About Dr. Stephanie

Dr. Stephanie Raye

Who am I and why do I care so much about how well you interview?  Because I’ve been there!

I know from personal experience how challenging (and fun!) pageants can be and how important interview skills are to your success. When I won my state pageant it became perfectly clear to me that before I headed to the nationals in Florida I needed to further master interviewing skills because, face it, all of the contestants are beautiful–so it is how well we interview that will make the difference!

I was so excited when I won the national pageant and enjoyed my year of titleholder duties. Then I went on to complete my education through the Doctoral (Ph.D.) level and become a professor at a prestigious college.  There I am an award-winning teacher and mentor, as well as a prize-nominated writer. (And I still occasionally find time to coach a pageant contestant in the summer or serve as a judge at a pageant.) The skills I learned in my pageant days help me more often than you might imagine!

That’s why I like the title “Pageant To PhD” and the tagline on the book cover is “a pageant is just the beginning…”

…because whether you have a clear future in mind or are open to what unfolds ahead of you, the personal and professional development that comes from thoughtful preparation and participation in pageants will help you succeed.

Since my title-holding days (see some photos below), I’ve followed pageants and realized that I can assist the contestants be their best by blending my years as a communication professional with my background in pageants. Please join me in raising the bar of what is offered and asked for in terms of skill, kindness, and integrity in the community…together we can help contestants have a more fun and more effective pageant experience (and life!) and take pageantry to a new level of respect.