Spotlights are on. Smiles spread across contestants’ faces. Each is prepared to change the world. In the middle of this, is senior Sophie Reiss patiently waiting to represent South at the Miss Missouri Teen USA pageant.

Reiss has been competing in beauty pageants ever since her dance instructor pushed her to do them because she really wanted to see Reiss compete and she knew she would be good at it.

“Participating in pageants gives an opportunity to make a difference,” said Reiss.

In a pageant everyone has a platform and Reiss chose to focus on random acts of kindness.

“I wanted to talk about kindness because I can impact everyone. I got the idea from my dance team since they named me little miss sunshine. I like to spread kindness on social media and the world,” she said.

For Miss MO Teen USA, Reiss chose to represent South since she said she is so involved here and how it’s a big part of her life.

Not only does South play a part in her pageantry, her pageantry also helps her succeed in the classroom, according to math teacher Jason Koehrer.

“Sophie knows how to prepare. She knows you can’t just show up and expect to succeed. She has a kind, caring attitude and she is always smiling,” he said.

Many others agree that Reiss is just one of the nicest people you could meet.

“Sophie is all about the best person she can be and she models for others on how they can be their best self. When she was taking my teaching class, she really focused on how kindness can be taught on all levels,” said FACS teacher Monica Dickens.

Reiss said she believes that the stereotypes about pageants being only for skinny pretty people should be put to rest, because it is way more than a crown that these contestants want.

“The stereotype is that pageant girls are tall, blonde, and beautiful. We are all not ditzy like people think. The biggest misconception is that we are there just to win a crown. That is not the case for me. I want to use the crown to make a difference. We don’t go on stage to look pretty; we want to make a change,” said Reiss.

Her friends and teachers know she doesn’t want to just win the title, she wants to use it to change a problems that it going on in the world such as how random acts of kindness can make a person’s day turnaround for the better. They see she has the want to impact people in her community.

“She is an excellent communicator. Sophie has a lot of experience talking to younger students giving guidance lessons. She is comfortable speaking in front of a group. She is extremely kind and cares about other people. That seems to be one of her driving forces,” said counselor Rob Lappin.

Senior Sarah Schrader agrees.

“She is really outgoing and accepting of others and not just people who are like her. She is not afraid to speak her mind. She is not afraid to voice her opinion,” said Schrader.

Reiss said she loves competing in pageants so she can have a chance to impact the society she lives in. Even if she doesn’t win, that doesn’t stop her from spreading random acts of kindness. She uses her platform to her advantage as she encourages others to share their little effects to make the world a brighter place using the hashtag, #spreadingsunshine.

“Pageants are used as an avenue for empowering women. Women don’t have a lot of places to feel empowered so it is good to have something just for women,” said Reiss.

Most everyone who meets Reiss can agree that she has no bad bone in her body.

“She just exudes kindness,” said Koehrer.