Pageantry is not just a hobby for junior Nicolene Limsnukan. Instead, for Miss Teen Asia and Miss Thai New Year 2014, pageantry is a lifestyle. The amount of passion and dedication she puts into her pageant work has helped her come very far. Since the age of 6, she has been working hard to meet her goals of becoming Miss USA and eventually Miss Universe.

At the pageants she competes in different subgroups. At the beginning of the pageant day she starts off in an opening dance with the rest of the contestants to show off their dance skills. Next, Limsnukan competes in National costume, wearing clothes representing Thailand. Her costume designer, Yaya from The Phukaw company, designs a specific costume made from fine materials and authentic jewels from Thailand. The dress is designed to fit her specifically. Then, she competes in the bathing suit portion, which consists of sportswear and a more conservative style swimsuit. To wrap up the pageant, she puts on her evening gown and walks down the aisle to show off her dress. She is asked questions by the judges about her pageant life and her goals. Limsnukan has won Best National Costume, Miss Congeniality, Best Sports Wear, and Best National Costume, along with Miss Teen Asia and Miss Thai New Year 2014 over the course of her career.

“My craziest experience on stage was when my costume fell apart on stage. I was so embarrassed and I thought I was not going to win best National Costume,” Limsnukan said. “ I was really frustrated during the whole competition, but I tried not to show it. The judges did not even notice.”

To prepare herself for pageants, she trains hard to master the runway walk and practices answering the judges’ questions. Finding sponsors and connecting with other pageant members and agents is also a part of the pageant process. Along with winning such prestigious titles in the pageant world, Limsnukan also models, recruits young girls to pageantry at different charity events, volunteers at a hospital for disabled children, and resides as the current Color Guard Captain. Balancing school, pageant rehearsals, and Color Guard practices are strenuous, but she is very skilled with time management and surrounding herself with the right kind of people.

Limsnukan has been awarded Global Ambassador along with her titles. She recruits young girls and helps them in the pageant process. Next year she will be invited to join a panel of judges for pageantry. Limsnukan enjoys competing in pageants because they open up new opportunities and experiences to a different kind of world.

“Nicolene works harder than any other girl and she cares for everyone a lot,” friend Dylan Mejia said. “She would go out of her way to help anyone who needed comfort.”

Limsnukan enjoys helping younger girls to achieve their dreams to win a title of their own. She is part of the Virgelia Productions where they host pageants for different titles such as Miss Teen Asia USA, Miss Asia USA, and Miss International. She is planning on exploring different industries to help reach her goal. After she achieves her goal of becoming Miss Universe, Limsnukan plans on advising others who want to reach the same heights that she has. She hopes to promote the pageant lifestyle to give contestants tips and guidance to become the next Miss Universe.