We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Vanessa Van Dyke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Vanessa below.
Vanessa, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Developing my confidence and self-esteem was quite a long journey, and I consider it to be one of the journeys in my life that I am most proud of due to how far I’ve come since the young girl I was who was afraid to even speak in public. After I was faced with bullying and even faced with expulsion from my private school at 12 years old for wearing my natural hair, I spiraled into depression and even became suicidal as I thought that the way I looked would never become acceptable and not pretty enough for society’s standard of beauty. At 12 years old, it was difficult for me to understand that I was beautiful while facing this backlash not only from my school, but outside sources as well due to this story going viral through the news, and eventually through multiple media platforms. While I was now in the spotlight, I was faced with even more struggles with my confidence due to the pressure of being in the public eye which was also critical of me and my story. However, I wasn’t aware that I would have a wave of support from different public figures such as Tamron Hall, Elle Varner, hosts from The Real, Shannon Ligon, my former attorney in Orlando, Florida, and many more. These people have made an unforgettable impact on my confidence because they stood up for me against the backlash I was facing at the time. Shannon Ligon, for example, was one of the those prominent figures who began building my self-esteem from the ground up as she was one of the ladies that started a charity event held annually around Christmas in order to assist young children in orphanages and shelters. At this event, I was able to speak in front of the public regarding my story and how I overcame a negative obstacle, turning it into a positive by now having my own haircare line called, “Vanessa’s Essence.” By speaking every year at this event, my confidence grew because I realized how many lives I was impacting by sharing my story.
Fast forward to 2019 when I was accepted into not only my dream school, but also the #1 HBCU in the nation, Spelman College. This was also the same year in which I began competing in the Miss Universe Organization and competed in my very first pageant, Miss Georgia Teen USA. I was still developing confidence at this time, but I figured that pageantry would help me feel more confident as I am being my true authentic self on stage. Although I did not place Top 15 this year, I felt a tug at my heart telling me to try again the following year, and so I did. I placed Top 15 at Miss Georgia USA as I had aged out of the teen division. The following year, I placed first runner-up to Miss Georgia USA 2022, also placing first runner-up to Miss Georgia USA 2023 in November 2022.
If I told my younger self that I would be wearing my natural hair at one of the biggest preliminary pageants to Miss USA while placing first runner-up to the title twice in a row, I would have told you that you were absolutely insane. Being in the Miss Universe Organization has been a life-changer for me and one of the sources to having the confidence I do now at 22 years old and made me realize that I had a calling, and that was to continue showing the world that I was going to be unapologetically me no matter what. I am now a Spelman College Alumna with Latin Honors, earning my real estate license, the brand ambassador and spokesperson of Vanessa’s Essence Natural Haircare, and gearing up to compete once again for Miss Georgia USA 2024 in June of next year. I look back at my younger self now, and I wish that I could have told her that God has bigger plans for me and I now wholeheartedly believe that He does.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a proud Spelman College Alumna now focusing on earning my real estate license here in Atlanta, Georgia, while also focusing on expanding and rebranding my haircare line. I want to focus on launching my products into well-known stores as well as small boutiques and beauty supply stores. In addition to this, I am currently Miss Heart of GA USA, a Miss Georgia USA 2024 contestant where I will be competing for this title in June of next year in hopes to compete for the national title, Miss USA 2024.
I also began my pageant consulting/coaching business this year and I am currently working on my website to take new clients. I found that I love helping others on their journey in pageantry because I can share my own advice and how I developed confidence in pageantry, and I have a passion for doing that for others as well.
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?
Looking back, I feel the quality that has helped me throughout my journey is certainly determination. I like to consider myself as the woman who does not hear the word, “no.” I always think about the saying, “if one door closes, another one opens,” and I constantly live by that saying every single day in my life when I am thinking about taking another step towards my dreams. I take for example competing for Miss Georgia USA and continuing to be persistent in this pageant. Though it was not my time for the past 4 years of competing, I did not let discourage me from continuing what I feel in my heart to keep going after. I have also been rejected from multiple modeling agencies throughout the years that I have been pursuing a career in modeling. However, I have recently been signed to Select Models Atlanta, one of the most prominent modeling agencies in the world. I want to remind those to not let failure hold you back from pursuing your dreams and goals. To me, “failure” and rejection in life is the first step towards truly making a difference in others’ lives as rejection also builds character and persistence.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
My biggest area of growth in the past 12 months is realizing my dedication towards my mental and physical health. One thing that I have picked up in the past couple months is working with a personal trainer to prepare for Miss Georgia USA as well as modeling. I genuinely used to dread working out because I was impatient with the results and had no clue how to use most gym equipment and if certain machines were right for me to build the muscle that I wanted. Now that I am working with a trainer, I am being pushed out of my comfort zone, but I am also seeing results in terms of healthy eating habits and my physical fitness.
I’ve been working with a personal trainer, Tiyanna Page @therealcoachty in Atlanta, Georgia.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @vanessavandyke
- Other: Tiktok: @vanessacvandyke
Image Credits
Carlos Velez
