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After being crowned Miss Hawai\u2018i and graduating law school in the same weekend, Miss America-hopeful Courtney Choy is determined to make this year one for the books.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n When Courtney Choy was crowned Miss Hawai‘i back in May, all she remembers is scanning the audience for her parents and the fact that she was crying uncontrollably (\u201cThey tell you not to cry your ugly cry, but I couldn\u2019t help it!\u201d). With remnants of hairspray and mascara from the night before, Choy graduated cum laude from University of Hawai\u2018i William S. Richardson School of Law the very next morning.<\/p>\n Two monumental milestones jam-packed into one weekend can only prepare the 25-year-old for what\u2019s to come: The opportunity to be named the 100th Miss America. At the Dec. 16 competition, which takes place in Uncasville, Connecticut, Choy will compete against 50 like-minded and accomplished young women in an array of categories \u2014 but that\u2019s not how she sees it.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to be with my Miss America sisters because there\u2019s no other bond that you can find. There\u2019s a statistic that you\u2019re less likely to have a daughter compete at Miss America than you are to have a son in the Super Bowl, so I think that\u2019s pretty cool that I can be a part of that statistic now,\u201d she says with a laugh.<\/p>\n Miss Hawai\u2018i 2021 Courtney Choy gives props to her parents for her work ethic and positive attitude. PHOTO COURTESY JON FUJIWARA <\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m just happy to be there and to be a part of 100 years of women empowerment, service and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n The United States looked a whole lot different a century ago when the first Miss America pageant was held. In fact, it was only the year prior (1920) that women won the right to vote, which furthered the crack in the door for them to practice law, as well.<\/p>\n So, for Choy, it\u2019s much more than just another accolade and a tiara. She feels \u2014 and welcomes \u2014 the weight of representation on her shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cI want the modern woman to be reflected in who Miss America is. Being a multi-ethnic individual myself, being someone who graduated law school and being from the most diverse state in the country is so powerful for me because those are the things our country needs more than ever; to recognize how beautiful and special it is to be uniquely you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n It was an intentional choice of Choy\u2019s to attend a Hawai\u2018i-based college and law school. With her degree, she hopes to better the state and o~ er support for the community that raised her. Here, she\u2019s pictured at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for a leadership summit. PHOTO COURTESY COURTNEY CHOY<\/strong> \u201cThe history of Miss America\u2026 didn\u2019t always recognize that diversity,\u201d she continues. \u201cAnd, to bring the legacy of the Miss Hawai\u2018i sisterhood into who I am and representing that 100 years is really special, too. I\u2019m not just representing myself, but the women who held the title before me. It\u2019s hard for me to wrap my head around the dynamics of that. It\u2019s sad that we fight for the same things we were 100 years ago for women, but I hope by just being there, I can empower another girl to see herself where I\u2019m standing.\u201d<\/p>\n With Choy\u2019s social impact statement being \u201cwomen\u2019s empowerment through partnership,\u201d she\u2019s no stranger to lifting up her fellow females. The ‘Ewa Beach native (who explains where she lives in a very Hawai‘i fashion by describing what local-kine landmarks are near her house) lives a life of service, whether she\u2019s volunteering for a local organization (Hawai‘i Literacy, Women\u2019s Fund of Hawai‘i, YWCA O\u2018ahu and Special Olympics Hawai‘i, to name a few), mentoring young girls, or, in recent years, hard at work studying to become an attorney who will one day represent women in the courtroom.<\/p>\n Although today, Choy possesses attributes such as grace, benevolence and self-certainty effortlessly, it wasn\u2019t always so natural for her. As a student at ‘Aiea\u2019s St. Elizabeth School and later Punahou School, she\u2019s quick to describe herself as \u201cquiet and shy\u201d and one who \u201cnever used my voice.\u201d<\/p>\n With little to no sleep following her Miss Hawai\u2018i win, Courtney Choy graduated with high honors from University of Hawai\u2018i William S. Richardson School of Law the next morning. PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI\u2018I <\/strong> \u201cPunahou was difficult. I was plucked from a class of 21 students (at St. Elizabeth\u2019s) into a class of 460-plus students,\u201d Choy explains. \u201cIt was challenging. I think those were some of the hardest days of my life because it\u2019s not just high school, but you have social media pressure, the pressure to fit in and be liked by everybody, and to be that \u2018popular\u2019 student \u2014 which I was not \u2014 but I worked really hard. I was commuting on a bus, waking up at 5 a.m. in ‘Ewa, and not getting home until after 5 or 6 p.m. some days because of traffic. There were so many pressures \u2014 academics, socially, financially, commuting, fitting in.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat helped me at Punahou was finding service \u2014 finding volunteer opportunities. I ended up being a part of a program called Luke Leaders and also Interact Club \u2014 basically, any club that revolved around service.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I took myself out of the equation of feeling sorry for myself or feeling like I didn\u2019t belong, I turned my attention outward to other people and I felt so much better because I knew the privilege of the education that I was receiving \u2014 it has to go to other people. At the time, our Punahou president would say, \u2018to how much is given is as much is expected,\u2019 and that really carried me through Punahou, undergrad college at UH and law school; to really hone into that message, even on the days that I felt so low and not up to the challenge, and to remember it\u2019s not about me or the things that I\u2019m doing, but what I can do for other people.\u201d<\/p>\n Choy credits her supportive parents for her grit and selfless attitude, as well as the place that she\u2019ll soon represent on a national stage \u2014 a place that she loves so deeply.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, you think about people before yourself,\u201d she says. \u201cHawai‘i\u2019s culture really helps you remember to treat other people with so much kindness and respect that we don\u2019t always see today or sometimes in the continental mainland. I think the more you expand your world and meet other people shapes your perspective and you recognize, like, \u2018Hey, I\u2019ve been given such a great opportunity, it would be such a waste and so selfish of me to save it for myself.\u2019 I think we\u2019re all here for a purpose to find that. I didn\u2019t know that at Punahou. I was very sad a lot of the time. I wasn\u2019t patient with who I was. I wanted to fit in so badly and I would cry some nights just thinking about what\u2019s wrong with me or why don\u2019t people like me. That informed me to really know now that I never want anyone to feel that way.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019d never know that Choy, who beams a sunny disposition even when speaking about turbulent times in her past, once felt like an outcast. But, as they say, there are no rainbows without any rain.<\/p>\n Choy will surely keep that mindset as she vies for the Miss America title (learn more about where to watch\/ stream the program at missamerica.org). She\u2019s currently two-for-two, after winning Miss Chinatown in 2019 and Miss Hawai‘i earlier this year. As far as preparation goes, she says she puts her energy into introspection.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t diet; I didn\u2019t do anything special. I just wanted to be up there and be myself, like, \u2018This is who I am. This is Courtney.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cNerves aside, I am just so honored and privileged to represent my state and my home. I\u2019m a product of this place \u2014 born and raised and educated here \u2014 and that\u2019s what I want people to realize. There are so many opportunities in our state to really develop the best version of yourself. That\u2019s who I want to bring to Miss America.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of her lavish pageant lifestyle and attorney aspirations, Choy is just your average 20-something year-old, who spends her free time hanging out with her dogs, Chibi and Koa, at the beach (Nimitz is her favorite), chowing down on some junk food (\u201cI just love pizza\u201d), chatting about life\u2019s ebbs and flows with her nearest and dearest, or shopping till she drops.<\/p>\n Now that Choy proudly stands on a platform she once looked up to, she offers words of encouragement for young girls who were once in her shoes.<\/p>\n \u201cBe proud of who you are and the person that you\u2019re becoming. The experiences that we have, whether it\u2019s positive or negative, help us to grow and learn more about ourselves. I didn\u2019t always know that growing up. I would think of things as happening to me and not happening for me. Just be kind, serve your community and believe in yourself. You have everything you need in yourself to succeed and be the best person that you are.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After being crowned Miss Hawai\u2018i and graduating law school in the same weekend, Miss America-hopeful Courtney Choy is determined to..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-story"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hawaii.carpentermediagroup.com\/midweekhawaii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/photo-3.jpg\")
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