 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. My books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game are about leadership, character, and creating a superior culture of excellence, which is what this show is all about. My special guest today is the current Miss Hawaii USA 2021. She is Allison Chu, and today we are going Beyond pageants. Hey, Allie, welcome to Beyond the Lines. Hi, Rusty. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be on today's show. Well, you know, you have been super busy. You've been representing Hawaii very well as our current Miss Hawaii USA. And I want to know, Allie, where did you grow up at and what schools did you attend? Oh, well, so pretty much I grew up in Honolulu. I grew up in the Kahala area. And you know, I went to public school my whole life. I went to Kahala Elementary, Kaimuki Middle School, and Kalani High School. So I am pretty much a product of public school. And yeah, I mean, I have four siblings, you know, there's a bunch of me around pretty much. Now, Allie, as you're growing up, what sports or activities did you do? So I, you know, I was always an active kid, but I always loved singing and acting and being in the performing arts. So ever since I was seven years old, I was a part of the Hawaii Youth Opera Course for 11 years. And then I was pretty much, I actually, because Kalani did not have a theater program, I would actually go to Kaewuki High School every single day after school to be a part of their performing arts center, which I, it's such an amazing program. If you guys ever have an opportunity to see a show, I highly recommend. Like, they have the most amazing set and amazing teachers. And I truly feel I've learned so much of my own. Yeah, no, Allie, you know, and you, you also at a very young age, you met Bruno Mars. How was that experience for you? It was amazing, you know, like I said, so I pretty much have been singing since I was five years old. I've been classically trained in opera and I used to go perform a lot in Waikiki and so did Bruno. And both of us would go to the same recording engineer at the time. So that's how we kind of connected. And, you know, he was he's such an amazing person. And truly, I feel like he's made Hawaii proud. And I mean, who doesn't love Bruno Mars? Like, who doesn't want to dance to Bruno Mars, you know? And that was that was before Bruno actually became Bruno, right? Totally. Yeah, he was. I mean, I think he went by Stephen and he went to Roosevelt. So, you know, I it's definitely cool to see his whole transformation and how much he's grown as an artist. And, you know, that's just something so inspiring to so many people in Hawaii for sure. So, Allie, I want to ask you about, you know, your your young life so far. What what would you say are some of the biggest adversities you've dealt with in your life? I would definitely have to say, I feel like it started when my parents had split up and then my mom became a single mom and raised four children on her own and went to medical school at the age of 40. And truly, that was it was a, you know, it was a huge adversity in my life. And I truly look up so much to my mom. She's such a strong and powerful woman. And, you know, even having my older sister, Julie, she because my mom is so busy with residency and medical school that my sister Julie kind of helped raise us to as like a co-parent, you know, but I really feel that because of my mom and what she's taught me to never give up and always persevere, I apply that to my own lifestyle and anything that I really want to achieve, I can do it. You know, you don't you don't meet anybody else pretty much as long as you have the willpower to do it. Yeah. And did did you leave Hawaii like at a young age, like like 17 for modeling? Yes. So that was that was kind of another huge huge milestone in my life, too. When I was 17 years old, I got scouted by Wilhelmina models and immediately lived in LA right after and then went to New York City when I was 18 years old. And I did not know a single person in New York, but it was it was truly a huge growing experience. I became pretty much financially independent since I was 17 years old and went to New York City to model and was a full time online student at the University of Guatemala. And it really made me kind of grow up and learn how to financially plan and truly be able to live on my own and be independent at kind of an early age in life. But I'm really grateful for that experience. I think, you know, if anybody has an opportunity to live outside of their home or state, I highly recommend you learn so much about what you're capable of and the boundaries are limitless. Well, now now I know, you know, why you are so mature and independent because of those experiences. And I want to ask you, Ali, you know, have you ever experienced bullying? Oh, I mean, of course, like when especially when I was in elementary school, I was a little more shy and I even actually elementary and high school. I feel like bullies kind of are everywhere in your life, even online bullying now. But, you know, definitely when I was younger, I and especially when my parents were getting divorced, I was like very unsure about a lot of things. And I remember being called the weirdo and crying home every single day from elementary school, just for people and kids who are just so mean. Even in high school, I a lot of my friends were LGBTQ. They were I had some transgendered friends. And I had some friends who a lot of my friends were gay. And me growing up in fear, my whole life, it never was it was never a question. It never faced me. I never saw anything wrong with that. But when I was in high school, my friend group, they're all very, you know, eccentric and LGBTQ. And I remember a lot of people would just make a lot of side comments. Like why is Allison hanging out with the weirdos? Why, you know, why, why is she is she gay? Is she I mean, I I'm not, but I definitely support people who are LGBTQ. And, you know, I think at the end of the day, you shouldn't judge people from their beliefs or or political beliefs or, you know, religious background. But I think you really should be able to judge people on their character. And it's it's kind of interesting now how, you know, more lately, it's definitely, you know, accepted and almost I see. I almost feel like, you know, a lot of people are it's so comfortable having gay best friends now and which is amazing. But at the time, definitely in high school, it was I was seen as the weirdo for being friends of people who were gay, which is. Well, you know, I like and, you know, thank you for sharing that. I just feel like, you know, I look at everyone as people. And I think the society would be so much better if everyone just realizes that everyone is human. And, you know, Ali, you have an interesting story. I mean, you entered two pageants and you won both of them. In 2016, you entered the Miss Hawaii pageant and you won that. And then you entered the 2021 Miss Hawaii USA and you won that. Now, what are some things that you learned about yourself during these pageants? You know, I feel that I I felt like I learned so much about myself, especially doing pageantry. They, you know, I came from a modeling background, even a theater background. So I was always playing a role, you know, or even whatever clothes they put on me. I have to just model that and embody the designer's vision. But as a person who goes into pageants, it's truly about showcasing who you are. And it really made me realize what I'm passionate about, what I believe in. And I think it gives you a big, a huge platform to be able to advocate and and help others. And I think that's a huge blessing that I've gotten out of this pageantry was being able to give back to my community, especially my community has given me so much. And I'm so grateful for my upbringing and the amazing people that have been a part of my life, but I definitely feel that it's important to give back for sure. You know, Ali, I feel fortunate to have been a judge in five pageants so far. And during some of the preliminary interviews, you know, when we're asking the contestants, the question, you know, some questions, many of them are entered in the pageants because they want to face head on with the insecurities that they have, whether it's about their body, whether it's about, you know, speaking, you know, in front of an audience, what are your thoughts? Oh, I mean, definitely. And I feel that a lot of people, a lot of people are insecure. You know, I'm insecure about some things. And I feel that life is all about growing into your insecurities and making them you. I feel nobody's perfect. And it's all about being able to just own who you are and truly accept who you are. And I definitely had, you know, had gone through that when I was 17, 18, living in New York City in LA and you're constantly being criticized on what you look like, what your body is. And I feel especially for young women on social media nowadays, it's so easy to compare yourself to a celebrity because it's so accessible. And I think at the end of the day, you just have to realize that this is how you are. And you can't really you can change yourself for the better, but you should truly just love who you are at the end of the day. Yeah, really embrace yourself. And, you know, Ali, your sister Julie won the Miss Hawaii USA pageant in 2018. So you guys are the second set of sisters to win the Miss Hawaii USA pageant because your pageant director and owner, Alisha Michioca and her sister, Justine, were the first sisters to to win the Miss Hawaii USA. How how special was that for you and Julie? Oh, I mean, it was it is a huge honor. We are we are so over the moon. Even I feel I feel that even when I won my sister was like, oh, my gosh, I've been getting so much like, you know, love from everyone. She's like, I feel like I won again. I think it's definitely really amazing to go through this, Julie, and she's already been down the Miss Hawaii USA road and the Miss Universe organization. So she knows exactly kind of what she got into and just kind of using what she learned in applying it to my own year and hopefully using it towards Miss USA. I I just feel so just so blessed by so much love that I've gotten from my community and having my sister by my side has just been a huge cherry on top of the entire experience. Oh, for sure. And and, you know, Alisha Michioca as, you know, as the leader for the Miss Hawaii USA. What do you admire about her her leadership? Oh, Alisha is I have had so much fun with Alisha and especially she has gone through this entire experience as a former title title holder. So she knows exactly what it's like to be in our shoes. And I think having that experience has really helped me. And, you know, we get along so great. And I'm just so excited to start this journey with Alisha, you know. Well, I definitely know her very well for many years. And and she truly cares about, you know, each and every contestant. And, you know, she's really trying to help all the girls, you know, not just with the pageant, but in dealing with life. And I want to ask you, I know you have both of my books, Ali, how what do you what do you like about the books? What's standing out to you? I mean, so first off, like I started reading Beyond the Game and I just love how how very organized it is to it clearly breaks down six key elements of success and, you know, getting yourself in the right mindset. And I feel that I can completely just connect and resonate. Oh, if I'm not feeling emotionally there, you have a chapter on emotion and you have a chapter on mental. And I think it truly breaks down how to get yourself in that right mindset. And you're a huge testament to that, especially winning so many, so many years for the varsity tennis team at Punahou, like consecutively, that's unheard of. And I think that's just a huge inspiration. And I'm just I haven't finished the book, but I'm excited to definitely finish it and apply this to my year towards Miss USA, for sure. And I signed it to you, right? Yes, you did it. This is actually my first. It's my first signed book from an author. I've never I've never had an author sign a book for you before. So this is actually pretty exciting. Well, I feel so honored to have been the first author to sign a book for you. And and Ali, I want to ask you about, you know, your modeling. I mean, you started modeling at such a young age. What do you feel are the toughest parts about modeling? I would definitely have to say the denial that you have nine times out of ten. You go to a casting, you're not going to book the job. That's just the reality of modeling. You're constantly being denied. And I think it was it really helped me grow stronger as a person. Because I learned to I used to kind of criticize myself before. Oh, I'm not, you know, they would say, oh, you're not Asian enough. I'm, you know, I'm half Chinese. So you're not Asian enough or you're not white enough or you're not tall enough. You're not small enough. You're not big enough. Like there's so many things that you can not be enough for. But you really just learn. I think especially getting denied so many times, you just kind of learn to just roll with it. I've been doing this for a little over 10 years now. And you just kind of learn to accept, you know, this is who I am. I can't I can't really change anything. I can't. This is how I was born. This is, you know, I can't change the genetics in my body. And I think you just have to just truly utilize it. And that's how I did. I pretty much took all the money I made for modeling and applied it to school. It helped me pay and finish college. And right now I just finished my prerequisites for medical school. So I'm really looking forward to applying to medical school. And it's just about being able to take an opportunity and utilize it for your future. No, I love hearing those insights about modeling. I mean, everyone always thinks it's so glamorous and everything. And there's parts where it really is. But there's also the other side of things that that you were saying, the the nose, right, were being denied and and having to really learn about resiliency and having tough skin and and really having the right mindset for that. So but tell me, Ali, what is your platform that you're running on for Miss Hawaii USA? So because I I am an aspiring dermatologist and I just finished my prerequisites for medical school, I am advocating sense safety and prevention and early detection of skin cancer. My hashtag is safe in the sun, Hawaii. And I have just been passionate about this from a really early age. My uncle, when I was 10 years old, he was diagnosed with skin cancer. And it really made me realize how how harmful the sun can be. And especially we live in Hawaii. I'm a surfer. I love to go surfing almost every day. I love to go to the beach and it's it's hard to avoid the sun. But you really need to be able to be proactive and just wear sunscreen and ensure that the sunscreen you have is environmentally friendly and won't death be detrimental to our coral reefs. You know, I like hearing, you know, your platform and the passion that you have for it. And and I know that recently you you went to the Waimanalo homeless shelter to donate stuff. Can you can you tell me about that experience? Yes. So actually, Alicia organized us to go to the Waimanalo homeless shelter. And it was it was truly a humbling experience. And I was just so honored that they would share their home to us. It was a huge community. And we brought bags and backpacks and school supplies for all these children and seeing the look on their faces when they received these gifts. And it was actually it was actually interesting because some of the parents who were there and we had no idea like what each child was like, we just got a name. We put a name tag and kind of like matched certain items to that name. And then all the parents were like, oh, my gosh, you got my child spot on. My child loves Mario. We had one of the kids like Mario backpacks and the other girl like unicorns. We had a unicorn backpack. So it was just it was really a moving experience. And they are doing amazing things for that homeless shelter and truly having a community there. No, it's so good. I mean, you're definitely making a big impact in our community. And I know, Ali, just from talking with you before, that you're going to make an even bigger impact in our community and in the world, just because of who you are and the personality and the drive that you have. And, you know, I want to ask you about pageants. You know, do you feel like there's a lot of girls in the pageants that support each other because sometimes there's a there's a perception that, you know, everyone behind the scenes, they they're like kind of they don't want the other person to win. But it seems like when I'm involved in pageants, I see a lot of support with with everyone really cheering each other on. Yes, totally. And I feel like that was a huge misconception to pageantry, at least in my own experience. I've met some of the most amazing women who are part of pageants. And even even during Miss Hawaii USA, one of our one of the contestants, she had broken her her dress and like the strap came off. And we were just about to go on and do our opening number. And me and my other contestant, Nikita, me and her pretty much sewed back her dress so it wouldn't fall off. So I feel that there's a huge amazing things happen when women empower each other. And it's a huge misconception. A misconception. I feel that there's so many women out there who truly just want to help each other. And amazing things happen when you do that. Yeah. And I think that, you know, comes down to leadership because someone like Alicia, you know, creates that culture of excellence, of, you know, helping each other, teamwork. I mean, that's that's what I'm all about, you know, talking in my, you know, about in my books. And and I know that you have a superior culture of excellence for yourself. And and that becomes contagious, don't you think? Oh, yes, I think, you know, I feel that when it's like karma, I feel whatever you give, it always comes back 10 times more, and it kind of becomes almost addicting in a way. Like I just love being able to spread positivity and to help others. And it really, it brings so much joy in my life and knowing that even just doing something so small, like holding the door open for somebody or smiling at somebody or saying hello to a stranger, I think little things like that really create a positive community and a positive environment for people. And then it kind of just starts spreading like wildfire in the most amazing way. I totally agree with you. I mean, karma, karma happens. And yeah, I mean, the little things make huge big differences in, in, you know, ourselves and with the people around us. And, you know, Ali, besides family, OK, besides family, who is a leader that you admire? Oh, I mean, I would have to say it would actually be my, well, I guess she's not, she feels like family, but I would have to be my director for the Hawaii Youth Opera Force, Nola Nohulu. She's also the head of the opera theater. And, you know, it's not just we didn't just learn about opera, but we also learned about the Hawaiian culture and respect is a huge foundation for that. And I truly feel that anti Nola has instilled so much respect and those morals and values in my life, especially being a part of the Hawaii Youth Opera Course for 11 years. I feel that respect is the most it's it's truly so you have, you know. No, I know, I mean, respect is a great foundation for me for sure. Now, OK, so I totally agree. I mean, respect is so necessary. And I like hearing that about her. And what are you what what other qualities do you feel the greatest leaders possess? I would have to say compassion. You have to be a compassionate person to lead. You have to understand you have to put yourself in other people's shoes. I feel that sometimes people can act out of insecurity or fear. And at least for me, I got my degree in psychology, so I don't know if that's just something that I've learned about. But I truly just try to put myself in somebody else's shoes and not take things too personally. And, you know, giving back, just being able to be that compassionate leader. No, I totally agree. I like that you said compassion. I got to also add communication. I mean, you are a fantastic communicator ally. I mean, and you're in a leadership role right now. So I have to say, you know, communication is super, super important. But I really love how you said compassion. That's definitely a key factor in many, many great leaders. And Ali, I want to ask you some, you know, personally, what is something that you want to do but you just haven't been able to do yet? Oh, that's a hard one. I mean, obviously, I would I love traveling. And of course, during covid, it's hard to travel right now. But I mean, as soon as covid is things get back to normal, I would love to go and travel again. I haven't been to many parts of Europe. I would love to go to Germany or, you know, just be able to like see the world. And I truly feel that when you expose yourself to different cultures, you learn so much about people. And I just I really love. I'm always interested in people. I even like in college, are you still like people watch? Because I'm like, oh, it's so interesting, like seeing how people interact or like, what are people going through? And I don't know if that's maybe the psychology or like the acting that I've had from that experience. But I really just I love learning about new cultures. So, Ali, what's the update for the big Miss USA pageant? So, so far, we know it's in November. It was supposed to be this summer, but because of covid, it got extended. So it's going to be in November, but they haven't announced where or what exact date it is. But I'm guessing it's probably right before Thanksgiving, or I hope it is. So, you know, regardless of the outcome, I can just totally eat a huge feast. I don't have to work, you know, don't have to worry about the bikini bot or anything like that. Ali, before we wrap up, I want to ask you one more thing. What what advice do you have for others? I would just say to really be yourself. You know, it's a little cliche. Everyone says that saying you can't be somebody else. They're already taken. And I think you really and it's but it's true. I think you really just need to love yourself. You have to find what you're good at and stick with it and utilize it and just try to make a positive impact on people because whatever you give, it'll always come back to you. Oh, I love hearing that impact is so huge. I mean, that's chapter one in the second book, right? It's chapter one. Ali, I want to thank you for taking time to be on Beyond the Lines today. I mean, it was great hearing your insights. Oh, no, thank you so much, Rusty, for having me. This is it's been a great way to start my day. And I'm so excited to finish the rest of this book and share it with others when I go to Miss USA, of course. Awesome. We're all going to be cheering for you at Miss USA, Ali. Thank you. Thank you so much, Rusty. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit RustyKamori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I hope that Allison and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.