Patterson girl reigns as Miss Louisiana Junior Teen

Patterson resident Alyssa Landry got a boost in confidence and a desire to do more as a community ambassador of goodwill after winning the 2016 National American Miss Louisiana Junior Teen Queen pageant.

The competition was held July 9-11 in Baton Rouge.

Landry, daughter of John and Loretta Landry, is a sophomore at Central Catholic High School.

“Alyssa Landry is an outstanding student coming from an outstanding family,” Central Catholic High School Principal Vic Bonnaffee said. “She makes excellent grades.”

Landry is a cheerleader and a member of the volleyball and track teams and of Sisters in Christ. She’s Student Council class president. Her favorite subjects are Latin and religion.

“I took it (Latin) this past year and was fascinated with the way all the other languages are based off of Latin,” Landry said. “So you can see the resemblance of old words from Latin and now.”

Outside school, she’s involved with a youth group at Sacred Heart Church in Morgan City and dance group at Dominque’s Studio.

She took part when the church’s youth group collected and donated food and shoes to people in need. The group also built a ramp at a local home.

Now, as a junior teen queen state representative, she wants to have more impact at home.

The National American Miss organization encourages girls to give back in their communities. The organization also encourages winners to visit places around their state.

“They definitely encourage community involvement, and I think that’s something I’m going to do a lot of this year,” Landry said. “Just to stay active and promote our area. I want to encourage girls to have confidence and follow their dreams.”

Building confidence is an area Landry has been working on since her involvement with pageants, which started four years ago. She started with local pageants.

Last year, she entered her first pageant with the National American Miss organization. Landry was third runner-up. With persistence and self-discipline, she entered the pageant again this year and won the crown.

“Basically, it helped me to build confidence,” Landry said. As a young woman, “especially since I’m a teenager … self-confidence is the best to have because if other people don’t see it, you should see something in yourself that makes you unique.”

“And you can be a good example, too, and share that with others,” mother Loretta Landry said.

The National American Miss pageants promote natural beauty.

“The pageants that I do are natural pageants,” Landry said. “And the National American Miss pageant was very natural. Anyone under the age of 12, they didn’t want you to wear makeup.”

She acknowledges her faith as a major factor in guiding her choices as a teen with peer pressure, goals and extracurricular activities in and out of school.

“We go to church every Sunday, obviously,” Landry said. “On Thursday, me and my friend go to Rosary before school. I like doing that with my friends because I can share my faith with them and not try to hide it.”

Landry’s well-rounded personality explains why she will serve in the fall as student council president for the sophomore class.

“She is liked and appreciated by all the students, extremely cooperative and does everything she can to help out everybody else,” Bonnaffee said.

The pageant’s mandatory categories are formal wear, personal introduction, and interviews with judges. She competed with 43 other girls across the state.

There are optional contests participants can compete in within the pageant. Landry was first runner-up in the photogenic, casual wear, most promising model and best resume contests.

“I was nervous, I’d have to say, because it’s intimidating with a lot of girls,” Landry said. “It was 43 girls. It wasn’t as big of a group last year, but it was still a lot of girls.

“And also, I can talk in front of people but it’s not my favorite thing to do, so I think that’s why I’m more nervous. I felt way less nervous than last year because I participated last year.”

Landry will attend the national pageant in Anaheim, California, at Disneyland during Thanksgiving week. She is competing for the national title.

As a representative of Louisiana, she will have an opportunity to win her share of over $500,000 in cash and prizes, which includes a 2016 Ford Mustang Convertible.

The National American Miss Pageants are for “Today’s Girl” and “Tomorrow’s Leaders.” The pageant program is based on inner beauty, as well as poise, presentation, and offers an “All American Spirit” of fun for family and friends.

Emphasis is placed on the importance of gaining self-confidence, learning new skills, learning good attitudes about competition, and setting and achieving personal goals.

For more information or requests about Alyssa Landry’s participation in community service projects and activities in the area, contact Loretta Landry at landryhouse@cox.net.