Elizabeth Tran parents immigrated from Hong Kong and Vietnam to pursue the American Dream in Florida. The two met at a Disney college program working at Chinese restaurant in Epcot. This would eventually come back around as Elizabeth participated in the Disney Friends for Change Program as an adolescent.Elizabeth’s parents being immigrants of asian descent with a drive to succeed put a huge emphasis on success through academics. She went through school remaining a straight-A student at the top of her class. While Elizabeth was very intelligent, the word ‘pageant’ just wasn’t in her vocabulary. It all started with a letter in the mail from National American Miss. She learned that this was a competition where girls would wear dresses, but didn’t know anything else. Can you blame her though? She was only 8 years old!For four years Elizabeth competed in National American Miss Florida and the Miss American Coed pageants, never placing once. She would usually be close to last place at the local or preliminary level. She developed a mindset where she never expected to win, so she focused on having fun each year. She truly got to enjoy the experience because she didn’t expect to win, plus at 12 years old she was just trying to figure out who she was! To learn more about Katherine McQuade listen to this week’s podcast and follow her on Instagram, @misselizabethtran!Additional Resources: Interested in competing? Click find a pageant do discover a pageant near you!Shop for your next pageant dress! Want to sell your pageant items? Click here to get started. All countries are welcome to sell!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.