by Eva Shaw-Gill & Photo by Rick Myers
Kaitlyn Shaw, was crowned Miss Roanoke Teen USA in April, 2015, earning her a spot in the Miss Virginia/Miss Virginia Teen USA Pageant held last Oct. 2015 in which she placed 3rd Runner-up. She proceeded to Hollywood in July 2016 and competed in an International modeling competition (World Champions for Performing Arts) and received 6 medals (3 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze). Kaitlyn also placed third in the Miss Virginia/Miss Virginia Teen Pageant recently held Friday-Sunday, Nov. 18-19 at the Moss Arts Center at Virginia Tech.
The contestants included 18 “teens” and 25 “miss” for a total of 43 contestants. On Friday they were asked to participate in a silent charity auction where each contestants was asked to choose a charity near and dear to their heart and use that as a platform. The money raised from the silent auction will go directly to their charity.
Saturday, morning the Teens were up and dressed by 7:00 a.m. for a light breakfast before each had an individual interview with the judges. Then it was off to practice/rehearsal from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with preliminaries from 8-10:00 p.m. After contestant introductions came the athletic wear competition. This year the “teens” didn’t wear swimsuits, only the “Miss.” The night wrapped up with the evening gown competition.
On Sunday contestants were up bright and earlier and on the bus to the Moss Center where they practiced for the finals. All contestants dressed in silver for the opening act–and the first round eliminations began. Hearts were pounding as the host announced, “Number 15, Kaitlyn Shaw will be moving on to the next round!” The Teen competition went from 18 to 12 contestants.
The 12 girls had to compete again, first in athletic wear followed by evening gowns after which 7 “teens” would be eliminated, leaving the Top 5 to move on. The announcer said, “Moving to the top 5 is Kaitlyn Shaw!”
Now it’s time for the Judges to ask the on-stage question. Each finalist drew a judge’s name, from a bowl, which would ask the final question. After all scores were tallied, Kaitlyn emerged as 3rd Runner Up!
A native-born Virginian, Kaitlyn and her siblings Kenneth and Klaudia (triplets) were born in Norfolk, but reside in Roanoke and are seniors at William Fleming High School.
Kaitlyn is the daughter of Kenneth Shaw, Sr. and Eva Shaw (Demare) Gill and the granddaughter of Claudia Whitworth.
