Yolanda Stennett
Hello Rodney,
Thank you for including my story in your next issue of Copa Style Magazine. This is an extreme honor.
1. Where are you from? The Washington, DC Metropolitan area is home however I have lived all over the country as my father served in the US Army and then later as a Maryland State Police.
2. Which schools have you attended and what degrees you've earned?
I attended the College of Southern Maryland, University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I have a total of six degrees in History, African-American Studies and Political Science.
3. At what time did you become interested in Pageantry and who encouraged you to actually compete?
During high school, my mother was great at finding creative punishments. She had received a flyer in the mail for the Miss Teen Baltimore pageant and thought that it would be a challenge for her "tomboy" daughter. While yes, it was a challenge, I fell in love with pageantry and have been competing on and off for the past 30 years.
4. How many competitions did you participate in and when did you win the title of Mrs. International? I competed and was crowned Mrs. Maryland International 2021 in March of 2021 which afforded me the opportunity to represent my state at the Mrs. International competition in Kingsport, Tennessee in July 2021. After a week of organized activities and competitions in personal interview, fitness wear, evening gown and on-stage question, I was crowned Mrs. International 2021 out of a field of 54 women from across the United States, Canada, Japan, Ukraine, Mexico and Taiwan. Over the span of the past 30 years, I would estimate that I have competed in 8-10 different pageant systems.
5. When did you become interested in mentoring and in your opinion, why is leadership so important in anyone's life? Mentoring has been a lifelong passion due. During my adolescent years, I had a mentor who truly changed the trajectory of my life by offering her love, moral and academic support and supported my mental health needs. That mentor had such a profound effect on my life that I made a vow to myself that when I became an adult that I would give back to the universe what she gave to me.
6. We see that you worked with the Washington Nationals, please share that experience with our readers.
I worked for the Washington Nationals as a member of the "Nat Pack" and I was their first female in-stadium co-host. Becoming the in-stadium co-host was an honor and a blessing as I was chosen by fan vote in 2009. The Nationals hold a special place in my family's heart as the ballpark is where I met my husband.
7. How did you become affiliated with the We Will Survive Cancer "Celebration of Life" Gala at the Lamborghini Showroom in Sterling, Virginia? As Mrs. International 2021, I have been given the opportunity to network and work with some of the biggest and brightest names in the fashion and modeling industry. Josie Valdez, celebrity make-up artist and one of the organizers of the event asked me to serve as an emcee after she attended another event in Virginia that I was emceeing.
8. What does the future hold for Mrs. Yolanda Stennett in her world of Modeling, Fashion, Business and Mentoring? I can't say that there will be too much on the horizon for me in the modeling and fashion industry in front of the camera however I am absolutely working on several projects behind the scenes including my own athleisure wear line. I will continue to serve as a mentor along with several members of my family as this is just something ingrained in the fabric of our lives. My husband and I both serve as high school coaches and our oldest two children are youth recreational athletic coaches. Additionally, I serve on the board for the Center for Abused Persons and as a program director for a southern Maryland mentoring program so I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon. Mentoring is not something that I do....but it's who I am.
Favorite Designer - Fendi. I love classic lines but I also appreciate change and edginess and Fendi always seems to be at the forefront of being "different."
Interview with Theo Hayes of Baltimore's WBAL
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/yolanda-stennett-teenage-trauma-mrs-international/37384047
Press Release from WE: Women's Entertainment TV on a Documentary they filmed focused on a pageant system that I founded in 2004
https://www.amcnetworks.com/press-releases/its-not-your-mothers-beauty-pageant/
Social Media / Web
MrsInternational.com
FB: Mrs., Miss & Teen International Pageants
IG: MrsIntl2020
IG: Stennett2WinIt
Twitter: YMStennett
Thank you for including my story in your next issue of Copa Style Magazine. This is an extreme honor.
1. Where are you from? The Washington, DC Metropolitan area is home however I have lived all over the country as my father served in the US Army and then later as a Maryland State Police.
2. Which schools have you attended and what degrees you've earned?
I attended the College of Southern Maryland, University of Maryland and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I have a total of six degrees in History, African-American Studies and Political Science.
3. At what time did you become interested in Pageantry and who encouraged you to actually compete?
During high school, my mother was great at finding creative punishments. She had received a flyer in the mail for the Miss Teen Baltimore pageant and thought that it would be a challenge for her "tomboy" daughter. While yes, it was a challenge, I fell in love with pageantry and have been competing on and off for the past 30 years.
4. How many competitions did you participate in and when did you win the title of Mrs. International? I competed and was crowned Mrs. Maryland International 2021 in March of 2021 which afforded me the opportunity to represent my state at the Mrs. International competition in Kingsport, Tennessee in July 2021. After a week of organized activities and competitions in personal interview, fitness wear, evening gown and on-stage question, I was crowned Mrs. International 2021 out of a field of 54 women from across the United States, Canada, Japan, Ukraine, Mexico and Taiwan. Over the span of the past 30 years, I would estimate that I have competed in 8-10 different pageant systems.
5. When did you become interested in mentoring and in your opinion, why is leadership so important in anyone's life? Mentoring has been a lifelong passion due. During my adolescent years, I had a mentor who truly changed the trajectory of my life by offering her love, moral and academic support and supported my mental health needs. That mentor had such a profound effect on my life that I made a vow to myself that when I became an adult that I would give back to the universe what she gave to me.
6. We see that you worked with the Washington Nationals, please share that experience with our readers.
I worked for the Washington Nationals as a member of the "Nat Pack" and I was their first female in-stadium co-host. Becoming the in-stadium co-host was an honor and a blessing as I was chosen by fan vote in 2009. The Nationals hold a special place in my family's heart as the ballpark is where I met my husband.
7. How did you become affiliated with the We Will Survive Cancer "Celebration of Life" Gala at the Lamborghini Showroom in Sterling, Virginia? As Mrs. International 2021, I have been given the opportunity to network and work with some of the biggest and brightest names in the fashion and modeling industry. Josie Valdez, celebrity make-up artist and one of the organizers of the event asked me to serve as an emcee after she attended another event in Virginia that I was emceeing.
8. What does the future hold for Mrs. Yolanda Stennett in her world of Modeling, Fashion, Business and Mentoring? I can't say that there will be too much on the horizon for me in the modeling and fashion industry in front of the camera however I am absolutely working on several projects behind the scenes including my own athleisure wear line. I will continue to serve as a mentor along with several members of my family as this is just something ingrained in the fabric of our lives. My husband and I both serve as high school coaches and our oldest two children are youth recreational athletic coaches. Additionally, I serve on the board for the Center for Abused Persons and as a program director for a southern Maryland mentoring program so I don't see myself slowing down anytime soon. Mentoring is not something that I do....but it's who I am.
Favorite Designer - Fendi. I love classic lines but I also appreciate change and edginess and Fendi always seems to be at the forefront of being "different."
Interview with Theo Hayes of Baltimore's WBAL
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/yolanda-stennett-teenage-trauma-mrs-international/37384047
Press Release from WE: Women's Entertainment TV on a Documentary they filmed focused on a pageant system that I founded in 2004
https://www.amcnetworks.com/press-releases/its-not-your-mothers-beauty-pageant/
Social Media / Web
MrsInternational.com
FB: Mrs., Miss & Teen International Pageants
IG: MrsIntl2020
IG: Stennett2WinIt
Twitter: YMStennett