Macomb County girl crowned National American Miss
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - By most accounts, Maliya James is your average pre-teen.
She spends her days doing schoolwork and then playing.
"She's kind, the sweetest person in the world. She still is kid-like in a positive way mentality where she just wants to have fun," said Maliya's mother, Shantinique James.
"I really like to do animating and draw. It's just really something fun to do," said Maliya James.
One day, an invitation came in the mail, which ultimately took Maliya from the family room to center stage.
"An invitation came to our house to join the National American Miss competition. I really didn't have to think twice about it," Maliya James said.
Given the history of national pageants lacking diversity, Maliya's mother took a brief pause.
"When I look at the course of pageantry, and even this pageant, some of the people that they represent, it's not a lot of us," Shantinique James said.
But Maliya, a fifth-grader at Highpoint Virtual Academy, didn't hesitate.
"I thought since it was like a pageant, it's really cool to see girls walk on stage. And also, I just love trying on dresses. So that was one of the fun parts, too." Maliya James said.
Ultimately, she won the crown of National American Miss Michigan Jr. Pre-Teen.
The excitement over Little Miss Michigan extends beyond the sparkle. She's been awarded for her community volunteerism with agencies like the Humane Society.
"It doesn't really matter about you and your looks. I feel like you should just care about what's on the inside in your heart. And that's how really I feel now, because I get to understand that it doesn't really matter what people judge about you. It matters what you love and how you love yourself," Maliya James said. "I really want them to understand that they're beautiful no matter what. That's how I feel right now."
Maliya will crown her successor this summer but has no plans to quit pageant life. She plans to start a girl group to help others find their inner beauty queen, and in the meantime, she will continue to volunteer with the Humane Society.