Features
Petite USA Pageant Sri Lanka in the spotlight
The Petite USA Pageant crowned this year’s National Titleholders (2022) at a record-setting event, held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this August, and Sri Lanka was in the spotlight, as well.
Over 150 contestants, from across the USA, were at the Hyatt Regency hotel, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to compete for the national titles of “Miss Petite USA”, “Teen Petite USA”, “Ms. Petite USA”, “Mrs. Petite USA,” and the inaugural “Elite Ms. Petite USA”.
Throughout these past 11 years, the Petite USA pageant has been promoting healthy competition, friendship among its members, and passion for serving the community and society.
This year, the state titleholders clocked almost 8,000 hours of community service, in their local regions, with many receiving President’s Volunteer Service Awards.
The new national queens were crowned in front of a live audience of over 200 people, and even more streaming from home. They won a prize package, with a combined value of over $25,000, plus a modeling contract with HOP Models, and a trip to attend, or compete, at the Universal Petite International Pageant, to be held next July, aboard a cruise to Mexico.
Sri Lanka’s Shayleena Wijerathna, who represented California (where she resides), was crowned Teen Petite USA.
Community work gives
this beauty immense
happiness
She is a sophomore, at Santiago High School, and is an aspiring model and actress and is currently being represented by Dreamscope Entertainment and Manikin Talent Agency.
Shayleena is the founder of her non-profit organization, called “Difference is Beautiful,” inspired by the quote “What makes you different is what makes you beautiful”.
Her YouTube channel has several fun-engaging activities, inspired by Speech, ABA and Occupational Therapies that can be easily used by parents, family members, caregivers of kids, with and without autism, and Q&A sessions with industry professionals, with the goal of normalizing autism and awareness.
As Teen Petite USA, her goal, she says, is to not only empower young girls but to help them embrace their beauty – no matter the height – as well as to reach a broader audience, as she continues to promote her platform during her reign.
She understands responsibilities and what it takes to be a role model. During her free time, she loves to connect with her community, through volunteering at local special education classes, daycare and elderly care centres.
Shayleena, who has two younger sisters, is also the recipient of the People’s Choice Award, and the Gold Presidential Award, for her Community Service and State Costume.
Shayleena was a guest, and represented Teen Petite USA at the Miss USA 2022 contest, held on October 3rd, 2022, at the Grand Sierra Resort, Reno Nevada, and had the privilege of meeting Miss USA 2021, Elle Smith.
She will also be hitting the runway, to represent petite women for @marcdefang at the New York Fashion Week, February 10-11, 2023, and will have a display on Times Square, for the world to see, and will be featured at the Awards Ceremony organized by the Sri Lankan Foundation International, on November 13th, 2022.
Shayleena Wijerathna is a shining example as to what our beauty queens should also be doing – serving the community and society, during their reign.
I hardly see it happening here, and that’s probably because we have no passion whatsoever, for getting involved in voluntary work.