‘‘It’s always been a hobby of mine,” Battle said.
Her first pageant was at her high school in South Carolina, where she said she was not the most popular girl.
‘‘How my peers thought of me was that I was very smart and different,” Battle said. ‘‘They made comments that were pretty negative, so I decided to show them I’m more than they think I am.”
So she joined the pageant, but it was not easy.
‘‘When I was preparing for the preliminary audition for the pageant, I had all my makeup out and my vanity mirror out during class and one girl said, ‘Wow, why do all the ugly girls have everything?’” Battle said. ‘‘But I did not let that stop me. I knew I was pretty.”
Battle has competed in several pageants from local scholarship pageants to larger events, such as Mrs. Maryland United States.
She competed twice at Miss D.C. USA, a scholarship pageant, but the most she got was Miss Congeniality in both.
Still she did not quit.
This year was her second time competing in the Mrs. Maryland United States pageant. The first time, she was the third runner-up, so when she won the title of Mrs. Maryland United States in April, she said she was excited. But she was not shocked.
‘‘You go into the pageant thinking you have what it takes to win,” Battle said. ‘‘I felt I had what it took.”
While some may assume she is conceited, Battle said confidence is the key to every winner.
‘‘If you think you’re beautiful, others will think you’re beautiful, too,” she said.
Battle said earning the title of Mrs. United States is important for her because it will give her a launching pad for what she really wants to do, which is starting Project Rose, a program to help young girls in the transition into womanhood.
‘‘Our society has forgotten truly how to raise our children and teach them simple life skills, small things,” such as basic table manners, Battle said.
Battle hopes to launch Project Rose on a national and global level.
‘‘It’s my life’s mission, one of those things I was put on earth to do,” she said. ‘‘In everything I do, I tell myself, ‘Don’t forget Project Rose.’”
Her husband Yusef said he is very excited to watch his wife compete next week.
‘‘She’s not in it for glitz and glamour,” he said. ‘‘She’s in it to make a difference and I think she’s the perfect person to do that.”
He also said the pageant has never had an African American queen before.
‘‘But you never know what God will do,” he said. ‘‘I’ll be cheering for her with all my heart.”
Battle first moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Howard University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and was certified in secondary education. Upon graduating, she worked as a missionary with Young Life, which focuses on helping the lives of teenagers, while also sharing the gospel.
‘‘You don’t get paid, but you know you’re doing good things,” Battle said.
She then taught in D.C. Public Schools and then Montgomery County Public Schools. She left teaching four years ago and began helping her husband with his fitness business called The Fit Solution.
At the beginning of this year, Chiquita Battle started her own business. B’Visioun is an image consulting company aimed at helping people improve their image from the inside out.
Battle will compete against 53 other married women, representing every state and U.S. territory, in the national competition for the title of Mrs. United States in Las Vegas July 8-12.
‘‘It’s like the wake of a new beginning ... so much has come against me,” Battle said. ‘‘I’ve always told people, ‘Your circumstances do not define you, you define yourself. If you believe you’re great, you will be great.’”
