DMA student wins Miss Korea USA pageant rocking design from fellow Bruin
After winning the Miss Korea USA pageant, UCLA Arts Design Media Arts student Lily Kim traveled to Seoul, Korea to participate in the Miss Korea pageant. Ultimately, she removed herself from the competition due to conflicts with her study abroad schedule, but Kim says the experience with the pageant was a positive one. For the pageant, Kim wore a custom-designed bikini created by fellow Design Media Arts student, Carisse (CJ) Zepeda.
"Lily Chaeyoun Kim never considered participating in a pageant until she was approached by a Korean designer at a hair salon in October.
Rising third-year Carisse (CJ) Zepeda, a design media arts student, spent only two days designing a bikini for rising third-year Lily Chaeyoun Kim to wear in the Miss Korea USA pageant. (Courtesy of Danny Lee) The designer happened to be sitting next to Kim at the salon and asked her to model for her in Los Angeles Fashion Week.
Kim, a rising third-year design media arts student, took the opportunity to model for the clothing designer in October 2017, which later led her to vie for and win the title of Miss Korea USA. She was awarded the title at the USA leg of the pageant May 31 in New Jersey. After winning Miss Korea USA, Kim planned to participate in the Miss Korea pageant in Seoul, Korea on July 4, but her study abroad program at Seoul National University conflicted with the pageant. She said she had to drop out of the pageant in order to continue her studies during the summer. However, her experience with the USA leg of the pageant helped her reconnect with her Korean culture, Kim said.
“I was born and raised in Korea but I had moved to the United States when I was small, so I definitely forgot about what it means to actually be a Korean,” Kim said. “Having the title of Miss Korea definitely gives me a little bit more Korean pride.”
Kim began preparing for the Miss Korea USA pageant two months before the competition. To get in shape for the pageant, she said her adviser placed her on a diet of salad, chicken and eggs, telling her to go to the gym every morning and night. To get ready for the bikini walk, gown walk and talent portion, Kim took classes in posture, walking, makeup and dance. Kim also said she had never given presentations or interviews in Korean before so it was important of her to take a Korean speech class.
Although Kim decided to drop out of the Korean leg of the pageant in favor of her studies, she said walking the ramp also gave her useful life skills. The pageant taught Kim confidence, she said. During the bikini and gown walks, competitors fought against one another to show the most confidence, so participating in the pageant encouraged her to become assured in herself. Kim also said one of her greatest challenges was learning to manage her time, as each day was packed with the different aspects of preparation for the pageant."— Polina Cherezova, Jul. 8, 2018
This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the Daily Bruin website.
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