On The Billboard with Gena-Mae: Damacia Howard

Ihad the privilege of meeting this uniquely talented and extremely beautiful young lady in 2011 when she was a pre-teen and I was the director of a Performing Arts Summer Camp at Open Word Christian Church in Fairburn, Georgia. I can clearly remember her coming into camp, being well-spoken and enthusiastic about drama class. Her personality impressed me from the beginning. She was polite, and a great listener, and I soon found out, she was a dynamic little actress. I cast her in a lead role in our camp’s culmination performance. We held that camp again the following year where we focused on filmmaking, she was a part of that as well, so once again I had the pleasure of working with her. Throughout the years we have kept in touch. I have worked closely with her parents on several occasions for various reasons. In 2017 she was the Keynote Speaker at a community giveback I host annually, called “The Village Youth Summit Back to School Rally,” at that time she was Miss Pre-Teen Georgia. In 2022 I enjoyed attending, “She Kills Monsters,” and watched her in a starring role at Georgia State University. At this point, Damacia Howard, truly feels like family to me! To watch her turn into an excelling young woman has brought me such great joy. I’m so happy to have her share parts of her amazing journey with WOW! Magazine.

Regina: Tell us about yourself, your family and your support system.

Damacia: My name is Damacia Howard, I’m 21 years old from Atlanta, Georgia. I love to travel and collect movie tickets. Movies were a huge part of my childhood and watching them was one way my family and I bonded. My family/support system has been great in believing in me and my capabilities. Having that has helped me gain confidence to believe in myself and in anything I put my mind to. I’d like to thank you, for being a huge part of my support system.It has really meant a lot to both my family and me.

Regina:How did you get into pageantry? What drew you to this activity?

Damacia:I received a letter in the mail from a pageant and decided to give it try one summer, since my original summer plans were canceled. After that I competed in my first pageant and have been competing since.

Regina: As a Christian what are some of the challenges you have faced participating in pageants?

Damacia: One challenge I’ve faced, is encountering people who aren’t kind to the majority of women who compete regardless of what they look like. It has been my goal to make sure everyone who meets me feels welcomed and seen.

Regina: Tell us about your pageant journey. How difficult was it to get started, and how you overcame. What type training do you do to compete?

Damacia: I’ve been competing since I was 12 years old. It wasn’t difficult at all to get started, but I think the most challenging area was perfecting the interview portion of competition. To do that, I have coaches who help me understand certain organizations and how to present my goals and objectives to the judges in the best way possible.

Regina: Can you share something or things that you have learned directly from pageantry that has changed or shaped your perspective on life?

Damacia: I have learned, that if you work hard and focus on everything you do, you can do anything you put your mind to, and you can achieve any goal.

Regina: Tell us about the first and most recent title you have been awarded, giving some details about you and each title such as how old were you each time, what type of prizes were awarded, what were your duties related to each win?

Damacia: The very first title I won was National American Miss Georgia Pre-Teen when I was 12 years old. I recently won the title of USA National Miss 2024. The duties of these and other titles I won are the same. Volunteering in my community, in whichever way I see fit and being a good representation of the organization, I hold a title for. However, the prize packages vary from system to system. For this system, I was awarded $10,000 in scholarships along with prizes from our various sponsors.

Regina: Like everything in life, there are highs and lows in the things we try; share some of the highs and lows you have experienced in pageantry.

Damacia:I always try to focus on the positive and keep a positive outlook on life. However, one low can be not winning after you’ve put your all into preparation. I think in those situations it’s important to keep trying and know that one day the hard work will pay off.

Regina: I’m sure participating in pageants like any sport or competition comes with going up against people who you may find to be unfriendly, cruel or bullying, have you encountered such people during your journey? How did you handle this?

Damacia: I had to take a step back and realize why I wanted to compete in the first place. To help my community and gain scholarships in order to help/aid my future educational career. When I kept this close to my mind, it became easier to deal with bullies in any situation.

Regina: In your travels have you had an opportunity to experience anything you consider monumental in your life? Share a few of the most memorable.

Damacia: I recently got to go to New York and model in New York Fashion Week. I’d always seen it on the internet but never got to experience it. However, this time I got the chance to participate as a model which was very memorable for me.

Regina: I know your faith as a Christian is very important to you, how has it factored into your journey when it comes to your work in pageantry?

Damacia: It has helped when it comes to facing disappointment that comes from not winning all the time. Knowing that God has a plan and that it’s always better, and my faith has been important to me on every aspect of this journey and in my life.

Regina: Have you had a chance to witness Christ to any others during your time in pageantry? If yes, share with us please.

Damacia: Yes! I like to tell other young women what I’ve mentioned above. To always trust in God’s plan not only for their life but for the current competition. Competing can be hard, but there are many girls who are Christian who compete that understand this and believe it.

Regina: What advice would you give a young lady who might want to step into the pageant world for the first time specifically if she’s a Christian.

Damacia:Listen to God and allow Him to guide you. We need to consult God in everything that we do as it shows our ultimate reliance on Him in our lives. This is the advice I would give anyone.

Regina: Share some of your currant goals when it comes to your career path and the pageant world, would you like to be Miss America or Miss Universe some day?

Damacia:I’m not sure what my next goal is in pageantry yet, while I want to fully embrace my current year. However, competing in larger competitions isn’t out of the question.

Regina: How can our readers keep up with, follow, or support you?

Damacia: They can follow me on Instagram @2024usanationalmiss. This is my title page, and they can follow all my adventures throughout my year there.

WOW! family, Damacia is such a sweet and humble budding young lady. I hope you all enjoyed her story and will join me in following her journey as she is a clear example of being a Women of the Word for the world to see.

 

Regina D. Wells aka "Gena-Mae" is a wife and mother of two. A professional writer, published author, film producers and live theatrical playwright and director, her moto for her company Gena-Mae Productions is to "Show the World Jesus, in a real way!" She is very passionate that any of her production work whether on paper or screen give all the honor and glory solely to Jesus Christ.

Regina Wells

Regina Wells

Regina D. Wells aka "Gena-Mae" is a wife and mother of two. A professional writer, published author, film producers and live theatrical playwright and director, her moto for her company Gena-Mae Productions is to "Show the World Jesus, in a real way!" She is very passionate that any of her production work whether on paper or screen give all the honor and glory solely to Jesus Christ.

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