Molly Causey Gilliam – Miss Louisiana 2005
Hi, my name is Molly. I’m a daughter, a wife, a mother, a teacher, and a former Miss Louisiana … wait, what?
That’s how most people respond when they learn that about me — and sometimes even I have to sit still, squint my eyes really hard, and try to remember that time in my life! I’ve been told before that I’m “the least pageant, pageant girl”… and in a lot of ways that’s true! My hair and makeup can be described, at best, as decent these days. I wear minimal sparkles and jewelry. And I only wear heels when absolutely necessary! These are just some of the things people think of when they think of “pageant girls.” But let me give you a glimpse into what it REALLY means, in my humble opinion, to be a pageant girl.
Let me go WAY back for a minute. My brother came home from school one day and told my mom that a boy in his class had played the piano for their music class, and he wanted to take lessons, too. Now, my family has very little (OK, zero) musical history. We’re more the sports type. My grandfather was Maxie Lambright, head football coach of Louisiana Tech University; my dad played football for my grandfather (and was dared to take out the head coach’s daughter — I’m sure glad he took that challenge!), and ninety-nine percent of my summer memories of growing up revolve around being at my brother’s baseball games.
Piano was foreign to us! But my mother supported my brother’s dreams, and soon I wanted to take lessons as well. What started as a “crazy idea my brother had” became a big part of my life. When I started lessons, I quickly realized I was pretty good. So, my mom, my piano teacher, and some friends who had also started this crazy adventure, started looking for any piano competition within driving distance, and we would load up and go! Piano was a huge, everyday part of my life, and competition is what drove me. I guess you could say it was the “sports” side of my family coming out in a different way. I won some. I lost some. But most importantly, I learned the lessons of perseverance and hard work.
Pageants started as another way to compete with my talent, playing the piano. Then the more I learned about the Miss America Organization, the more I fell in love. It encouraged me to not just focus on perfecting my talent, but to also become involved in my community, to push myself to be my best physically, and to gain enough confidence to do all of this while smiling and wearing five-inch heels! My mom was the most reluctant. A friend called to ask about this crazy rumor she heard — Linda’s daughter competing in a pageant? *gasp* My mom was silent; she didn’t know how to explain it. We just weren’t “pageant people.” But then my first scholarship rolled in, and she jumped on board!
Competing in the Miss Louisiana pageant became my “college job.” I earned enough scholarship money to graduate from college debt free and then to earn my master’s degree. Last, but certainly not least, I also gained some of the best, most meaningful friendships of my life. People always seem skeptical when I make that last comment — like girls who are competing for the same sparkly crown are cutting each other’s dresses, not cultivating friendships. Not everyone I competed with became my best friend, but lots of them did, and I’m so very thankful for these smart, beautiful, talented women that I have the honor to not just be acquainted with, but to be doing life with!
My day-today life as a mom is quite different from my day-to-day life as Miss Louisiana, but the big picture isn’t all that different. I still win some and lose some. Each day I challenge myself to be better. Each day I try to make the world a nicer, better place. Each day I cultivate the most important relationships in my life — my family! I’m so thankful that I came from a family that supported me, even when my dreams seemed crazy! And I CAN’T WAIT to support my own children’s crazy dreams one day!