Our Founding
Our founder, Lillian Mason, began competing in beauty pageants when she lived in Alabama in 2010. Through participating in those pageants, she became involved with her community through hours and hours of community service at numerous locations. Her favorite community involvement was volunteering at a local equestrian camp, where individuals with special needs were given horseback riding lessons.
Upon moving back to Texas in late 2012, Lillian shifted her work with individuals with special needs from the barn to the school. She joined her local Best Buddies Chapter, participated in the adaptive PE class, and during her senior year volunteered as a teacher’s assistant for the special education teachers at her school. These experiences not only started Lillian’s love for special education but also brought about the idea of Miss Magnificent.
Lillian’s enjoyment of competing in pageants and working with individuals with special needs brought her to realize that there was a lack of pageants for girls and women with disabilities. Beauty pageants helped Lillian gain self-confidence and improve her own communication skills. By creating Miss Magnificent Pageantry, Lillian hopes to give individuals with special needs a pageant system they can enjoy while improving their self-esteem, confidence, and communication skills.
What Makes Us Different?
While other pageants may focus solely on the physical appearance of their contestants, Miss Magnificent Pageantry goes much deeper than that. Our pageants are tailored around the abilities of our contestants. They will not lose points for being nonverbal or getting stage fright. Our pageant system is about improving self-esteem, confidence, and communication skills all while having fun.