Mother/daughter win titles at Miss Universe Global Pageant

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Mother and daughter Billie and ShelbyMae Tejada recently won titles at the Miss Universe Global Pageant in Orlando.

ShelbyMae, 6, won Tiny Miss Universal Global USA, and 20-year Army veteran Billie Tejada won Ms. Petite Universal Global USA.

Not all little girls’ — and big girls’ – pageants are big hair and glamour makeup, tiaras and rhinestones and divas throwing tantrums.

Some are for regular kids like ShelbyMae Tejada, who wants to be a dinosaur trainer and help the Earth, and her mom, Billie Tejada, a 20-year Army veteran who wants to make memories with her daughter and also spread awareness of PTSD that affects veterans and non-veterans alike.

The mother/daughter duo recently won titles at the Miss Universe Global Pageant in Orlando.

ShelbyMae, 6, won Tiny Miss Universal Global USA, and Billie Tejada won Ms. Petite Universal Global USA.

They competed against 105 contestants from 11 countries in various categories, such as day wear, interview, evening gown, and optional categories, including talent and spokesmodel. ShelbyMae also won 10 additional medals along with the title Tiny Miss International Supermodel.

ShelbyMae, 6, models formal wear at the Miss Universe Global Pageant in Orlando.

But for this mother and daughter, it’s not about the titles, it’s about having fun together.

It’s about building confidence to speak in front of people and make memories.

ShelbyMae, who wants to be a dinosaur trainer when she grows up, does a presentation about dinosaurs for pageant judges.

It’s also about the dinosaurs.

“For her third birthday, she begged for a dinosaur party, but I gave her a Minnie Mouse party instead,” said Billie Tejada. “The very next day she started planning for her dinosaur party for her 4th birthday. That’s when I knew she was serious about dinosaurs.”

When she grows up, ShelbyMae wants to be a dinosaur trainer.

“I want to train them to do tricks, especially the brontosauruses because they don’t know how to leap,” she said. “I’ll teach them to run really fast.”

In their Lecanto home, dinosaurs are everywhere, including one named Elvis that’s nearly as tall as the ceiling, and smaller ones that make sounds and try to take pens out of a reporter’s hand.

“We do dinosaur education,” Billie said.

They take their dinosaur puppets, and sometimes even Elvis, to groups and events – and pageants – and give educational and entertaining presentations, mixing humor with dinosaur facts.

They also use their dinosaurs in the talent portion of the pageant.

Billie’s first pageant was when she was as a teenager in Kentucky.

“Back then it was the big hair and sparkles, but I did it because I was very shy and very awkward and my mom said it would be good for me,” she said. “I got a lot out of it, and it helped me with my military career.”

In the Army, after studying to be a Korean linguist, she went into Counterintelligence and then the Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM) field.

“I ended up working at the White House Communication Agency (WHCA), where I was in charge of the TSCM program,” she said. “While at WHCA, I earned NCO of the Year twice. I think the skills I learned as a teenager doing pageants helped me overcome my general quietness and learn to perform in a professional manner even when I was out of my comfort zone.”

Pageants weren’t on her radar until about two years ago when she saw a mother/daughter team at a pageant at the local Scarecrow Festival and thought that was something she could do with ShelbyMae.

“I wanted to get a head start on showing her it’s good to get up and talk in front of people before she developed stage fright,” she said. “Also, it was about community involvement, so she collected donations for the Boys & Girls Club.”

From there they got involved in the Universal Global pageants, which she likes because they’re not focused on glamour.

She said she likes their emphasis on kids looking like kids and not mini-adults.

The adult pageants also emphasize “naturalness” rather than glamour, even while wearing a formal gown.

It’s also about doing good in your community.

As the reigning Tiny Miss Universal Global USA and Ms. Petite Universal Global USA, ShelbyMae and Billie will be spending the coming year out in the community.

“I want to take care of the world by cleaning it up to keep the Earth strong and healthy,” ShelbyMae said, adding, “One time, we cleaned up the beach and I thought a dead fish was trash.”

She also collects the leftover crayons restaurants keep on hand for kids. Instead of the restaurants throwing them out, ShelbyMae asks if she can have them to donate to schools.

She also has an online petition to persuade American Girl dolls to add a historical girl doll that is a paleontologist. To sign, go to: https://tinyurl.com/3ayrcnuk.

“The character could be named ShelbyMae with long brown hair and dark brown eyes,” the petition says. “She could be from a Caucasian and Filipino middle-class family that values education and supports her interest in science. She could be adventurous, curious, intelligent, and independent.”

Billie Tejada hopes to continue helping with PTSD awareness; she won the Hope Award at the national pageant for her efforts. She is also involved with helping animal rescue groups.

“It’s not just the crown and the banner and a prize package,” she said.

Nancy Kennedy can be reached at 352-564-2927 or by email at [email protected].

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