Spotlight Interview: Ashley Fairfield
Periodically, MyJerseyShore.com puts the spotlight on an individual who helps make the Jersey Shore the special place it is. This month’s interview is with Ashley Fairfield, Miss New Jersey 2008. Ashley competed in the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas in January, 2009 and appeared in “Miss America: Countdown to the Crown” on The Learning Channel.
Where did you grow up? Where did you go to high school? I grew up in Egg Harbor Township and went to Egg Harbor Township High School
How did you get started in pageants? I knew that you could earn scholarship money by competing in the Miss America system which is what got me interested but - growing up in the Atlantic City area - Miss America was a part of my family’s tradition every year and since I was a little girl I always knew that one day I wanted to be Miss New Jersey and compete for Miss America
Were you disappointed that you didn’t get to compete in Atlantic City? It really was quite the upset. I was so thrilled to know that I was Miss New Jersey and going to Miss America that I didn’t think about it at first, but it would have been nice to be the hometown girl (literally) and ride down the Atlantic City Boardwalk listening to everyone yell “show me your shoes!”
What was it like filming the reality show? Did they try to turn the girls against each other? The reality show was fun and interesting! The one thing to keep in mind is that reality TV is not reality! They stage EVERYTHING! I don’t believe anyone turned against anyone We had a really great class and we were all smart enough to pick up on what they were doing early on!
Which contestants did you become friendly with? Well on the reality show I was a member of the purple team so they became my closest friends since we had to spend the most time with each other. My team consisted of Miss Massachusetts, Miss Louisiana, Miss North Carolina, Miss Wyoming, Miss Kansas, Miss Washington and Miss Nebraska! But I also became very close with many of the other girls such as Miss Virginia and Miss Arizona. But truthfully we all got along really well and I consider all of them not only my friends but sisters!
Which of the four categories do you think was your strongest? Evening gown has always been my favorite and I have always won that award so I am going to go with that one! But I love all the categories because each one allows the judges and the audience to see all sides of you which is amazing!
Is there anything you would do differently if you could do it again? NOPE! I prepared hard and competed the same way! I have no regrets; the outcome of pageants is based on a group of people’s opinions - that’s all. If we had a different set of judges we would have crowned a different girl!
The swimsuit category is always controversial; would you eliminate it if you were in charge of the pageant? No way! Miss America started as a bathing beauty contest on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. To get rid of swimsuit is getting rid of how this whole amazing organization started!
Are there any other changes you would make to the pageant format if you could? I wouldn’t let America vote so many girls into the semi-finals. I thought it was great (as they did in the past) to allow America to vote on all contestants and the one with the most votes gets in as the sixteenth girl. That was awesome! But the way it went this year, our reality show consultants had a say in the outcome of the semi-finals at Miss America and I personally didn’t feel they were qualified to do so. So all of us who didn’t receive that gold sash (the top 15) felt as though we had experienced the first cut at Miss America before we had even gotten there. And besides, the reality show was staged and scripted and I don’t believe it really reflected how well any one of us could do the job of Miss America!
Do you think the pageant will ever return to Atlantic City? I hope so! Las Vegas is a great city and they are very welcoming to all of us, but the whole city of Atlantic City used to embrace and get excited over the fact and idea that “Miss America” was there. Las Vegas is too big of a city with too much going on. I sometimes feel as though Miss America gets lost there.
What is your platform and why did you choose it? My platform is Habitat for Humanity and I chose this after going on a missionary trip the US Virgin Island of St. Croix. I served as a camp counselor for children and witnessed first hand their unsafe and unstable living environment and decided to help take action when I returned home to New Jersey. I also chose this platform, not just to act on Habitat’s mission of eliminating sub-standardized housing, but to promote volunteerism in my community.
You’ve made many appearances as Miss New Jersey; which one really stands out in your mind? Anytime I have visited a children’s hospital or work with children. I love kids and they have so much life and energy, especially. those battling life-threatening illnesses. They just continue to inspire me each day in everything that I do so I thank them for that!
Your reign will be over in a few months; what will you do then? Cry most likely! Ha ha! I have had two dreams since being a child, being Miss New Jersey (and competing in the Miss America Pageant) and dancing as a Radio City Rockette! I have achieved the first and I’m hoping this summer that I can achieve the second!
To contact Miss New Jersey go to: MissNewJersey.net
To contact Habitat For Humanity go to: Habitat.org