Thank you to Gary Herron for the lovely article!
Mrs. Rio Rancho honored to represent community
By Gary Herron
Observer staff writer
Published on Sunday, March 1, 2009 10:47 AM MST
There’s a celebrity in the midst of all the students and faculty at Cielo Azul Elementary in Northern Meadows: Mrs. Rio Rancho. You might know her as Nicole Bent, 28, a newcomer to the area but armed with her master’s degree from West Virginia University and a desire to pass on healthy living to her new hometown. Bent works as a social worker for the school district.
There’s a celebrity in the midst of all the students and faculty at Cielo Azul Elementary in Northern Meadows: Mrs. Rio Rancho. You might know her as Nicole Bent, 28, a newcomer to the area but armed with her master’s degree from West Virginia University and a desire to pass on healthy living to her new hometown. Bent works as a social worker for the school district.
At this summer’s Mrs. New Mexico pageant (June 18-10 in Albuquerque), she hopes to advance to the Mrs. America pageant. Bent almost sounds like a typical beauty pageant contestant, sans asking for world peace: “(I) intend to impact as many people’s lives in as positive a way as possible. My vision is to display the love and beauty of a healthy marriage, as well as encourage others to be mindful of health in all areas of their lives. In my position, I am able to make a positive impact in the community and around the state to encourage others to live life to the fullest and make choices that are life giving to themselves and others.”
A newlywed, her husband of nearly nine months, Justin, was in the Marines and is now taking classes at Central New Mexico Community College.
A newlywed, her husband of nearly nine months, Justin, was in the Marines and is now taking classes at Central New Mexico Community College.
They don’t have any children yet, but there’s a lot of things Nicole wants to do, namely pursue more titles and help her new community.
She could use some help raising $5,000, with those proceeds “will go to upcoming pageant events, fees and various advertising costs. My sponsors will be recognized in the official program book and I would love to talk about ways in which I can assist in the advertising of your business as Mrs. Rio Rancho-America 2009. … Any donation of your services to help offset my pageant expenses would be of great value (make-up, nails, wardrobe, shoes, etc).”
It’s not her “first rodeo,” as some would say. Bent participated in a recent Cinderella pageant and advanced to the 2007 finals as New Mexico’s winner in Las Vegas, Nev., and won the title, “Most Beautiful Eyes.”
Bent said she enjoys belly dancing in the city’s parks and recreation program, and loves her job, where chatting with parents and children helps her interview skills for pageants.
After following her parents to New Mexico, Bent has become enamored with the City of Vision.
“I think Rio Rancho is beautiful and I love the mountains and the big blue sky (coincidentally, her school’s name, Cielo Azul, is Spanish for blue sky). It’s awesome. Definitely, the people here are friendly.”
She’ll meet more of them as June approaches.
“I really enjoy the opportunity to get out in the community and meet people,” she said, stressing her emphasis of “monatau,” or one goal.
“That’s age-reversal living,” she said. “Getting healthy at the cellular level … from the inside out.”
The 2009 Mrs. New Mexico Pageant will be held June 20 at the Albuquerque Journal Theatre located in the Roy E. Disney Performing Arts Center.
The competition involves an interview, an opening number, swimsuit competition (a one piece swimsuit and pantyhose are allowed and recommended) and an evening gown.
Last year, Denise Brown of Santa Teresa topped a field of 25 contestants to become Mrs. New Mexico at the Performing Arts Center in Rio Rancho. Ashley Vigil of Rio Rancho was the first runner-up.
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