Wolf to Watch – Skylar Bantz

Get the scoop on Westside’s own “model” student!

Miss Kemah Teen Skylar Bantz
photo courtesy of Miss Kemah
Miss Kemah Teen Skylar Bantz

Skylar Bantz is making a storm in her glamorous pursuits, from acting out in T-Pro, to being active in Future’s Academy while in the heat of senior year; this ‘Miss Kemah Teen 2016’ has a very bright future (no pun intended) ahead of her!

When we asked her about how she balances her academic responsibilities with her performances, she provided some insight we should all take note of, “To be honest, it’s very hard! I like to keep a planner and make sure I have everything on my calendar and on my phone as well. It’s not the easiest thing in the world but managing it helps me for whenever I have a title at the same time as my extracurricular activities”

Skylar’s endeavors might seem all ‘glitz and glam’ but her title comes with no shortage of hard work and time management. On a typical evening after school, Skylar puts in work at the gym, practices training for interviews and on top of that does homework:

“Futures gives quite a lot of work; I work on it until I go to sleep!”

Skylar specified that interview training is the most important when preparing for a pageant! “ You only have two minutes to show the judges who you are, that you’re a smart individual, and you’re willing to use the title for a good purpose rather than being just a ‘pretty face’”

She also clarifies that “hitting the gym is a must”: because fitness and health is important in pageantry. She goes to the gym seven days a week if she can budget it into her schedule. However, She states that she doesn’t care what people think of her body during the swimsuit portion and feels empowered while walking on stage with confidence derived from herself only! Go Skylar!

Lastly, she assures us that finding the perfect dress is not the number one priority but she does like to go for something she feels is “age appropriate”. That’s right! She holds a title, but she is humble and recognizes that she’s still a teenager; even if she’s juggling a lot of responsibilities.

Now after all this, you might ask, what got Skylar involved in the busy world of pageantry?

Her mom is a makeup artist and a lot of the clients her mother sees are pageant contestants! After getting a peek of these women, she was curious about forming new friendships and feeling like her best self! So many years later, her curiosity turned into a reality!

Fun fact: in the fifth grade, she invited Miss Texas at the time to speak at show and tell and she actually advanced to winning the Miss USA title!

While interviewing Skylar, there was one question she was particularly passionate about:

We asked her to speak about some of the misconceptions of pageantry and the people involved:

“A lot of people think that pageant girls have no brains, all have to look the same, and have to have ridiculous amounts of money! Society in general thinks that the performers involved only care about the title!”

Skylar debunks societal perception by educating us about what she saw growing up and her personal experiences.  She has seen many women grow and mature through pageantry and adopt skills they learn into their everyday lives. Additionally, these women are making impacts by speaking about important issues such as domestic violence.

P.S. Her mom also shared the same title as Skylar (Formerly known as Miss Bay Area Teen). It must run in the family!

There you are folks, the mystery of how our own Miss Kemah Teen  walks the walk and works the work. A special thanks to Skylar for giving us the inside scoop! We’ll be rooting for you at the Miss Texas Teen Competition in November!