The excitement is building for Lehua Hawaii Productions, which has been preparing its queens for the Oct. 3 state pageants on Oahu.
The excitement is building for Lehua Hawaii Productions, which has been preparing its queens for the Oct. 3 state pageants on Oahu.
Winners will receive an all-expense paid trip and entry into national contests on the July Fourth weekend in San Antonio.
The East Hawaii representatives are Miss Junior High contestant Raynn Dangaran, 12, a Kamehameha Middle School seventh-grader; Miss Hawaii High School contestant Anne Roth, 16, a Waiakea High School junior; and Hawaii Community College student Hillary Luna, 20, a delegate for the title of Miss Hawaii Collegiate.
Lehua Hawaii Productions produces an achievement pageant which allows young women to showcase their talents and develop public-speaking skills, poise and self-confidence while creating lasting friendships. During pageant practices, educational workshops are provided for all contestants covering various topics such as cyber-bullying, fitness and nutrition, said Jenilee Waipa, one of Lehua Hawaii’s directors.
Miss Teen and Young Miss contestants are required to coordinate two community service projects each. These are overseen by Lehua Hawaii directors, who also implemented a Big Sister Little Sister Program taht encourages Miss Teen contestants to adopt a Young Miss contestant and mentor her throughout the course of pageant training.
Dangaran has danced hula since 2007 for Halau O Ka Ua Kani Lehua. She participates in volleyball, cross-county and softball, and is on the academic principals list. She has volunteered with Zonta Club of Hilo, Salvation Army, Relay for Life, March for Babies and Operation Christmas Child. Her parents are Ray and Heidi Dangaran of Hawaiian Paradise Park.
Roth enjoys ballet and jazz dancing and participates in cross country, judo and jujitsu. She has taken honors classes at Waiakea in English, algebra and U.S. history. Roth performed community service with Relay for Life, Keiki ID, and Salute to the Veterans run. She is the daughter of Mitch and Noriko Roth of Hilo.
Luna, Miss Teen Lehua Hawaii in 2012, is majoring in human services and is a coach/mentor for Penn Hawaii Youth Foundation for at-risk teens. She has won multiple island and state titles in wrestling, judo and jujitsu, was a girls weightlifting champion two years in a row and won a bodybuilding/fitness competition in Oahu. Her parents are Layne and Jackie Luna of Hilo.