Sequoia Nix, a student at Lane Community College, wins the National Spirit Award after being named Miss Eugene, Miss Oregon Personality and Miss Oregon Spokesmodel
By Remi Steeves
Lane Community College student, Sequoia Nix, age 26, won the National Spirit Award at the 2025 National American Miss pageant nationals in Orlando, Florida, which took place during Thanksgiving week in November. According to Nix, the National Spirit Award “is given to the one contestant who best embodies positivity, leadership and support of others throughout the week.”
Nix’s National Spirit Award was preceded by her titles of Miss Eugene, Miss Oregon Spokesmodel and Miss Oregon Personality. She also works with Make-A-Wish as a Wish Granter and said she believes the work she has done there led to her nomination for the National American Miss pageant.
Nix said she began competing in pageants with Miss Eugene, motivated by the scholarship opportunities. She commented, “I did it for the scholarship. That’s the biggest reason why I did it. I won a $100,000 scholarship when I won Miss Eugene. Without the scholarship, I would not have done it, but now I’ve fallen in love with it!” The scholarship is not the only reason she has continued to compete, however.
The community surrounding the pageants Nix has competed in is what has kept her going. She said, “I really just wanted to make friends. I wanted more of a community, so I was nice to every single person. My dad was annoyed at how many people I was like, ‘I like your top! I like your hair!’ and by the end of the week, I guess I had spoken to every single person, and there was thousands! So I got nominated [for the National Spirit Award], and I won. I really just wanted to make friends with people, you know?”
The community is strong beyond just her adult competitors, as well. Nix said, “To be completely honest, my favorite part is the little girls. And I’ve never — you know, Toddlers and Tiaras? I can’t support that. I can’t get behind it. But [National American Miss] has a rule that [there are] no swimsuits, no makeup, nothing like that for anyone under 14, I believe. It’s really cool, and everything has to be extremely age appropriate, and within that, it’s also what you can do for your community. So it’s like, these little tiny humans raise — one of them raised, like, $10,000. Insane! And, I’m like, you’re seven! That’s probably my favorite part, though, is seeing all the little girls. And they really do instill confidence within people.”
Confidence in yourself and uplifting others is a key aspect of the National American Miss pageant. According to Nix, the mission statement of National American Miss is to “instill confidence within women and young girls,” and it seems they have done a very good job in doing so. Nix said, “I really enjoyed it because it’s not a beauty pageant. It’s more of a merit what you’ve done, how you’ve served your community, and they’re also very inclusive. So I saw people from all different walks of life, that looked all different shapes and sizes, and they were celebrated. So I was like, ‘Hey! I really like you guys! This is cool!’ … This is not the cliche beauty pageant that you grow up hearing about.”
The National Spirit Award Nix walks away with has left her with more than a title, trophy, and scholarship. She has also become part of a network of strong, confident, and supportive women who are there for each other all across the country. In doing pageants and accepting her awards, Nix said she has met “so many women who aren’t judgmental, and they actually want to lift you up.”
