P18
September 2013
Miss Arizona Jennifer Smestad, who is enrolled to
study communications and exercise science at GCU,
says her struggles have made her a stronger person.
Photo courtesy of Mayda Mifflin/Miss Arizona pageant
The current Miss Arizona, who is enrolled at Grand
Canyon University for the fall and will compete for
the crown of Miss America on Sept. 15 in Atlantic
City, N.J., felt embarrassed and misunderstood
as a sufferer of Tourette syndrome. She was first
diagnosed at the age of 10.
“My great-uncle had it,” says Smestad, 20, who is
from Gilbert, Ariz. “It was very hard for me to go
through, and I tried to hide it. But there was no way
I could hide every single tic.”
Smestad says she was teased by “people who didn’t
know they were hurting me” as she endured the head
jerking and hand twitching common with Tourette’s.
It wasn’t until she underwent six weeks of alternative
medical treatment, including acupuncture, that her
symptoms receded as a pre-teen.
She says the disorder remains under control,
adding that the struggle supplied some hard-won
spiritual strength.
“I really grew with God through this,” she says. “I
would ask Him why I had it, and I even asked Him
to take my life away. My mom told me He gave it to
me for a reason, and that I’d do something good
with it someday. Now I thank Him for it and for the
opportunity to help others.”
Smestad, who has been active in the Arizona
chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Association,
says she was about 8 when she took an interest
in beauty pageants. Her mother discouraged
participation, she says, so instead she played sports
(volleyball and softball) and joined cheerleading
and dance teams.
Jessica Peacock
, her cheerleading coach at
Chandler High School and a special-education
teacher, remembers Smestad more for her
volunteer spirit.
While organizing a Special Olympics cheer team
that included disabled youths, Peacock was
impressed by Smestad’s enthusiasm for the task.
“Although she was busy with school and
extracurricular activities, she never missed a
Special Olympics practice or event,” Peacock
recalls. “She did an outstanding job of
encouraging (those with) intellectual disabilities,
building confidence and a sense of belonging.”
That experience led Smestad to join Chandler
Buddies, a club at the school that was designed
to foster one-on-one relationships between
disabled students and their peers. She also
stopped by Peacock’s class to visit those
students and sought them out in the hallways or
at lunch, the teacher says.
“She has impacted the lives of many with
disabilities,” Peacock says.
Smestad attended Chandler-Gilbert Community
College for two years and had planned to transfer
to one of the three Arizona state universities or
GCU. After visiting only Arizona State University
and GCU, her decision was made.
GCU “is not too big,” she says, “and the vibe (of the
campus) seemed to fit me.”
Although she is relatively new to the pageant game,
with slightly more than a year of competing, she says
her faith helps keep her nerves in check.
“I say a prayer every time before going onstage,”
Smestad says. “I don’t know what to expect (in
Atlantic City). I’ll be taking God there with me.”
Team Smestad also includes two makeup/hair
stylists, two trainers and a vocal coach. Smestad
says she eventually wants a career as a country
singer or sports broadcaster – she will major in
communications and exercise science at GCU – but
for now she’s the one all the little girls want to be.
“They just stare at me, and they love to try on the
(Miss Arizona) crown,” she says. “They look up to
the crown. They want to be the princess.”
■
Miss America 2014 finals
When:
Sunday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m. (Arizona
time) on ABC-TV
Where:
Atlantic City, N.J.
First pageant:
1921
Miss Americas from Arizona (2):
1949
(Jacque Mercer), 1965 (Vonda Kay Van Dyke)
– by Doug Carroll
Miss Arizona, a GCU student,
conquered Tourette syndrome
It
’s difficult to believe as she talks about it, but there was a
time when
Jennifer Smestad
hated to be seen in public.
Faith Over Fear
