Local teen vies for Miss La. Teen USA title

Kaitlyn Dardar is the reigning Miss Lafourche Teen and Miss Terrebonne Teen, and now she has her eye on the Miss Louisiana Teen USA crown.

The 16-year-old will compete against a bevy of beauties for the state Teen crown on Nov. 9 and 10 in Lafayette at the Heymann Performing Arts Theatre.

“I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be representing this area in the Miss Louisiana Teen USA competition,” she said.

This is the 26th annual state Teen USA pageant, and the first attempt at the crown for Dardar.

A junior at E.D. White Catholic High School, Dardar has won two of the three pageants she’s entered. The first was 13 years ago – it was a children’s pageant.

“I am so excited to be participating in pageants again because I like to think about what it would be like to win,” Dardar said.

Like any competition, a beauty pageant is peaked with emotion. Dardar still recalls the Aug. 5 Miss Terrebonne contest. “I can remember getting my number, it was number one,” she said. “I dreaded going first because I was so nervous. Before I stepped onstage I almost panicked.”

The 16-year-old didn’t believe she would take the title because she was so nervous. But when the trophies were being distributed and her name still hadn’t been called, Dardar knew she had a 50-50 chance of winning.

“When they called my name as the new Miss Terrebonne winner, I could hear parents (Tommy and Juli Dardar), family members and friends from E.D. White cheering in the audience,” she said. “It was the best feeling in the world.”

The reality quickly set in that she was, indeed, a beauty queen. Dardar couldn’t believe that she had stayed away from pageantry for so long.

Her drift could be attributed to her interest in other extracurricular activities like dance and softball.

“We don’t know why she stopped being in pageants. We wanted her to participate in more pageants as she grew up, but she didn’t express an interest until now,” Juli Dardar explained.

Perhaps Dardar’s recent interest in pageantry comes from her mother’s close friend, Nicole Charles, telling her constantly that she is a beautiful young lady.

“Her father and I tell her she’s beautiful all the time. I guess it took someone else to tell her before she started to believe it herself,” her mother said. “I asked for Nicole’s advise on several occasions as to how we could build Kaitlyn’s self-confidence and esteem.”

Charles, a guidance counselor at East Thibodaux Middle School where Dardar’s mother works, spoke with the 16-year-old on several instances after school about self-esteem and confidence.

In early July, Charles received a letter in the mail concerning the Miss Terrebonne pageant. She encouraged Dardar to compete.

“I told her to talk to Kaitlyn about it,” Juli Dardar said. “So that afternoon, Nicole told Kaitlyn that she sent her name in for the pageant, and all Kaitlyn had to do was fill out the forms and send them in. And that’s how it started.”

At the state level, Dardar will compete in three equally scored categories: interview, evening gown and swimsuit. Should she be selected as the new Miss Louisiana Teen USA, she will represent the state in the Miss Teen USA pageant.

“I am learning a lot about myself and meeting new people. I think this is an experience that will last me a lifetime,” she said. “This pageant is going to open many doors for me that I never thought I would walk through.”

Tickets to the weekend competition are available through Ticketmaster and at the Heymann Performing Arts Theatre’s ticket office at (337) 291-5540. Tickets are also available at the door. Pageant times are 8 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 10.