Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisabeth Bradley-Gandara.
Hi Elisabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My name is Elisabeth Bradley- Gandara, I’m 28, and this is a bit of my story. I was born into a very poor Christian missionary family, with five brothers. My parents were deeply involved in pastoral ministry as missionaries; later my father became a stay-at-home dad, and my mother worked full time due to my father’s service-related mental disability. Even though homelessness, food insecurity, abuse, and poverty plagued my childhood- I was a very loving, hopeful, and creative child. I continue to carry with me values that I’ve always counted as beautiful and necessary in the world, such as sincerity and humanity.
I did my first pageant at 13, but really dove into pageantry at age 21, while I was living in Arizona. What drew me to compete in pageants was that it served as a way to dream again. I had just gone through a lot of emotional healing and I was left with no new dream for my life. I believe in prayer, and I really prayed that God would help me to dream again. It was then that an opportunity to do a beauty pageant came into my life, Miss Arizona USA, and I recognized it as an open door. I focus a lot of gratitude on that pageant specifically; because it was the one that catapulted me to where I am today.
The success I found in doing it was learning that failure is the greatest launch to success and imperative growth. I took every pageant thereafter and became more confident in myself because I recognized failure would not define me or define the compass of my life- so, I cultivated lasting healthy relationships, planted myself in organizations and communities where I could find solutions for problems facing youth and people who were food insecure (no age discrimination), and I worked very hard on myself.
Fast forward through a lot of pageants, and moving to Los Angeles a week before Covid-19 for the music industry, (music got put on hold and I got a job working in National Defense); I was a new resident of Utah preparing to compete for the local title of Miss Utah County USA 2022 that I would go on to win. I remember the weekend of the local pageant, I was with my mom and friend, Namie, at our hotel, and I told Namie that I didn’t like the word, “win”. I felt that to say I wanted to win was to be selfish and hateful, and I didn’t want to be associated with those qualities.
My friend really encouraged me that we are all entitled to pursue something worthwhile in our lives, and it’s good to want to succeed. I really took that to heart, and gained a newfound joy in knowing I too was entitled to my dreams- and I won the pageant. Leading up to the state competition, a big part of my personal preparation was learning to get past voices of judgment and over to believing in myself. Believing in oneself, for me, was a total journey. I began re-watching Rocky as a way to empower myself in self-belief and self-confidence. I found so much zest and hope for a life that I knew no one could take from me.
What was my “why” for competing for Miss Utah USA 2022, and having a vision for Miss USA? It was Crystle Stewart’s rebranding of Miss USA to be #PageantryReimagined. Along with this was the recognition of my desire to be a missionary of love and hope to Utah and to the world. To me, if a statewide, national, and worldwide organization (Miss Utah USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe) sends anyone to people who are in need or hurting- I pray that it’s me.
Working together, we accomplish more than if doing so alone. We are all citizens of this world, and as such, we are all entitled to respect, love, hope, and peace. We are deserving of our needs and our desires being fulfilled.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
On the bumpy road, I gained newfound joy from accepting that the word, “win” was a good word. I also empowered myself by re-watching the Rocky movies. I really relate to Rocky’s person, and his overcoming all that was against him.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently work full-time as a nanny to two precious little boys. I am continuing in my profession that I began right before Covid-19 halted and so tragically affected the world, as a classical-crossover recording artist, (I am classically trained in Opera).
I have sung for La Toya Jackson and Virgin Music Record Executives. I currently train with a renowned vocal coach, Gary Catona. A record is currently in the works.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
People. It is good to live a life in minds of others. People matter, and it matters what we do for others. Leading a life that recognizes and helps others will never overshadow or diminish us.
However, living a life that does the opposite, without people at its core, will. If we have the means and ability to help others, we ought to. Love can be spelled: P-e-o-p-l-e.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @elisabeth_bradley_gandara and @missutusa
Image Credits
Fadil Berisha @fadilberishaphotography, Anabel Vargas makeup artist @anabelvargasmakeup, and Ernest Ukshinaj @ernest.mua for hair
