Macy Eminger and Emily Faith, both of Kingfisher, competed recently in statewide pageants.

Faith was the second runner-up and overall talent winner in the Miss Oklahoma’s Outstanding Teen pageant where she competed as Miss Oklahoma City’s Outstanding Teen.

She won $7,200 in scholarship money.

Eminger competed in Miss Oklahoma as Miss Elk City.

Both pageants were held June 4-8 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa.

Eminger is the daughter of Mason and Courtney Eminger and a 2015 graduate of Kingfisher High School.

Faith is the daughter of Chad and Shelley Sanders and is currently a junior at Epic Charter High School.

This was 16-year-old Faith’s second time competing in the state pageant.

For the talent portion of the event, Faith sang “Don’t Rain On My Parade.”

She was also named top scholarship advertising winner for the second year in a row.

Eminger, now 22 years old, began pageants during her junior year of high school and has since competed in the Miss SWOSU pageant and Miss Elk City prior to competing at the state level.

Both competitions consisted of a preliminary round, on-stage questions, a private interview with the judges and a final round of competition.

For Eminger’s talent portion of the competition she played “La Vie En Rose” on her flute.

“I played a Super Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda mashup at the local pageant,” said Eminger. “I decided at the state level I should play something more lyrical and serious.”

Both girls said they began preparation months in advance.

“I began interview preparation and working out with a nutrition plan,” said Faith. “You have to be both physically fit and mentally fit because it is a long, exhausting week.”

Faith added that she also did a lot of volunteer work locally in the Kingfisher area as well as in Oklahoma City.

“It was a long process but it was definitely worth it in the end and I am so thankful for all the support I had from family, friends and local businesses along the way,” said Faith.

For the pageant, competitors choose a social impact statement or a platform they support.

For Faith, the platform she chose was “Write Your Own Story,” which promotes and educates people about the healing power of expressive creative art therapy.

“A really unique thing about art therapy is when you practice it, you not only are healing yourself, but it affects people around you and can help them through whatever may be going on in their life,” said Faith.

Faith added that she uses songwriting and music as a cathartic way to express what she is feeling.

Eminger’s social impact statement was “Always Be Humble and Kind.”

“I chose this because I’ve become acutely aware of how unkind people are at every turn to each other. I think there are so many social issues that connect to this central theme and could be fixed just by being more kind to each other,” said Eminger.

“Everyone experiences this issue and we all talk about it, but nothing is being done about it. I believe that beginning to talk about it with the younger children who will be our leaders some day is the best way to change this. It is our obligation to talk about it and figure out how to change it.”

Both Eminger and Faith said what drew them into the Miss Oklahoma pageants was the opportunity to receive scholarships, but their favorite part of the week was developing friendships with the other competitors.

“The organization does more for you as a candidate than you could ever dream and along with all of the perks there are friendships you gain for a lifetime. Competing in this organization is not just competing,” said Eminger. “This organization is like a sisterhood. These women build each other up. We are all applying for the job of a lifetime and we are all excited for whoever accomplishes that goal.”

Added Faith: “Past competitors always say you leave MOKOTeen with 32 new best friends and after this year, I really understand what they mean by that. I left with a super close bond with the other girls.”

Faith has one more year of eligibility for the teen pageant and plans on competing in MOKOTeen for her third time next year.

When not doing school work or preparing for pageants, Faith, who currently lives in Kingfisher, can usually be found performing as a singer around and outside of Oklahoma.

She is also a songwriter and travels to Nashville several times per year to write and record.

“When I’m not doing any of that, I usually hang out with friends and family just being a normal teen,” she said.

Eminger is currently the general manager of the Sonic in Sayre, but plans to go back to SWOSU in a few years to finish her degree in mass communications with a minor in music.

Eminger said the Sonic brand and Castleberry company have not only supported her with her educational pursuits, but also through her pageant journey.

“They have donated to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital every single year for me,” she said.

Eminger will be giving up her title as Miss Elk City in November, but said she plans to compete in other local pageants.