Share this article paywall-free.
Two sisters-in-law have made pageant history by bringing home state titles — together.
Now the pair are competing for national titles and are putting Oregon on the map as the first state to have two delegates from the same family and state competing for Mrs. America and Miss for America Strong — an offshoot of Mrs. America pageant — crowns in the same year.
When Kalei Garcia won her state title, she was clutching the hand of the woman beside her, overcome with adrenaline. It felt so surreal she didn’t even hear her name called, she said. Moments later, sister-in-law Amanda Garcia, who stood at the other end of the stage, was also crowned.
“When I got crowned I could feel her excitement behind me. I’ve had Amanda with me every step of the way,” Kalei Garcia said. She is Miss Oregon for America Strong 2023.
People are also reading…
It’s been a learning experience for the both of them.
“One of the things I love the most about pageantry is that it’s grown in a pressure cooker,” Amanda Garcia said. The Albany resident now holds the title of Mrs. Oregon 2023.
Pageants give you a lot of time to self reflect, she said. For her, it’s a reminder of her purpose and who she is in the various aspects of her life, she said.
Over the last year she taken her sister-in-law under her wing, exposing her to the world of pageantry. And she’s come a long way.
For Kalei Garcia the biggest hurdle was realizing how much society “flattens people into one dimensional images.” As a self-proclaimed feminist, she has expanded her own thinking by being in pageants and womanhood, she said.
“It takes grit and strength to be composed and kind,” Kalei Garcia said.
She also wants to put out a message of body inclusivity, she said.
“The body is the holder of the soul and your entire entity. I want to celebrate what your body does for you and (that) you are beautiful as you are,” she said.
Along with being an advocate for chronic illness, Amanda Garcia hopes to reflect the image of a modern mother, balancing a career, home and social life.
The two will be competing for national titles in August.
Working in preparation, the two have grown even closer. And although the stage is bigger, they are still just Kalei and Amanda, Kalei Garcia said.
“I feel blessed we get to go on this journey together, as sisters,” Kalei Garcia said.