‘The Barbie Doll Dream’: Penn State Student Cassandra Leach’s Journey To Embrace Her True Self

Pink shoes, a pink dress, and pink jewelry are all that Cassandra Leach needed to bring her back to her childhood. A childhood that society told her to let go of. But ever since she competed in the National American Miss pageant, Leach has learned that she doesn’t have to hide her inner child, and she can keep her Barbie doll dream alive.  

Leach, a senior at Penn State, recently showcased a different side of her talents by competing in the National American Miss New Jersey pageant. However, this isn’t your traditional pageant. Unlike many pageants that focus heavily on appearance, this competition centers on personal growth, leadership, scholastic achievements, and community service, which are all values that resonate with Leach.  

“The competition focuses more on growing as a woman,” Leach said. “Personally, I think it helped me become more confident. You meet so many amazing and accomplished women.”  

Competing in a pageant never crossed Leach’s mind until she received a letter in the mail inviting her to compete in National American Miss. To be invited, you must be recommended by someone who competed in the pageant before. Leach still doesn’t know who recommended her, but she is grateful that they did.  

“Getting to compete in this pageant was one of the best experiences. It taught me so much about myself and my goals. I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Leach said.  

However, not everyone who receives a letter gets to compete. Leach had to go through an open call process to earn herself a chance to compete at National American Miss. After going through multiple interviews, Leach learned that not only would she get a chance to compete, but she would enter the competition as a state finalist. At National American Miss New Jersey, Leach was the third runner-up and won the award for the best resumé.  

“The resumé wasn’t your typical resumé because it is primarily about your ambitions and goals,” Leach explained. “I think what they were looking for most in the resumé was that you were going to make a change.”  

On the resumé, one of the questions asked what the competitors would do if they were crowned the next state queen. Leach knew that she wanted to use the title to be a role model for young girls, but she wanted to do so in a way that resonated with her and her passions.  

“In the resumé, I said that I would want to be a role model for young girls by showing them tangible ways to embrace their authentic selves. I would do that by starting some baking program where I could teach the youth,” Leach said. “I want to take my passions and skills and teach them to others. I feel like that is my way of showing girls that you don’t have to fit into one box. You can be smart, athletic, and creative. You can be anything you want to be.”  

As a food science major, Leach has always been passionate about baking and sharing her creations with the people in her community. Baking for others allows her to do what she loves while simultaneously spreading the love.  

“I have a small at-home baking business where I make baked goods for different events and celebrations. For the pageant, you had to get involved in some type of community service, so for my community service project, I baked a bunch of July Fourth desserts and delivered them to an assisted living facility in my community,” Leach said. “I also got to spend time with the residents and hear their stories, which was such a cool part of the project.” 

While preparing for the pageant, Leach knew that she wanted to emphasize the importance of being yourself. Growing up, she always struggled with the pressures society placed on her. Whether that was to be less childish or less feminine, she constantly felt that she had to hide the person she was.  

“I remember growing up, I was always super into Barbie dolls and girlie stuff, and as I got older, I felt like I needed to be more mature and less feminine,” Leach explained. “Doing this pageant helped me realize that you have to stay true to yourself and your inner child. Just because you are becoming more mature doesn’t mean that you need to put what you love aside. You don’t have to conform yourself into what society thinks you should be.”  

As she prepared for the pageant, Leach was constantly thinking of ways she could convey this message both in her answers and her attire.  

“When I started preparing for the pageant, I kept thinking, ‘this is my Barbie doll dream,’ and that is why I decided to go with the pink theme. The whole weekend I wore pink. I had pink shoes, a pink dress, and pink jewelry. Everything was pink,” Leach said.  

Despite all the preparation and passion Leach brought into the pageant, she admits there was a moment of self-doubt as she began to meet the other contestants. Surrounded by girls with resumes full of accolades, imposter syndrome began to creep in.  

“Everyone at the pageant was super ambitious and driven; I was so impressed,” Leach said. “Walking into it, I almost didn’t feel like I belonged. But in the end, you realize that everyone there has their own thing that makes them special. Honestly, that was the cool part, that we all had something that made us different.”  

As the third runner-up in the state, Leach was invited to compete at Nationals for the All-American Title. She will not be competing due to cost and logistics, but the experience she gained as a state finalist was more than worth it.  

“I think the pageant taught me the importance of being positive and being yourself,” Leach said. “When I was competing, I didn’t feel the need to be anyone else. You don’t know anyone better than you know yourself.” 

While she is disappointed that she will be missing Nationals and a shot at the All-American Title, Leach remains hopeful about future opportunities.  

“I feel like this was the perfect age to get involved, and I made so many friends at the pageant. If I ever get a chance to do it again, I would in a heartbeat,” Leach said.  

Along with her hope to one day compete in another pageant, Leach is focused on launching a meaningful career in product development or laboratory work. Beyond her immediate goals, she is also looking to continue her education by pursuing an MBA and possibly a second degree.  

“Right now, the focus is just to start my career and take graduate classes to get my MBA. I have this really big itch to get my MBA and a second degree,” Leach said. “I always say that if you have any little inkling of something you want to do, just go for it. Later in life, you don’t want to think about the ‘what if.’ My goal is just to take my knowledge and skills and see how far I can go.”  

As she enters the real world, Leach hopes to keep inspiring young girls by doing it all and staying true to herself.  

“Always remember to keep the Barbie doll dream alive, but also grow the woman in you,” Leach said.