Former Miss Teen New York USA Lisa Elizabeth Drouillard has never fallen from the spotlight since her triumphant 2011 crowning. Drouillard, a student at John Jay College studying Criminal Justice, hops at schools and all over the nation to speak to teens. And that’s when she’s not at local events hobnobbing with community leaders.

The beauty queen sounded off to Kreyolicious.com on developing confidence, her roots and her plans for the future.

Tell us about growing up as a New Yorker with Haitian roots.
I am the only girl and the youngest of four, so growing up I was very sheltered. I learned to speak and understand Kreyòl from my grandmother who is bilingual. Growing up as a Haitian-American, my household was and still is so much fun but very disciplined. You know when it is time for fun and time to be serious and respectful. The only challenge was not being allowed to go to any of my friends birthday parties without being chaperoned…Forget about slumber parties. That was an absolute no.

What would you say is your definition of beauty?
My definition of beauty is simply being content with yourself. If you are comfortable wearing your hair back, short, kinky or straight, you do that. Once you are comfortable in your own skin, your true beauty will radiate wherever you go.

Going with this definition of beauty you gave me…is that pretty much how you saw things in high school, or is this something you’ve come to learn?
This is definitely something that I have come to learn. My look is continuously changing. I am seeing things that I once disliked about myself become perfected as I mature both physically and mentally.

Beauty contests have been around since the beginning of times, practically. But they still get the thumbs down from some people, who feel, that well, they are sexist.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. Pageants involve an array of different women. Every woman has a main topic and that would be to win the crown of course, but they also have bullet points and that just may be to get fit, overcome stage freight, or accomplish something people say they couldn’t. The list goes on. It is more than just parading a woman’s body on stage in a swimsuit or a gown, it is truly the lessons learned and the hard work that goes into even competing. It may seem easy, but in all actuality it is far from it.

Do you think of yourself as a feminist?
Having experienced and observed so many things in this industry and throughout my life, I can firmly say that I am a feminist. I feel like women can do anything we put our mind to and we should not be exempt. I am in favor of equality in every sense of the word. However, in my opinion I feel like once we can come together as women and collaborate instead of competing as far as who has the better occupation or the better texture hair etc, we will be respected and more will be given to us.

Think back to that night when you were elected Miss Teen New York. And when you heard your voice announced. What was going through your mind?
I knew whoever won that coveted title [would get] to go to the Bahamas and compete for the national title of Miss Teen USA, so that was all that was going through my mind, me actually being the New York representative going to Bahamas. The best moment of my life by far.

When was the last time you went to Haiti?
I have not been to Haiti, but I am going this summer and I cannot wait to be there. I am sure that I will have a great time.

I remember coming across this article once. It was basically about women in their 30s, 40s, and as old as their 60s and so on, giving advice to younger folks. And one of the things that the author wrote was that “However pretty we think we are, we are three, four, heck even eight times as pretty.” Of course, that’s a paraphrase of what was said, as I can’t locate this said article at the moment. Sometimes, according to this same author, it’s not until years later when we look back at photos of ourselves that we realize how pretty we were. What are your thoughts on this?
That is a really beautiful perception however, I do not agree completely only because we are a work in progress and continuously changing as humans. I know my childhood self looks nothing like who I am today.

Definitely. Now as a beauty queen, who carries herself with such confidence, what advice do you have on developing confidence in one’s self, one’s looks. Having a great self-image, too.
We have to love ourselves first. If one does not love what he or she sees in the mirror—that is a problem. Not only does it cause major insecurities, but it also makes you needy for compliments—as well as [makes him or her] a very easy target to get picked on. It is not always easy to feel so confident with yourself because—lets face it—we all have that one thing that we probably wish we could change about ourselves, but it starts from loving the beautiful person that you are and leaving no room for anyone to tell you otherwise.

Who did you look up to growing up?
There were so many women that I looked up to growing up such as Halle Berry, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Gabrielle Union just to name a few.

You’re a sought after speaker on the motivational speaker circuit. Do you ever get stage fright? Or—freeze out?
All the time! My heart is racing because you do not want to be boring or forget to thank the people who invited you and most importantly, you do not want to forget what you are there to speak about. [Laughter]. Trust me, the mind wanders when you are put in the hot seat.

What would you say is the most rewarding thing about going out there and speaking with youths?
I am older now, but when I was in my reign as a teen and I started doing these speaking engagements, it was really difficult showing these young girls and boys that I am just like them. They would look at me like I am this little princess whose job it is to pretend to care. So, the most rewarding was to leave most of my speaking engagements knowing that I made a positive impact and they understood me, Lisa, not Miss New York Teen. I still continue to do public speaking with the youth around Brooklyn and New York City and it has gotten a lot easier, they come up to me and want a picture or ask me questions that they were afraid to ask out loud.

When you go on your public speaking tours and events, do you tend to formulate your speeches according to your audience and from the feedback you received from previous speaking engagements?
Yes, I do. The fun fact about my speeches is that they are never written or rehearsed. I always ask the person who invited me two things and those are: What is the demographic, and what is the mission statement—if the organization has one. Keeping those two in mind, when I arrive to the event that I am scheduled to speak at, I am ready to go! After my first few words, I am able to feel how receptive my audience is and from there on I know in which direction to go.

With this in mind, what advice do you have for girls out there who may not have the confidence at the moment, who may not believe in themselves, whether their intelligence or beauty? How can they develop that, like now, as opposed to looking back and thinking, “Man, I was pretty fine then and didn’t know it.”
We are human, so we will always doubt ourselves no matter what. But, it is important to surround yourself with people who love you and want to see you do well. A healthy surrounding is a healthy mind set.

What advice do you have for those who are pondering on entering beauty contests?
If beauty pageants are even a thought, then they should absolutely give it a try. If you have to question yourself about something then there is a curiosity. The only way you will know if that is for you, is to give it a try. Now, I am not saying go out into the world and try everything that you are curious about, but be logical and make the decision that is best for you!

What do you appreciate the most in Haitian culture?
The food and the music! I have never been to Haiti and every time I hear Konpa or eat diri ak djon djon, I feel like I am home.

Your parents enrolled you at the Barbizon School of Modeling in Manhattan, and you’ve been modeling and entering pageants since you were 14. Of course when you’re out there, there are times when you don’t win. Or get the crown. How did you deal with those moments of disappointment?
I did not complete my session with Barbizon, I remember the third week I just wanted something different. When I started competing I lost 3 times but that was for other systems, not for Teen USA. I would cry when I lost a pageant because so much goes into it, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I would also vent to my family who are biased so that balanced everything out [Laughter]. Miss New York Teen USA was my first try at that system and I ended up winning. But it was from the lessons learned from the previous pageant systems that have helped me get such an incredible win.

You’re studying Criminal Justice at John Jay College. How is that coming along?
It is coming along great! I love it, one more year and I am finished.

So many young women have turned pageant wins into even bigger dreams. What are your plans?
I have the acting bug now so my plans are to act and definitely continue modeling and hopefully do major ad campaigns. Magazines are fun but it is time to take it to the billboards and big screen! I am ready!

[Photo Credit: Pageant Photo: BENZO]

Roxane Gay an all-around creative soul. She’s an editor, professor, and writer. She’s not busy scribbling away in a loft in New York City, but her creative juices flow relatively well in a remote town in Illinois. It’s winter, and the wind outside is blowing so aggressively that at times she speculates as to whether—in her words—“Dorothy might come blowing through”.

Born in Nebraska to two natives of Port-au-Prince, Roxane Gay is the author of the book Ayiti, a collection of poems, essays, and writings about Haiti. When she isn’t writing articles for such outlets as The Rumpus, Gay serves as the co-publisher of Pank Magazine.

This spring, she is releasing Untamed State, a novel that allows readers a peek at the life and troubles of a privileged family of the Haitian elite.

How did you fall in love with writing?

I cannot remember how. That love has always been there. When I was like four or so, I would draw little villages on napkins and then write stories about the people in those villages. My parents saw me doing that weirdness and got me a typewriter and then I could tell far more interesting stories. We moved around a lot when I was a child, and I was lonely, but I could write myself a few friends and that was a saving grace.

So, you grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. How interesting!

I did. My father worked for a company headquartered in Omaha and though we would be transferred to various projects around the country, we always came back to Omaha. I had a pretty lovely early childhood—attentive parents, quiet suburban existence. The older I got, the more I realized that not only were we the only black family, we were Haitian and nothing at all like the people around us. This wasn’t particularly traumatizing, and we were part of a small, tight-knit Haitian community formed by the Haitians within about 100 miles, but it made me understand Omaha differently than I once did. It made me understand myself, and where and who I am from differently…to think what it must have been like for my parents in those early years? My goodness.

Robert Frost was quoted as having said, “I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew.” What about Roxane Gay…when she starts writing a short story or a novel, does she know exactly what the ending will be?

It really depends on the story. Sometimes I know exactly where a story will end and sometimes, I need the story to show me, one word at a time.

When you made the decision to become a writer, did your parents have a positive reaction about your career goal?

My parents weren’t really thrilled. They worried, as most parents do, about the viability of writing as a career, but now that they are starting to see my work out in the world, they are awful proud and supportive.

Essayist, novelist, book reviewer, writer…is it hard balancing all these creative extensions of yourself?

Not really. I’m a Libra so I’m always interested in balance and writing across genres makes it possible for me to develop my many and varied creative interests.

What advice would you like to give to those who want to carve a career in writing for themselves?

Read rigorously and diversely; write rigorously and diversely; understand the difference between writing and publishing; do unto others as you would have done unto you; have a good day job.

When was the last time you went to Haiti?

Oh, it has been years. My parents and brother live there part-time, so I feel connected, but I do not go back nearly as often as I should. I hope to go back next summer.

Being such an accomplished creative person, are there some things that you have yet to accomplish that you are planning on making a reality in the future?

Absolutely. I want to publish a book in hardcover. I want to write something worthy of a Pulitzer. I want to keep becoming better as a person.

Visit Roxanne Gay’s website by CLICKING HERE. Connect with her on Twitter by CLICKING HERE. You can order Untamed State through Amazon by CLICKING HERE.

Rapper JPhilippe represents Jersey with as much chirpiness as the state bird American Goldfinch. She also represents womanhood and individuality. “I’m not following any crowd,” she raps during a live stage performance at the First Republic Lounge in Elizabeth, New Jersey. “I’m just trying to make my parents proud/They think I got my heads up in the clouds,” she continues in what are the opening lines in her aptly-titled track “Clones”.

It’s clear from her stage presence that she’s no clone. She’s a prototype, actually. Dressed in a glittery, body-hugging gown that an R&B singer singing at Madison Square Garden would don, and with her hair up in a bun, the MC spits lyrical truth after lyrical truth.

But that’s just JPhilippe on stage. When listening to one of her tracks, it’s hard not to picture her grasping her mic, with an unperturbed expression on her face.

On JPhilippe’s latest song “Bad Apple”, every other line sounds like a personal development book chapter on its own. “Don’t ask for a good girl just to do her dirty”, she says giving a mini-sermon on romantic relationships. Next, she tackles colorism: “You want a red-bone/but I’m black everyday.” Oh, and gender equality too: “I’m from Adam’s rib/But I deserve a bigger plate/…To keep you on your toes/I keep dancing ballet.” And she even has some psychological self-evaluation too: “I got a good heart/Sometimes I wear on my sleeves/When I’m too kind/Too kind/They turn around and punish me.”

In Part One of the interview with JPhilippe, we discussed her latest tracks, and the so-called Jersey sound. This time around, we talk about the land of her parents, and the correlation between personal pain and creativity.

Kreyolicious: And regionally speaking…what do you think of the music scene?
The music scene is ever evolving. It is spontaneous so you never know what direction it will go in or what will be the new popular wave. Regionally, I have made a name for myself and I am proud of that. I am proud of all the artists around me who are carving they own lane and being true to their art.

Above: Rapper J. Philippe in a moment of reflection. Photo Credit: Jefly Joubert Photography. Make up by Chile.

Kreyolicious: As the daughter of Haitian immigrants, do you feel inspired by Haitian music at all?
Absolutely. My sister loves konpa, so she is always playing it around the house. I grew up listening to Haitian music in my household all the time.

Kreyolicious: You’ve been to Haiti?
Yes. I’ve gone twice this year alone. Haiti is where my heart is. Whenever I am there, I feel like this is truly where my home is because that is where my heart is. I feel connected to my roots. The beautiful views, rich culture, and delicious food keeps me coming back.

Kreyolicious: Marvin Gaye reportedly made an album when he was going through a painful divorce. Hip-hop lore has it that The Fugees created their classic The Score in a hot studio, with all the members being next to broke. And the rapper Kanye West endured a bear fatal accident before his breakthrough. When you think about all the EPs you’ve released, which was created under the most strenuous circumstances?
I would say my album The Philosophy of Philippe was created under the most strenuous circumstances. I had just came back from visiting family in Haiti. It was 2012 and I was at a crossroads in my music career and personal life. I came back from Haiti being frustrated about my relationship with my father…how strained it was—and some things he did while I was in Haiti with him that I did not like. I was not receiving the kind of support and backing I needed from the NJ music crew I was associated with at the time. I made a decision on a whim to move to ATL a few months after coming back from Haiti. I released that project two weeks before I moved. It was a hectic time in my life, but it made for great music. That time really helped me build my character.

Kreyolicious: Getting out of your comfort zone always reaps fruit. What’s next for you?
I just released a new single called “Bad Apple” on SoundCloud and I will continue to release singles until one of them catches on to a major audience! I am revamping my logo, website, and shooting music videos for “Great” and “Syrup” within the next month or two. Staying productive and creative!

This concludes PART TWO of my interview with JPhilippe. CLICK HERE if you missed PART 1.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT JPhilippe’s YOUTUBE CHANNEL | J. PHILIPPE ON SOUNDCLOUD | VISIT J. PHILIPPE’S WEBSITE