I first met Ava several years ago when she was just starting her pageant journey. I have since had the pleasure of photographing her several times through out the years. Even better, she (and her family) has become my friend and I have come to know what a uniquely fabulous young woman she is!
But, oh, that first pageant! I saw a girl who was a bit unconventional by pageant standards, but who also mesmerized the audience with her dancing (she’s national award winning dancer and coach), and had an exceptional presence. In her words, “I certainly didn’t fit the pageant girl [however] mold. I had purple hair, piercings and tattoos”. This taken from the itsherbrand.com magazine interview from February, 2020.
As our friendship grew and she traveled along the path to the Miss International stage, I learned about a remarkable young woman. Its not unusual for me to get to be good friends with people I meet for the first time in front of the lens. But as photo shoots ended, we would often head for a cup of coffee, or linger over a long dinner with her family.
Ava first wore the title of Miss Kindred International, then Miss North Dakota International and ultimately won the national title of Miss International . She courageously shares her personal story and uses the Miss International platform as a vehicle to advocate for suicide prevention. She is an international ambassador for the Peyton Heart Project, created the Hearts for Hope mission, and has spoken to countless community groups and organizations, schools and people of all ages and backgrounds in a effort to inform, educate and inspire!
Read about her journey in her own words at the ItsHerBrand
National titles also come with some pretty fun stuff, too! Ava has appeared on the big bill board in Times Square, New York, been an honoree at the Leading Ladies Luncheon hosted by the North Dakota Women’s Business Center, and attended The Go Red for Women Red Dress Collection, to name just a few. She has also been featured on the Pageant Planet!
Follow her adventures, speaking tour, and be inspired by her videos on her Facebook Page! And head here to find out more about the Miss International system.
No apologies for the tons of pictures…she is so fun to work with and so photogenic, that I went a little wild! We made a little tour around Fargo, Robert’s Ally, Island Park, and a few cute little shops that let us come in from the cold wind. Don’t miss browsing through Zandbroz when you are downtown! I even convinced her to do a quick light set up in the evening and freeze just a tad longer. LOL. Such a great great day and too many pictures to only share a handful.
