Kalena Gadoury, 21, Lexington Park

Kalena Lyn Gadoury, 21, of Lexington Park will compete for the title of MISS MARYLAND USA 2007 on November 3 – 5, at the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda.

Miss Gadoury is the daughter of Walter Gadoury and Karen Kroll. She plans to attend College of Southern Maryland and lists her hobbies as singing, dancing, coaching gymnastics, and just being herself: “fun, outgoing, spontaneous, vibrant, and intelligent.”

Gadoury currently works as a management analyst for Integrated Systems Solutions Inc., where she has worked since the beginning of April. “I absolutely love it,” she says of her job. 
 
“My Mother entered me in pageants as a child, and I happened to win first place in the Tiny Stars of America pageant in the state of Rhode Island, then continued on to the National pageant where I took 13th out of 50 contestants,” Gadoury told The Bay Net, of her inauguration in pageants.

“A few years ago, I started competing in the Miss Rhode Island pageant in the hope to win and reach out to young women about self esteem and other challenging issues that women face daily,” says Gadoury.  “I want to be that role model that I looked up to when I was younger.  I want to make a difference.”

“I do help my community now,” Gadoury said, “but it is one thing when it is Kalena helping, but you get a totally different outcome when it is Miss Maryland USA helping out.” 

In particular, Gadoury wants to encourage other women perseverance. “I want to show people not to give up, I have been at this for three years now, and still have not even placed, but I am striving for my goal, which is to be the next Miss Maryland USA.”
 
“I came here to be with a man that I was going to marry, but things did not work out.  I decided instead of running, I would stay and become a more independent woman and make it on my own in a place that I really didn’t know.  I landed a great job, met some awesome people, and have helped out more in my community.  I want to make my parents proud, and I know that they are proud to see that I can make it on my own, in the ‘real world’.”  

 

Currently she is involved in many community activities, including volunteering at Three Notch Theatre, which she has been active in since she moved to the area last year. Gadoury also volunteers with disaster relief, and is in the process of becoming a Big Sister. She has participated in the hurricane Katrina Benefit, Stuff-A-Bus program, Earth Day programs.  Next month she will be helping with the Sotterley Ghost Tours. “I have found that there is so much to do to benefit my community (and not enough time to do all that I would like to) and I am working on splitting up my time between organizations,” Gadoury told The Bay Net.
 
To prepare for the pageant Gadoury is “just trying to eat healthy and exercise regularly.” She doesn’t want to take any preparatory classes or interview courses because she wants to be herself. “If I cannot win being myself, then I don’t want to win,” she says.