ST. GEORGE — Donning a tiara and “Patch of Confidence,” Brooklin Pace is preparing for her year of service as Washington County’s Miss Greater Zion.

Pace won the title and a $2,000 scholarship at the annual scholarship competition at Snow Canyon High School held April 2.

The title of Miss Greater Zion is a new addition this year. The scholarship competition’s directors wanted to provide another woman with the opportunity to compete at Miss Utah and serve her community, said Alison Anderson, executive director of Miss Washington County and Miss Greater Zion.

“We are the first Southern Utah preliminary scholarship competition for Miss Utah to have two titleholders,” she said. “We are excited for the opportunity for these two young ladies to ‘unite, inspire and serve.”

Preparing for competition

Pace prepared for the competition in a multitude of ways, including making dinner in high heels. She said she read the news constantly to keep up on current events and practiced speaking in front of the mirror.

“I’d run my dance just over and over and over again to get the stamina,” she said.

Pace said she felt confident when pitching her social impact initiative during the competition.

“‘I know this, I came up with this, this is what I’m going to do,'” she said. “I got up there and I started saying my pitch and I like paused, spaced everything out of my head. But I quickly caught back on and everything but I walked off and I was like, ‘Well, that’s kind of unfortunate.”‘

Pace recalled her director telling her that it was in the past and to go on to the next phase, doing the best she can.

“Because everything else I’ve done is in the past and the only things I can control are what I haven’t done yet,” she said.

A dancer

Pace started dancing at 2 years old when her mom enrolled her in tap class. Pace’s dance teacher approached her mom and said Pace had something special and she should never stop dancing, Pace said. Her mom bought her everything she needed in support of her love of dance, she said.

“I don’t know my life without dance,” she said.

Dancing helped her to build relationships and learn to love herself, Pace said. Her coaches gave her the confidence she needed to grow, she added.

When asked what she gains most from dancing, Pace said, “everything,” adding that she’s also learned organization, time management and multitasking.

Pace is a member of Dixie State University’s dance team, which led her into the world of scholarship competitions, she said. Her best friend and teammate, Axuray Talbot was Miss Utah’s Outstanding Teen and Talbot’s sister was Miss Utah. Pace said Talbot convinced her to participate.

Talbot is currently serving a mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On Talbot’s preparation day, Pace called to tell her about winning the title. Talbot congratulated Pace, saying it was her year, Pace said.

“I owe everything to her,” she said.

Her mom is her biggest supporter, Pace said, adding that her dad thought competing was “crazy.” Because her family lives up North, only her mom was able to attend the Miss Washington County scholarship competition. When she won the title of Miss Greater Zion, her dad was shocked, she said.

“It’s been super awesome to have both of them being there with whatever I need, even from far away,” she said.

“Grit and happiness”

Pace has lived in St. George for three years while attending Dixie State and said she loves everything about it. She said that the first word that comes to mind when thinking about being a Southern Utahn is “grit.”

“I feel like everybody down here is so hard-working,” she said. “You have business owners and like everybody’s go-getters … but then you have the other side which is like, everybody loves to have fun, everybody loves to do outdoor activities and so, to me, it’s just like, grit and happiness.”

Patch of Confidence

Pace’s social impact initiative is “Patch of Confidence,” which she created with her mom. The initiative’s goal is to help others gain confidence by building relationships, doing acts of service and learning to love themselves, she said. Whenever Pace said “Patch of Confidence,” she placed her hand over her heart as if securing a patch.

“You put that patch on every morning and you know that you’re enough, you’re confident, you can do anything you put your mind to,” She said.

“Patch of Confidence” is still a work in progress, but Pace said she hopes to teach dance classes this fall. She’ll also focus on positive affirmations and power poses.

“I want to be the support system that I had growing up, essentially, for all other people and like not just kids – adults too,” she said.

Looking forward

Pace is majoring in business administration at the university and graduates next spring. Eventually, she said she’d like to open a dance studio.

Pace said participating in scholarship competitions made her a better public speaker, adding that she was a shy child.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity that the scholarship competition brought me because it has brought me out of my shell so much that I’m able to hold conversations with people and talk about my feelings and ask them how they’re doing,” she said. “And I’m able to talk in front of a whole bunch of people. I still get nervous but I have to remember, ‘Look how far you’ve come and look how far you’re going to grow.'”

She said the skills she’s learned will also translate to her work in business when she needs to pitch ideas and present business plans.

Pace will begin her year of service at the Washington County Fair, beginning Friday, after which, she will compete in Miss Utah in June 2023.

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