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CSUN Sociology Senior Named Miss Deaf CSUNian 2009-2011

Don’t ever tell Danielle Duran that she can’t do something, like try out for a beauty pageant, because she’s deaf. She will prove you wrong.

Danielle Duran is Miss Deaf CSUN.

The Cal State Northridge sociology student took the Miss Deaf CSUN title last month and became the 16^th Miss CSUNian.

Duran said that she never thought about participating in pageants until she came to CSUN. As a freshman she learned about the National Center on Deafness-sponsored event and decided to participate after she was told that a diseased aunt, who was also deaf, participated and won a pageant held by her church. Her aunt’s example inspired Duran to try out for the CSUN pageant.

“I wanted to make my family proud because I learned a lot from the experience of my aunt,” she said.

Duran had to drop out of the competition due to the deteriorating health of her grandfather, who passed away a few months later after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Now in her senior year, Duran decided to give the pageant a second chance and re-applied last fall.

“I thought that if I could participate and win, I could prove to the parents of other deaf children that this is possible. That deaf people can be successful, they can achieve dreams and goals,” Duran said.

The competition was composed of three categories: personal interview, talent, evening gown and the onstage interview that she spent several months training for.

Historically, the program offered workshops focused on the competition categories, but this year such workshops were not offered. Instead, the contestants were told the “do’s and don’ts” of a pageant competition including hair, make-up and choosing the right gown.

The skill part of the competition came easily to Duran. Having been a dancer for more than sixteen years, she chose to choreograph a short dance performance.

“I already knew what I wanted to do as far as my skill,” Duran said. “I saw a video of when I was a child and used to dance all over my room. It inspired me. I thought of an idea for my performance and titled it ‘Recess in My Bedroom.’ It is a short routine about me being a kid.”

The jazz and hip-hop inspired performance won over both the judges and the audience.

The toughest parts of the competition were the interviews. “It was very difficult to talk yourself up to others,” Duran said. “On stage there was a great deal of pressure to give the best answer in a very small amount of time. It was nerve racking.”

She won in the category of best evening gown, a dress she found in a Santa Barbara discount clothing store.

“It just goes to show that you do not need a lot of money to look good,” Duran said. “All you need is to feel comfortable and that will make you confident.”

The Santa Clarita native said she was shocked to learn that she had won the pageant, and will go on to compete in the state-wide pageant at the California Association of the Deaf Conference in Fresno this August.

If Duran wins the state-wide competition, she is automatically eligible to participate in the National Miss Deaf America pageant.

For now, 22-year-old Duran enjoys being the CSUN winner and is concentrating on her last year as a social welfare major. She hopes to one day work with the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD).

Next year, the CSUN Deaf Studies Association will be hosting the Mr. Deaf CSUN pageant, which will give all CSUN deaf males the opportunity to show their communication skills and poise as they too compete for the crown.