selected as a semifinalist for the state title,” she said. “I then had to fill out a finalist application and after about another week after I had submitted that, I heard back from the selection committee with the great news awarding me the State Title of 2023 Teen Wisconsin Petite Queen.”
Thousands of women around the country apply for their state title each year.
According to petiteusa.com, Petite USA Pageant was founded in 2009 by Hazely Lopez-Alvarez with a vision to empower and celebrate the beauty of those under 5-foot-6. The Petite USA pageant is the official U.S. preliminary to the international Universal Petite contest. There are five categories: Teen, Miss, Ms., Mrs. and Elite Ms.
Eligible teens must be between the ages of 13-18 before Jan. 1 of the competition year, and single and never married, and not have any children. Miss is for ages 19-26, also single, never married and childless. The Ms. category is for those 18-44 and unmarried, though could be divorced or have children. Mrs. must be over 18 and married. Elite Ms. must be over 45.
“It’s amazing I am in the top percentage of all the women that have applied,” Kapple said enthusiastically. “My experience has been amazing. Even though it has just started, I can’t wait for the rest of the journey.”
She will receive a custom crown and sash. The next step in the process is to raise the money to be able to compete for the national pageant. Kapple said many people have begin donating to her cause.
When she’s done with high school, she said she wants to go to college get a degree (or more) in the field of marine biology. She’s also interested in becoming an esthetician.
“My ultimate goal in life is to travel around the world in order to make a difference. I want teenagers to feel confident and outgoing no matter the obstacle. For them to not hide in a shadow and let yourself shine in the sun brightly,” she said.
