Chasta Nechvatal

Age: 19

Hometown: Buena Park , California

Date of Birth: June 29, 1987

Education: California State University of Long Beach , Sophomore, Masters in Journalism,   Sunny Hills High School                                                      
Platform Issue: Cultural Arts Awareness and Preservation

Scholastic/Career Ambition: Masters Degree in Broadcast Journalism/ News Anchor

Talent: Tahitian Dance

Scholastic Honors: Dean’s List; Phi Eta Sigma-Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society; Graduated H.S. with High Honors; Lancer Knight Award-English Honors (Gold); Scholar Athlete Award for three years; C.E.T.A Southern Region Theatre Certificate of Achievement for Outstanding Theatrical Work.

Leadership Roles: Cheerleading & Dance Summer Camp facilitator for US Spiritleader Organization; Cheerleader for seven years; Older sister to younger siblings; International Baccalaureate student for Theatre Art Department.
                                                                                        
Accomplishments:   Miss Congeniality 2006 in the Miss Anaheim Pageant; Played lead role Madge in H.S. Fall Play “Picnic”; Cheerleading Division Champs 2005; Requested to be a member of the US Spiritleader Organization; Miss Anaheim 2007.

Interesting Facts: Professional Polynesian Dancer; Just experienced a life altering trip to Tahiti; Lives for sushi; Taught American Idol Taylor Hicks how to dance Tahitian live on Fox News; Talks in her sleep; Performs at fundraisers such as UNICEF; Enjoys an adrenaline rush and desires to skydive.
                                  
Employment: Employee entertaining guests with clever rhymes at the first Portillo’s Chicago Restaurant in the West Coast.

Marketing Plan: My marketing plan is to utilize my communication and people skills in reaching out to businesses for sponsorship and support for the Miss California program. I would explain the mutual benefits and opportunities that these young professional women have to offer as well as enriching the community. I am very confident that I can persuade others in realizing the benefits that their support can guarantee.

Legacy: My Legacy as Miss California is my unselfish embracement of our children. From these young generations will spring forth my dreams and hopes for mutual respect and understanding of the many cultures that make up California . These children will hopefully lower the barriers that segregate and not strengthen our society. In unity we will uncover harmony and cultural advancement amongst one another.

Why I should be Miss California this year: My charisma, charm, and grace will allow me to cross the barriers that exist between the different cultures in the state. This will permit me the chance to present my message of cultural arts awareness and preservation to the skeptics and closed-minded individuals who persist on resisting change and reason. All I ask is for the opportunity to demonstrate to business and civic leaders my dream of opening a child’s mind to the wonders that exist in the arts of music, song, and dance in their abilities to educate. I am extremely confident that my ideas will take root and flourish in the future. As Audre Lorde once said, “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

Platform

Cultural Arts Awareness and Preservation

From the first song sung millenniums ago, to the hip-hop rhythm booming from a radio, there exists an unbroken cultural bind between all people. This form of communication has the ability to touch each and every individual in one way or another. Unity is essential for a society to survive and function. Outside of nationalism and patriotism what binds Americans together? Our cultural arts: music, dance, and song. From “America the Beautiful” to “Somewhere over the Rainbow” these harmonic melodies remind us of who we are.

Our educational system should do more to promote the cultural arts in the early grades. As Miss California, I want to be assured that our future generations are not neglected of this knowledge in the schools. Song, dance and music all can deeply inspire and influence the individual to become more aware and alive with their senses and being. This awareness with themselves and others can bring harmony between different cultures where there was little common ground before. Finding this spiritual appreciation from the arts can help lower the fears and apprehensions to change that exist in our multicultural society. My goals are to generate harmony, strength, and unity.

My plan would be to demonstrate through live performance in the classrooms as well as engaging the children to participate by showing them how to tap a drum beat on their desks, how to chant an ancient melody, or how to dance to ethnic drumming. Then children would begin to realize and appreciate the different cultures that surround them from their own. Through the teachings of other cultures will the children then be able to recognize the similarities instead of seeing the differences.

The United States being a blend of many cultures, allows the Miss America Organization to offer young women from different backgrounds an opportunity to express their unique abilities and identities. My plan would have the media focus in on the rich cultural heritage of the region by promoting the arts and festivals bringing awareness to the community. I would enlighten city officials as to the importance of preserving the cultural arts through programs implemented in the local schools.

Being a member of the Polynesian Dance Group, Nonosina, I have embraced the beauty of their culture as well as gaining a deeper understanding of myself from my passion for dancing. Nonosina, like myself, continues to reach out to all ethnicities to join and experience the wonders of cultural diversity. My dance group is an example of the change I yearn to bring about to the children in the schools who will then be truly touched by the arts.