The First Bouncer To Win Miss Hawaii

Malika Dudley, in Las Vegas this week for the first Miss America pageant outside Atlantic City, has high hopes of bringing home another crown

Friday - January 20, 2006
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Dudley keeps up with current events by mixing pageant training with her personal life. “I’ll have dinner with one of my friends, who is a political science major, and then I’ll go to the beach the next day with another friend, who is a Hawaiian studies major. I work it into my life wherever I can.”

Time management has been the most challenging aspect of becoming Miss Hawaii, says Dudley.

“It’s been different than I thought it would be,” she says. “It’s like any job. They give you a job description and they say ‘these are your duties,’ but then once you get into it, things aren’t what you expected so you have to be flexible. I’m trying to make sure I get everything done that I should be doing and that I want to do and that I’m contributing to the community. The year goes by so fast.”

Dudley has already traveled to Japan three times and has gone interisland to Maui, Kauai and her hometown on the Big Island several times.

“I’ve come to notice that every appearance is different,” she says. “One day I’m giving a speech at the Rotary Club, the next day I’m singing Christmas songs at the Jeffereson Elementary School toy drive, and then the next day I’m at the Hawaii Tourism Authority luncheon presenting awards. Every day is different. But still what matters to me most is doing my charity work with HUGS and Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

In her free time, Dudley likes to surf, and has surf racks and Wet Okole seats in her Miss Hawaii Mercedes Benz.

Dudley also likes to keep up with her karate, something she has been doing since she was 5 . Her father is the head sensei at the Hilo Dojo.

Dudley will be approaching Miss America as she has approached her martial arts training: Never give up.

“Every single aspect of the pageant has helped me to grow as a person,” she says. “I would suggest it to anyone to run in the Miss Hawaii program because I really believe it’s a growing experience. It’s not about competition - it’s not about being better than someone else. It’s about doing things to the best of your ability and letting yourself shine through. It really forces you to do all those things that people should be doing in regular life: to really take a good look at yourself and find out who you are and what you really believe in and what your goals are.”

Dudley says everyone is always full of advice as to how she should act on stage and what she should say, but she tries not to lose herself.

“I think what has gotten me this far in the pageant is that I never do anything that I think will change who I am,” she says.

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