Miss Fallbrook teens to serve community

The Fallbrook Village Rotary hosted the annual Miss Fallbrook and Miss Teen Fallbrook pageant June 6, via livestream. Jayden Dominique was crowned Miss Fallbrook, and Erica Nash was crowned Miss Teen Fallbrook.

After being crowned Miss Teen Fallbrook in 2018, Dominique said she was inspired to run as a Miss Fallbrook contestant this year because she missed serving the community, the excitement of meeting all the members of the community and the friendships she formed with the girls through the pageant.

Nash said she was inspired to run after seeing a family friend compete in the pageant and watching the involvement of the court in the Fallbrook community. She said she is excited for the opportunity to serve Fallbrook.

Both young women said they had a positive, memorable experience during the pageant, despite the unique circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dominique said, “The experience was definitely interesting. It wasn’t what we expected, but it felt more personal and it calmed my nerves.”

Nash felt the same way, she said, but that she missed the audience during the interview portion.

“It went very well and it was unique. Not many people can say they competed in a pageant during a global pandemic,” Nash said.

Dominique said that the pageant taught her to have faith in herself and her capabilities.

“I lacked confidence and I didn’t even know it, but we were taught to put ourselves out there and have confidence,” she said.

As she looked back on her year serving as Miss Teen Fallbrook in 2018 and forward to her opportunity of serving as Miss Fallbrook, she said she can see how much she’s grown in confidence.

Nash said that competing in the pageant helped her make friends with all of the contestants.

“We became a little family,” she said.

Both girls said they were excited for the future events, but mostly they were looking forward to reaching out and getting more involved in the community. Nash said she hoped that the Miss Fallbrook and Miss Teen Fallbrook courts will be able to “show everyone what Fallbrook is about.”

The court has participated in few community events so far, greeting community members.

Along with her Miss Fallbrook duties, Dominique said that she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her little brothers.

“They’re still really young, so when I spend time playing with them I feel like I’m reconnecting with my youth,” she said.

Dominique graduated from Fallbrook High School this year. She is an intern at her church, North Coast Calvary Chapel, and she has been helping her church create an online summer vacation Bible school for children.

Nash has been an active member in 4-H Club for eight years, serving on the executive team. She raises poultry, is an artist, is active in the community through National Charity League and enjoys horseback riding and training horses.

Both girls said they intend to major in psychology in college.

Dominique shared that after seeing the effects of the foster care system, she felt a pull toward a career in clinical psychology. Her platform during the Miss Fallbrook competition was about pediatric trauma in the foster care system. After spending so much time researching the topic, she knew that she needed to pursue a career in clinical psychology. She will attend Palomar College in the fall and transfer to a California State University campus later.

Nash also has a passion for psychology. The high school junior plans to major in psychology in college and become a psychiatrist. She would like to attend Stanford University or UC Santa Cruz.

Dominique and Nash said they want to make the most of their positions as role-models for young community members.

Dominique said, “I want the younger members of Fallbrook to know that this town is what you make of it, and you have to get involved to see the true beauty of Fallbrook.”

She said there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes to make all of the events in town happen, and she hoped that people will be inspired to get more involved.

Nash said she hoped to show the younger members of Fallbrook how to be a good leader, but she especially hoped to “show the little girls of Fallbrook that pageants are about so much more than being a pretty face. I want to show them that it’s about being a leader and serving your community to the best of your abilities.”