With grace, prestige, and a willingness to overcome any obstacle before her, Melanie Sanders is your go-to girl for everything pageantry and PR related.
From perfecting the model runway walk to implementing the most effective public relation strategies there is, her decorated background solidifies a positive outcome in anything she does.
Sanders is actively coaching pageant girls and has previously helped coach the 65th Miss Grambling State University, JaMariea Davis-Miller.
When she was younger Sanders won several junior pageants to becoming Miss Atlanta in 2005.
“My start in pageantry began at a very young age,” she said. “Hailing from Vicksburg, Miss., the host city to the Miss Mississippi Pageant for 86 years, my pageantry aspirations took off after witnessing the crowning of the first black Miss Mississippi, Toni Seawright in 1987. With stars in my eyes and a song in my heart, I instantly realized that pageantry would allow me to merge my two interests: singing and being on stage. Performing was my love and what better platform to merge and showcase those two interests than pageantry?”
Following her success a beauty queen Sanders realized she could harness that for other girls.
“After winning many pageants under the Miss American Organization and the Miss USA system, it was apparent to me that my ability to thrive in pageantry was not just based upon my God-given talent, but the hard work and undeniable focus that is required to excel in such a highly competitive industry,” she said.
Since, she’s been thriving and making her mark through queens to come.
“JaMariea reminded me of myself upon meeting her,” she said. “I quickly realized her passion for not only pageantry on the presentation side, but her drive to help others by accomplishing such a prestigious title and platform was near and dear to her heart. JaMariea understood that beauty was beyond the glitz and glamour of the crown, and her desire to represent her school as a student, scholar and woman of standard was her sole purpose in vying for the title.”
Sanders success in the pageant world is largely due to impeccable her communication skills. Her love for public relations shows through the work she produces from her very own public relations firm, LuxeLife, LLC. It is a lifestyle company designed to give all clients access to the best in public relations, sales, entertainment and lifestyle services. She offers services that almost any company would need.
Sanders said PR has a deep relation to pageantry.
“I personally believe that presentation and sales are quietly embedded in the core of public relations,” she said. “People react to what they say and how they feel about what they see. Pageantry is the perfect playground to offer both. To be able to package and present a person, place or thing in a way that creates a memory for a viewer (and participant) is paramount. Pageantry is the ultimate platform to package and present oneself to the masses. When access is granted to the masses, the participants (as well as the audience) are able to experience a revered position of adoration and prestige, opening doors to so many other new platforms designed to ripen the fruit of one’s success.”
Sanders said she has a defined vision for pageantry.
“In the future, I would love to see pageantry merge with marketing and sales initiatives,” she said. “To have a title is to have a key to the masses. However, there is no need to be given a title if one is not equipped to handle the luxury of access. It is my hope to assist local pageants and beyond in posturing their titleholders and pageants to act as attractions that will inform and engage the public, as well as brands associated with women, beauty, and talent. Becoming a direct connection between the public and brands is a powerful position."
Melanie Sanders