Ocalan is 2021-22 National American Miss: Pageant focus includes community service, life skills, and inner beauty

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Posted December 10, 2021 | By Susan Smiley-Height

Ocala’s own Anna Ross will spend the next year reigning as our country’s National American Miss, and it’s a commitment she will embrace with the enthusiasm, skills, and poise that brought her to this milestone.

It was back in 2014 that Ross received a letter from the National American Miss (NAM) organization, inviting her to participate in the program, which she had never heard of. She has now been involved for seven years, including six at the national level. NAM representatives are chosen based on communications skills, poise and presentation, personality and confidence, and community service. The annual pageants award cash, scholarships, and prizes.

“NAM is the largest pageant system in the world for girls ages 4 to 24. We do not allow make-up on girls younger than 13 and we do not have a swimsuit contest. NAM is a platform to help girls find out who they are and what they can achieve,” said Tiffany Reilly with the organization.

“The thing about NAM is it’s all confidence based, so you’re not looking to get a score for what you look like. In terms of judging, it’s very much who you are inside and how you present that,” Ross added.

Ross, who attended Blessed Trinity School, Trinity Catholic High School, and Florida Virtual School before enrolling at American University in Washington, D.C., was competing this year as Miss District of Columbia. She previously competed as Miss Ocala and Miss Florida. This year’s pageant was held in Orlando with the culmination on Nov. 28. The next day, Ross was on an airplane back to D.C. to complete final exams for the semester. She is earning her undergraduate degree in political science with a concentration in American government and minor in environmental science, then will pursue a master’s in political communication.

As for that special moment when she realized she was the new National American Miss, Ross recalled, “It was crazy because, six years prior to that day, I was first runner-up. Going into the finale, I felt peaceful. I had worked hard, and I was content. But when I was left there on the stage with Miss Alabama, I was like, ‘Maybe this isn’t it.’ When I won, I literally screamed. I was very excited, and I cried a lot–but happy tears.”

Ross said her experiences with NAM have helped her become much more comfortable speaking in public and participating in interviews and that she is very appreciative of the deep friendships she has developed. The organization, she added, has “become more modern.”

“The main mission is to equip us with the life skills we need to succeed in the future and that looks a little different in 2021 than it did in 2014,” she said.

For the past three years, Ross worked with a coach and practiced on her own for more than an hour a day.

“I try to integrate pageant preparations with everyday life because I want to show up on stage as who I am in class or going to Starbucks or doing the things I do every day. That’s who I am going to be for a whole year, so I wanted them to see that,” she said of the judges.

There also was the fun but daunting task of putting together numerous ensembles. For the formal wear event this year, Ross said she had “loved” two gowns during a vendor trunk show so, “We took one part from one, another part from the other and put them together. It was a Frankenstein kind of thing, but it was my dream gown.”

Reilly said that in the coming year, “Anna is now the face of National American Miss. She will represent our brand and is a role model for girls all over the country. She will spend her year traveling during our summer tour, volunteering, and making appearances.”

Ross said some of the appearances will be solo and sometimes in concert with some of her 18 “sister” queens.

“One of them lives in D.C., so I’ll get to do lots of things with her. But my main mission will be to continue working with the American Cancer Society and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk here in D.C. I was on the planning committee for this past October and already for 2022, so I’ll be doing a lot of outreach, fundraising, and awareness. That was my platform, because of Mom’s connection,” she explained.

Not long after Ross got the NAM letter in 2014, her mother, Melanie Ross, the chief communications officer for UF Health, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Anna began competing around the time I had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2015. She wanted to focus her platform on breast cancer early detection and prevention, which I thought was a wonderful way for a teenager to face a challenge in life, to turn something that would understandably be stressful and upsetting into a determination to help others. To be able to embrace that issue in a positive way, I thought was really remarkable for someone who was so young at the time,” Melanie Ross offered.

“The pageant system’s motto is Growing Confidence, and Anna has certainly learned many life skills. All the participants contribute regularly to their communities and are very goal oriented. And it’s a nice environment; you often hear them talk about competing ‘with’ each other, not ‘against’ each other. I’m really proud of Anna because she set goals each year and never gave up. It was so rewarding to see her resilience and determination pay off. I think it’s wonderful that others recognize that in her and will perhaps learn from her example and embrace that in their own lives,” she added.

Anna Ross said she would be quick to encourage other girls considering NAM participation to “go for it.”

“It has not only transformed my confidence and given me internships, gotten me into college, it has given me so many friendships and relationships that I don’t know where I would be without. I just know that this organization is in my life for a reason and that it can change the lives of so many more girls.”

“When Anna first came to us and expressed an interest, I wasn’t sure what to think as I only knew what I saw about pageants on TV and did not have a positive impression of them,” Melanie Ross recalled. “But NAM has been an incredible part of her personal and professional growth through its focus on family, community service, and important life skills. I think it’s important to pick the system you are considering wisely and really look at what values are emphasized to make sure the system focuses on the right things. In the end, it’s not about winning the title, it’s about doing your best. If you always bring your best, then you’ve already won.”

Watching your child on stage during a national event can have a lasting impact as well.

“Some of my fondest memories over the years are watching Anna hang out with the friends she’s made and seeing those who return to visit even if they are no longer competing. This year, she got to spend time with a dear friend from Pittsburgh and others flew in from Washington state and D.C. to help cheer her on,” Melanie offered. “The finale was very exciting and when they called her name for top five, I was thrilled. When it got down to the final two, I think I was having an out-of-body experience. When she won, I just screamed. The poor man in front of me is probably deaf now. My favorite part, though, was when all the participants rushed from backstage into the ballroom to surround the stage; they were so happy for Anna. Then, they got on stage and took a group photo with her, and they all started singing ‘Time of My Life’ because that was the tune the DJ had on. It was pure joy.”

Anna said one of her favorite memories will be one that is much more serene.

“There was this hallway in the host hotel that I would walk every morning at 5 am to go to the hair and makeup room and there was never anyone there. I would use it as a time to prime myself and kind of reset, just walking and finding peace and calm. There are so many memories, but that’s one I keep coming back to. I would walk and think, ‘I’m glad I’m here. I get this opportunity. It’s amazing.’”