Pageants help a young dancer take flight

Editor’s Note: The Johnstonian News spoke to Mary Michael McLamb, the reigning Miss Johnston County Teen, in advance of last week’s state pageant, where she was the first runner-up.

Mary Michael McLamb, the reigning Miss Johnston County Teen, is glad she returned to pageants after a hiatus.

“I started pageants when I was around 3 years old,” she said. “But I did take a break around 9 years old to focus on my dance career.”

After a while, she missed it, so she decided to come back, McLamb said. “I had a lot of influences from my dance studio — Carly Sanford and Catherine White really inspired me to come back,” she said. “I am super excited that I did come back and step into a positive role.”

McLamb competed last week for the title of Miss North Carolina Teen.

“For me, preparation has been absolutely crazy,” she said in a phone interview the week before the pageant. “I have a high-energy jazz routine, so keeping that stamina is definitely very important. And then modeling is also something that is very important to me because I can find my style through my modeling and will be able to showcase that on stage.”

Along with pageants, McLamb has spent her entire life dancing.

“I started dancing before I could even remember,” she said. “I was 17 months old. I just loved it, and I always enjoyed it.”

“Dance is artistry, beauty and a way that I’m able to express myself,” McLamb added.

She has experienced almost every style of dance. “I’ve trained across the country,” McLamb said. “I have gone to California to train. It’s been so inspiring because I’ve grown so much as a person and not just as a dancer.”

She plans to continue dancing in the future, McLamb said. “I am still in high school, but I want to be on the Howlin’ Hunnies dance team at N.C. State,” she said. “N.C. State has always been my family’s favorite team. It’s where my dad went to school. It’s where my brother is currently in school. I want to continue that tradition. But I want to be the one on the football field, and I want to be cheering on my favorite team.”

“I want to also major in business so that upon graduation, I can open my own business,” McLamb added. “And hopefully that will be a dance studio because I am just so passionate about dance and educating young children.

“So many people have given so much to me, as a person and to my dance career. So I feel I need to get back and teach the next generation.”

Her community service initiative is “Because 1 Is Too Many,” which aims to reduce youth drownings by teaching children water-safety skills.

“I’ve spent the last year and a half lifeguarding,” McLamb said. “I was able to see how many children lack swimming skills or have a generational fear of water. If their parents are scared, they’re scared of the water, and they’ve never been around the water. So I’m looking to change that.”

McLamb had partnered with schools to share a video series on water safety and with local towns to offer swim lessons.

“Children living on a household income of under $70,000 a year have a 70% chance of never learning how to swim,” McLamb said. “This is very impactful on me because I want to be the change. I want to show them that this is something they can do, and the fear of water should not stop someone from learning how to swim because there are lifesaving techniques that I believe everyone should have.”

The Miss North Carolina Teen title is her goal, but McLamb feels she has accomplished more than that on her journey.

“Whether I will be taking the crown home with me or not, I know that I had lessons instilled in me that I will take with me for the rest of my life,” McLamb said.

Perhaps most important, she has been able to find confidence in herself, McLamb said. “A few months ago, if someone had asked me to be interviewed, I would have been very apprehensive and nervous about talking to someone about my life and my community service,” she said. “But now it’s something I’m very passionate about, and I want to share my story.”

“I believe that the Miss America operation has been an opportunity for me and has provided me with valuable lessons,” McLamb added. “It is just instilling interest in me to become the best version of myself.

“My mom has looked at me and told me, ‘That the past six months have been absolutely life-transforming for you.’ I’m a completely different person, and truthfully, the Miss America opportunity has changed my life, and I know it will continue to do so.”

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