Ms. California United States attends the Camarillo Bridal grand opening

Last week I was able to attend the Camarillo Bridal grand opening in Camarillo, CA. This bridal and prom shop is one of the sponsors of the California United States Pageant, so I was very honored to be invited to the event. They loaned me a beautiful Tony Bowls colorful animal print cocktail dress. It was a great event with decadent deserts, coffee, and champagne......they even gave away raffle prizes every 30 mins or so......one prize was a trip for two to Las Vegas with $1000 spending cash + hotel!! I was lucky enough to win a spa bag with house slippers and a rhinestone custom hoodie (fun!)....It was nice mingling with so many people! With all the beautiful and sweet ladies there I hope that some of them decide to compete at next year's California pageant!! =) Also I attempted to use my techie skills and I made the 1st of many videos for you viewing pleasure.......enjoy!!

Mrs. California Pageant and a week in the life of.......

This past week I was able to attend my 1st pageant event in California!! It was the Mrs. California United States Pageant, held in Thousand Oaks, CA. It was a great production, with a ballroom dancing introduction (worthy of Dancing with the Stars!), and wonderful talented women who all brought their A-game! Christy Van Der Westhuizen was the well deserving winner in the end..... I also got the chance to spend time with my director Quiana Anderson (former Ms. United States 2009) and my teen counterpart Gabby (Miss Teen California). It was a great day and I left feeling really excited that even though I miss my pageant friends back in Texas, I am making new friends here in California =) My life is feeling complete....LOL!! Other highlights of my week were that I discovered an AWESOME farmers market only 3 blocks from my apt, AND it is open 7 days a week from 9am-6pm. It not only has fresh produce, but all kinds of food stands. For those of you that may not know, I am a huge foodie and I am always looking for those "hidden gems" of authentic food cuisines (a la Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations)! Also I started my on-camera hosting classes in Hollywood. I really enjoy public speaking, being a conversationalist, and emceeing live events, and feel that the next steps would be to learn how to translate that on-camera. My class has started out really fun, focusing on different areas of on-camera work each week..... Also the California United States Pageant set up a Twitter account for me. So you can follow me @mscaus11, and I also just got in my new blog camcorder (SO EXCITED!! Now I will be posting videos up on my blog)!! That's all for now, good night!

XOXO -Jade

Going, going....back, back.... to Cali

I have not updated my blog for the last 8 months or so, and during that time I decided to take a huge leap of faith and move back to California. I previously lived in San Francisco for college, when I attended The Art Institute of California. This time I decided that I wanted to see what it was like living in Southern California. I traded in my apartment in downtown Dallas, Texas for an apartment 1500 miles away in downtown Los Angeles, California! Everyone asks me why? Why would you want to move when you have a good job and family in Texas? I don't really have a clear answer, but some of the reasons were that I needed more and that I wasn't satisfied being chained to a desk for 40+ hours a week. I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do in Los Angeles, but I had a few things that I could fall back on. For the 1st month or so, I didn't have too much to do so I took a vacation to Hawaii and saw my family. I was also doing some promotional modeling jobs(since I have experience doing that from high school and college), and background extra work. Here is a picture of some of the other extras and I that will be in a new Justin Timberlake movie being released in 2012. Also during this time I found an organization (www.paceshow.org) that was looking for an emcee to host upcoming musicians and bands in a school setting. I thought that this was the PERFECT opportunity to be able to talk to middle and high school students and continue to spread my message as a positive role model. What can I say I LOVE IT! I go with the show and talk to schools all around the L.A. area. I even got to start my own teen advice column, that provides then a safe place to ask their personal questions....anonymously!! As of right now, I got a great opportunity to work for the Ritz Carlton hotel as a bartender (another one of my jobs from college), I get to talk to people from all over the world everyday which is REALLY interesting and fun! So far I even got to squeeze in judging the California International Miss Pageant (of course, pageants......one of my FAVORITE pastimes). I have to say that right now in my life I am so happy that I am living my life to the fullest. Right before I was leaving Texas I was having awful dreams at night that would wake me up and I could tell that I should be doing something different with my life. My new motto is: "If you can't wake up everyday and enjoy what you are going to do, then it is time to find something else that will make you feel fulfilled". I really feel that that saying can be applied to all areas of your life. I will be updating my blog regurarly now, as I was just awarded the title of Ms. California United States (www.misscaliforniaunitedstates.com) and will be competing at the national pageant on July 15th in Las Vegas for the title of Ms. United States (yes it is Ms. I have officially graduated to the next level! lol). I am so honored to be representing this wonderful and diverse state!! So you can watch my blog for all the latest and greatest pageant related activities AND all of my new adventures in California (come and explore the "Golden State" with me)!!! =)

Watching the Miss Fort Worth USA Pageant

Last weekend I went to Arlington to watch the Miss and Teen Fort Worth USA Pageant. The competition was extremely competitive and it was overall a great show. The girls competed in swimsuit, evening gown, and then the top 5 had on-stage questions. The in-between dancers were so fun to watch and I got to do an on camera interview taking about myself and what my mission is for promoting positive mentoring for our nations youth. I really enjoyed catching up with old friends, and I even got to meet our very own Miss Texas USA, Kelsey backstage.

Queen for a Day!

Queen for a Day is an organization that caters to pediatric cancer patients. It give these children one day to be queen/king over their cancer! During the event we pamper the girls by giving them "makeovers" with nail polish and lipstick, they also get to play dress up in costumes of their choosing. The great thing about the event was that the girls were given sashes (donated from www.sashedesigns.com) and a crown of their own to keep. The boys were "crowned" with firefighter hats and a sash that labeled them as "kings", they were not considered queens for a day but "Heroes for a Day". The Dallas fire department came to show the children their fire truck, and to talk about being a real hero! It was such a good time to get these children's mind off the other issues that they are dealing with. I had crowns that were sitting on my shelves collecting dust, I was honored to donate 3 of them to young patients that will treasure it. If any former queens have crowns that are not being used, please think of contacting your local "Queen for a Day" and donating them to a pediatric patient, it will definitely bring a smile to their face! :) www.qfad.org

Emcee for the Building Inner Beauty Pageant

What I love about the Building Inner Beauty program is that they teach young girls the importance of what is on the inside, and that through that they can shine on the outside. It starts with self confidence and the way that you treat others, it is about making a lasting impression when you first meet someone, it is about making eye contact and smiling even when things don't go your way, it is about how you make other feel that will be remembered. Crissy Garcia makes it her mission to see that young girls get the basis of these ideas, so that they can grow up knowing that they can do whatever they set their minds to and not to listen to any doubt that may come to them in the form of themselves or other people. I was honored to emcee the event with my co-host P.O.K. for the 2nd annual year. I have been involved with this organization through its inception and was glad to be a part of it again! At the end I was even honored with a honorary Miss Inner Beauty Award! I am so proud of our new winners! More pictures to follow!

Jade Monfils featured in La Jornada News speaking out on gang violence in the Dallas community

I had the opportunity to give an interview with The La Jornada News, one of Dallas's premiere bilingual newspapers for the Hispanic community. One of the questions that I was asked was how I thought parents could get their children to stray away from gangs and gang activities, since this problem is very high with the Hispanic community. Here is the featured article:

"Jade Monfils helps community against gang violence
Viernes 28 de Mayo de 2010 16:57 | Escrito por Guital Ornelas

An issue between teenagers and gang related violence has always been an issue in our community. Not to mention the endless cycle law enforcement has worked on to maintain stability and peace in our community.

Jade Monfils, a 28 year-old fashion designer, born and raised in Dallas, Texas is considered to be a teen hero around her community. She is a full time apparel designer and does part time Modeling , she has also committed herself to contribute in fighting against a tremendous problem of gang violence among teens. She has volunteered over 300 hours of her time at local non-profit organizations like "The Boys and Girls Club" and "Big Brothers and Sisters" where she received an outstanding reward from our former President George W. Bush for helping the community. "This was definitely an honor to receive! It was something that just came about" says the honored Ms. Monfils.

Her love for fashion has motivated her to become a model and a role model for inspired young teens which have admired her work.

She has grown an interested in helping such cause that she helps non-profit organizations mentoring children and encouraging them to grow interest in education. After school programs are offered where teenagers can do their homework, play sports and do other activities. "The Big Brothers, Big Sisters" is a mentoring program where an adult "big brother" or "big sister" meets a few times with a teen to get involved with them and help them by providing a positive influence in their lives.

Ms. Monfils also thinks that a parent should get involved and be positive role models in their children's lives. Ms. Monfils says "adolescent years are very critical in a person's life, and these years need to be spent with positive reinforcement". She encourages parents to maintain a healthy relationship with their children and recommends The Big Brothers, Big Sisters to parents who have troubled kids who are going through a very significant stage in life.

The Dallas area has seen an increase in gang related problems within the Hispanic/Latino community. Ms. Monfils has invested some of her time as well with several organizations like "Bea's Kids" and "Isabel's Community Outreach Center" that focuses in this particular group to help Hispanic teenagers in need.

It has been hard work for Ms. Monfils joining forces with the community to help our young teens stay healthy and most importantly stay away from crime. But you as a parent can also participate in your child's education by attending to school meetings, supervise what they do, and know who they're making friends with, these small but yet amazingly great acts can definitely help reduce the risk of having your child away from the streets. "Just a little time can make the biggest difference in some one life!" Ms. Monfils says".

You can read the online version here: http://www.lajornadanews.com/entrevistas/25-jade-monfils

Miami Dallas Fusion Fashion Show

I was asked to participate in the fabulous Miami Dallas Fusion Fashion Show that was held in Downtown Dallas at the Mosaic. It was a great view on the 8th floor with the runway right by the water that ran along the side of the building. It was a night that showcased the designs of independent designers from all over the US. I modeled a red dress by Darian Thomas who is a local Dallas designer. Also there were several other queens from all over Texas, it was a great time reconnecting with them all :)

Tips to Help Build a Teenager's Self Esteem

We are all aware that females tend to have less self esteem then men. Young girls face low self esteem while in their teen years, and young boys feel a need to belong to a group. These are the key findings that I believe drives them to destructive behavior. While online looking at Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign I discovered these startling facts:

- 7 out of 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members.

- 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in negative activities such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking, or drinking when feeling badly about themselves (Compared to 25% of girls with high self-esteem).

- 57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks.

- More than one-third (34%) of girls with low self-esteem believe that they are not a good enough daughter (Compared to 9% of girls with high self-esteem).


Now after reading those depressing statistics here are some tips to give young ladies to help build their self esteem :)

1. Celebrate you!
Reward yourself when you have accomplished something! You don't need to wait for others to recognize what you've done.


2. Surround yourself with positive people.
Spend time with people who are upbeat and feel good about themselves. They, in turn, will put a smile on your face and help you feel good about yourself.


3. Challenge yourself to try new things.
Try a ropes course, learn some new dance steps, speak in front of a large group. Stepping outside of your comfort zone to try new things is a great way to grow.


4. Be good to your body.
Exercising, eating well, and getting plenty of sleep will help you move toward a healthier you—inside and out!


5. Find and express the real you.
No other person has the unique combination of qualities that you have! Be proud of yourself and be courageous enough to express your true feelings.


6. Have a positive mental attitude.
A positive attitude is contagious! You'll feel good and people will want to hang out with you.


7. Learn from your experiences.
Learn from your actions—both good and bad, and use the knowledge you gain to make positive decisions in the future.


8. Find the humor in everyday life.
When you can see the funny side of things, you'll be less stressed and more likely to handle tough situations better.

Carter Blood Drive

This weekend my friend Debbie put together a blood drive in Garland. Debbie is a lady that I had the opportunity to meet through Dress for Success, and now she is helping others that are in need themselves. The blood drive was sponsored through Carter Blood Care, and was held outside Lifetime Fitness. I got to meet some very sweet young ladies that were waiting for their mothers that were giving blood, and also mingle with very generous donors that were giving blood to help others!

Want to change a life? Donate blood this Saturday!

WANT TO CHANGE A LIFE???

MAY 8th 2010
2pm to 4pm

LIFETIME FITNESS
5602 Naaman Forest Blvd.
Garland, Texas

DONATE BLOOD:
give blood and help save lives

DONATE NEW or GENTLY USED BUSINESS ATTIRE & ACCESSORIES:
benefiting Dress for Success

*Please join us for a life changing event filled with giveaways, food, and fun*

Here is the link for the Advanced Signup, those on a time constraint can schedule an appointment:

https://iwebb.carterbloodcare.org/pls/iwebb/adrv?pdz=75038&pdr=DRV0377291

Jade Monfils wins the Texas Perfect Miss Pageant and is headed to nationals!

I recently competed in the Texas Perfect Miss Pageant that was held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving, TX. It was a fun fashion filled event where we competed in on-stage interview (press conference style), swimwear, and evening gown. I was honored to walk away with the crown. My new title is Texas Perfect Miss and I will be competing at nationals which will be for the title of America's Perfect Miss. The pageant is going to be held in Orlando, FL on August 15th. I can't wait to meet all the girls from all over the U.S.!! It is going to be a great experience :)

Miss Fort Worth and Miss Dallas International featured on Fishbowl Radio Network

I love to see our International queens out and about in the community! Here Miss Fort Worth (Rachael Burns) and Miss Dallas (Kelli Ansley) were featured on Fishbowl Radio Network. Great job ladies!! :)

Crowning My Miss Texas International Successor

This weekend was the 2010 Miss Texas International Pageant. I was there to crown my successor. It was a hard job for the judges, there was plenty of competition. These women are not only beautiful on the outside, but smart, and have a dedication to the community. Each contestant has a personal platform that is near to their heart. The International system is great about helping promote the woman and her platform so that she can help elevate it to a higher level. The new winner is Ashley Smith, Miss Houston and her cause is Breast Cancer Awareness. Her mother is a survivor and she will do a great job this year to help others. It was a fabulous weekend, we had orientation on Friday night and I was so moved to meet all the contestants. Many of them had touching stories about their causes and I just applaud them for being able to speak out and help others who may not have a voice. Saturday we visited the Alamo and had a Riverboat ride on the Riverwalk, and Sunday we had rehearsal all day. Each time I go to a pageant I am just amazed and inspired by everyone. It has been a great year, and I am happy to now pass on the crown! I know that Ashley will do great things this year! :)

My Year as Miss Texas International

I have had a wonderful and fulfilling year as Miss Texas International 2009! I will be crowning my successor this Sunday March 28th, at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. It has been such an honor to not only hold the title for one year, but to be able to make such a difference in the lives of others. This past year I traveled over 7,000 miles across the great state of Texas. I was able to promote and advocate my personal platform of "Preventing Youth Gang Crimes: Through afterschool programs and mentoring". I also helped to raise over $600,000.00 for youth mentoring and afterschool programs, with Big Brothers and Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Clubs. I just wanted to say "thank you" to all of my sponsors and supporters! Without all of you I would not have been able to fulfill my dreams!

My Dog Leia is a Cover Model!!

My Boston Terrier Leia made the cover of the Dallas Voice this week! It is because she was chosen out of 400 entries, and made Top 10 and was put online for voting. From there she had the most votes and was chosen to be on the cover!! Thanks to everyone who voted for her!! She also got a check in her name donated to LifeBark, which is an organization that is dedicated to helping people living with HIV and AIDS. We were honored to attend a party where we accepted the check for $2500.00.

Judging for the Denton County United America Pageant

This past weekend I was honored to judge the Denton County United America Pageant and there were so many great contestants! I had so much fun with my fellow judges Jain Hall and Tiffany Sherrell. There were 5 age divisions, where the girls compete in on-stage question, fashion wear, and everyone's favorite evening gown. Here I am with the emcee, national junior teen winner Blair Lynch and Mindy Le the Denton County junior teen winner. I wish all the winners the best of luck when they go to state in June!

Happy Birthday Texas!!!

Today is Texas Independence Day! It was 174 years ago, on March 2, 1836 that 59 delegates worked overnight to write the Texas Declaration of Independence during the Texas Revolution. It was then that Texas declared it independence from Mexico. The event happened at what is now Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park. To learn more visit: www.birthplaceoftexas.com.

Texas International Workshop and Rodeo Parade

This past weekend I was in Houston for the Texas International Pageant contestant workshop. About 40 contestants traveled from all over the state to get some extra pointers before the pageant next month. My Mrs. sister queen Bonnie was gracious enough to have all the ladies over before the event for a brunch meet and greet. There we were all able to talk to one another in a casual setting. Afterwards when the girls headed to the workshop- Dymond, Bonnie, and I did an appearance in the Montgomery County Rodeo Parade which was in Downtown Conroe. It was great getting to spend time with my sister queens and showing off our Texas flair! After the parade we headed to the workshop and met up with the contestants who were getting lessons from some of our wonderful sponsors. There was Valerie Hayes www.valeriehayes.com who worked on interview, Misty Twellman who taught walking lessons, and Sheila Ybarra who gave all the contestants a "glam kit" and taught them how to apply the perfect pageant make up www.makeupbysheila.com (I was super excited when she used me as her make-up model)! It was a busy but great day and I was happy to finally meet many of the contestants. There are so many great girls, the judges are going to have a really tough time. But good luck to all, it is really all about your own personal journey during this time so take it in and enjoy it! :)