Meet Maleah Lee

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maleah Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maleah, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

I found my ability to take risk through the Miss America Organization! For those who may not know what this organization is, the MAO is a scholarship pageant. I grew up as a very quiet and shy kid. I never liked stepping out of my comfort zone and took risk. The Miss America Organization came into my life through my sister competing in it. I watched her and instantly fell in love with what this organization is all about and how it truly changes lives. At first I wanted to back out of competing in my first local pageant. I was so afraid to step on stage and be in front of a large audience. It was a time in my life where I took a big risk and it truly did payoff. Throughout my years of competing I have gained many skills like public speaking and building opportunities for my community service initiative. I truly dedicate a lot of who I am today because of the Miss America Organization.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

So as I have wrote about, is that I compete in the Miss America Organization. One key component to competing is have a community service initiative. This is any topic or idea that someone is very passionate about and would like to see a change in. For me, I chose literacy and the importance it has on all ages. I named my community service initiative, “Open A Book, Open Your World” where I advocate for the importance of literacy and what one can do at any age to promote literacy. The reason I chose this was due to my own personal story. I was adopted from Guatemala, where my biological mother never had the opportunity to attend school. Since she never attended school, she never learned how to read or write which led her to struggle a lot growing up. When she had me she knew she could not afford to keep me so I was given up for adoption. One key part in my adoption story is since my biological mom never learned to read or write, she never learned how to write her own name. So, to sign documents she had to use her right hand thumbprint to stamp on the approval. Knowing this sparked my passion to make sure anyone and any age achieves success through reading. I have started my own non-profit called, “A Bundle of Books for Your Bundle of Joy” which gives a bundle of new books to newborn parents in hospitals to make sure that reading is installed at an early age. My own personal story is what sparked my passion with literacy and something I plan on growing.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

My best advice for those who are early in their journey is to just go for it. If I were told years ago I would start a non-profit I never would believe it because of how scared I was to try new things. My advice is to just go for things that you are passionate about and believe in. If you have a passion to see something in the world change then you can do a lot of things you would not think you are capable of. If not knowing where to start, always ask people who may be in a certain field or job that could help with your goal. I started gaining personal connections and so when I decided to start my non-profit I had those people help me a lot! Starting something new and not knowing if it will work out can be scary at times, but nine times out of ten the outcome is always worth it!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

My mom is one of the most intelligent people I know. She always taught me to never do things 50% and to always give 100% with everything I do. This has really stuck with me throughout the years because I work hard for every opportunity I am given. My mom has also always stuck with me and supported me with every simple or out there idea I have ever had. She is my number one supporter and I would not be here without her and her wisdom.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: “Maleah.lee_” & “Maleah.pageant”
• Facebook: Maleah Lee

Image Credits

no names.