Morgan McMichen Represents Czech/Slovak U.S.
Photo credit: Janet Rogers, Division of Strategic Marketing and Communications.
Instead of playing with dolls with her cousins, Morgan McMichen spent more of her childhood playing with her grandmother’s world globe.
Perhaps her innate fascination with different cultures and her babička’s – or grandma’s – influence are the reasons she is now serving as Queen of the Czech Republic and Slovakia communities in the U.S.
McMichen, a master’s student in Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, recently won the title of Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. and will reign during the next year. An essential criteria for selection of the queen focused on the contestants’ knowledge of their ancestry and pride in their culture.
She began learning about her culture early in life from her grandma, Phyllis Hanes of Sugar Creek, Mo., who would point to their ancestors’ land on her globe and recite poems and proverbs passed down from generation to generation.
“My favorite one was ‘Vařila myšička kašičku,’ the story of a little mouse. I would have her recite it over and over so I could hear the exotic Bohemian language of her mother, Christina Pečenka,” said McMichen.
“Since then I have done extensive research and have rediscovered a lineage so bountiful and well documented that we continue to learn more every day.”
McMichen said for as long as she can remember, she has been intrigued by the differences in people and has asked questions about others’ cultures and backgrounds. This curiosity led to her decision to pursue a degree in anthropology and to learn all she can about her ancestors.
One of the things on her “to do list” is to visit the family cemetery – Pečenka Family Cemetery, located in Marysville, Kan.
“I have not yet had the opportunity to visit, but my grandmother visited many years ago. This September, we plan to go together.”
McMichen learned about the Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. pageant through social media, first competing in 2010 as an at-large candidate and again this year. She chose this pageant because she can highlight her passion for her Czech heritage.
“Unlike beauty pageants such as Miss America, the Miss Czech-Slovak U.S. pageant is a heritage pageant,” said McMichen. “Although all of the contestants are beautiful, the focus is placed on each contestants’ knowledge and pride in their ancestry and culture. The queen serves as an ambassador to the Czech and Slovak culture and must be well versed in both.”
The pageant awards more than $10,000 in cash prizes. Contestants must be between the ages of 16-26, a single and unwed female, and of Czech, Slovak or Silesian decent.
There are four categories required for contestants. They are: private interview with the judges, on-stage interview, Kroj (costume) modeling and talent.
McMichen won the oratory award, which was presented to the contestant with the highest combined scores for both interviews, and the Best Authentic Kroj.
“The talent portion of the competition was one of my favorite categories because it allowed each contestant to demonstrate her personality,” said McMichen. “Our talents included point dancing, puppet shows, accordion solos and fairytale skits, and the only stipulation was that the talent must be related to Czech/Slovak culture. I performed a Czech-Slovak fairytale skit created by my aunt, grandma and me.”
The skills desired for the competition centered on knowing the history of the land and your personal lineage. According to the new queen, details could include the significance of each piece of an ethnic dress, as well as why a certain pattern is used on a vest in one village and not the next.
“The main point is that you must have the brains, and lots of them,” said McMichen.
As national queen, she will serve as ambassador for the Czech and Slovak cultures and participate in the Czech-Slovak festivals and conferences, including the 25th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Washington D.C.
A highlight of her reign will include a trip to the both capitals, Prague and Bratislava, and her ancestral village of Litomsyl, but McMichen has a specific goal to accomplish while serving as queen.
“On a daily basis, my job is to educate others on the two cultures and serve as a role model to my community. I also will implement my vision of boosting youth involvement, which I feel is vital to the survival of our Czech and Slovak communities in the United States,” said McMichen.
McMichen received approximately $5,500 in scholarships to help fund her education – hopefully, a Ph.D. in Socio-cultural anthropology.
“I want to have a successful and effective reign and enjoy every minute of it. Ultimately, I have a goal to inspire others and fuel the enthusiasm I feel every day about my culture,” said McMichen.
“Afterwards I will continue my education and work for the United Nations or a similar entity to help promote world peace through cultural understanding.”
|Wandra Brooks Green, Division of Strategic Marketing and Communications