Back in January, San Francisco resident Isabella Mills, 16, won the title of Miss Santa Clara’s Outstanding Teen 2019. In late June in Fresno, at another scholarship competition, Mills secured a second title. She is now Miss California’s Outstanding Teen 2019.
Mills won a total of $10,300 from participating in this statewide competition. She received a $10,000 prize for winning the Miss California’s Outstanding Teen Competition and in addition, a $300 prize for winning the overall evening wear/on-stage question.
“I hope to get into a ballet company,” said Mills, who performed ballet en pointe with a Tambourine Variation to “La Esmeralda” for her talent. “After I graduate from high school, I would like to start an online college. Being in a ballet company means I can’t manage being at a full-time university. It would be hard to do both. I have to put this scholarship toward a university or an institution. So this money that I earned will go toward an online college. There is a college in San Francisco called the Academy of Art University and I would like to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Education here. The school has an online program.”
Mills explained how she prepared for the fitness segment of the Miss California’s Outstanding Teen Competition.
“I had to work on my push ups every single day,” she said. “Being a ballet dancer, I don’t have a lot of natural muscle in my arms, so it’s a bit harder to build the muscle. From January through July, I had to do 10 push ups every day just to get that perfect push up in.”
As Miss California’s Outstanding Teen 2019, Mills can promote her platform “Different Not Less: Inclusion for the Autism Community.” Having a sibling with regressive autism has inspired Mills to pursue this platform.
“I want inclusion for people with autism and disabilities,” Mills said. “They’re normal people. They’re not lesser than us.”
Mills also hopes to serve the Miss California’s Outstanding Teen program by helping other girls with their collegiate plans.
“One of my biggest things is to forge more sponsorships for this program,” she said. “Miss California’s Outstanding Teen is lucky enough to get sponsorships. There are so many girls on our stage who want to attend college but can’t afford it.”
Next up for Mills will be her participation in Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Competition in Orlando, Florida at the end of July.
“When I was preparing for the state competition, I was also preparing for the national competition, since it’s just a couple of weeks away,” Mills said. “I’ve been doing more push ups every night.”