Deaf Hagerstown teen won pageant judges' hearts — and chance at Miss Maryland's Teen title
At just 16 years old, Leticia Detrow has already won two national gold medals for inline speed skating, is set to compete internationally in track and field, and has played a dozen different sports competitively. But in February, Leticia was named Miss Western Maryland Teen and added pageant queen to her long list of achievements.
This win isn’t just a pageant title for Leticia, it is also a piece of pageant history, an accomplishment that brought friends, family and even strangers to tears.
And now she'll be competing for the state title during the Miss Maryland and Miss Maryland's Teen competition this month at the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown.
Until recently, becoming a pageant queen hadn’t been a thought for the Hagerstown teen. She attends Maryland School for the Deaf and was busy with her schoolwork and sports — track and field, cross country, volleyball and basketball — that she plays throughout the year, when a friend convinced her to enter the Miss Western Maryland Teen competition.
“I came into pageants because my friend asked me, and at first, I was like ‘I never wanted to be in pageants before,’” Leticia said, with her mother Kris, interpreting.
It wasn’t the dresses or outfits — and definitely not the dancing — that drew Leticia into the pageant scene. Leticia said she entered so she could share her experiences as a deaf person and help spread awareness of the struggles that deaf people face daily.
As part of the community service initiative aspect of the event, each contestant chose a cause to support. This year’s picks ranged from Struttin’ for the Vets to Clothing for Children. Leticia’s pick was Equal Language Access.
“I really wanted to have an impact in the community for deaf people, so I decided to try it,” Leticia said. “And I actually loved it.”
Leticia loved it, and she won it.
Leticia's emotional monologue
The pageant is a preliminary event for the Miss Maryland Teen pageant, and was held Feb. 24 in the Kepler Center for the Performing Arts at Hagerstown Community College. Leticia was one of seven teen contestants participating in hopes of moving onto Miss Maryland Teen.
For her talent, Leticia performed a 90-second monologue through an interpreter, which gave the audience a glimpse into the day in the life of a deaf person.
"It was very impactful," said Jenn Peiffer, the executive director of the Miss Washington County pageant.
Leticia's eyes lit up and she talked about her platform. Her monologue centered on the life of a deaf person in a hearing world that offers few accommodations to the deaf community.
While Leticia has noticed that the pool of interpreters is shrinking and deaf youth aren't being encouraged to attend deaf schools and join deaf communities, Leticia's focus was evident.
"We have the right to access in communities," Leticia said, emphasizing the word "right" as she signed.
"People were very amazed, and they told me 'I learned something, I never knew that about the deaf community,'" Leticia said. "I just had to explain to them how I feel inside, and some of them were really shocked. It was amazing."
Her family and some of their deaf friends came to support her, and when she was announced as the winner, Leticia’s support group was cheering and crying.
“It wasn’t only about Leticia,” said Kris. “It was about what she was sharing.”
Even the interpreters hired by HCC were brought to tears as Leticia was crowned, Kris said. None of them had ever met Leticia or her family before.
“I want to help support the deaf community and show them that we are equal,” Leticia said.
Kris Detrow was initially not nearly as enthusiastic going into the pageant world but wanted her daughter to spread her platform and share her experiences. And although she won’t call herself a full pageant mom yet, she loved seeing her Leticia onstage.
“When I saw her come out and do that dance, I was loud, I was obnoxious, and I was annoying,” Kris recalled. “And when I saw her doing that I was like ‘you know what, she earned that.’”
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Kris Detrow and her husband adopted Leticia in 2015 from Uganda. Since then, Kris has become a skate mom, track mom and flag football mom. She said becoming a pageant mom is something she will have to learn.
Leticia said she enjoyed the experience and liked her competitors. However, all competitors had to learn and perform a dance.
“I can’t hear anything, and I couldn’t really feel the music. But I tried to dance, and I practiced and practiced,” Leticia said. “All I could do is copy the hearing girls, so I wish there was a way to make that more accessible for me.”
Peiffer, sitting next to Leticia as she talked about learning the dance, had helped the Detrows through the pageant experience and said she would help teach Leticia whatever dance she needed to know for the Miss Maryland pageant this month.
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“I’m not the best at dancing, and I don’t know if I want to do it again,” Leticia said.
To that, Peiffer smiled at Leticia.
“Hearing girls are not good dancers either,” she said.
Up-and-down education experience
Leticia’s experiences with inaccessibility to activities extend far beyond the pageant. But at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Leticia can both socialize and learn.
In the sixth, seventh and eighth grades following the pandemic, Leticia was mainstreamed at a hearing school and would be left without an interpreter at times.
“It was really tough on my life because I had no communication with my friends, no socialization, nothing,” Leticia said. “Every day I would just sit lonely.”
At the Maryland School for the Deaf, Leticia’s life is vastly different. She has the full ability to socialize and communicate with her peers and teachers.
“My life is so much better having friends,” Leticia said.
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Leticia spoke to the Washington County Board of Education when she was in eighth grade asking why they didn't provide an American Sign Language class, and described her experiences in public school. While many members of the deaf community came out to support Leticia, no real change came from her testimony, Kris said.
Leticia and her family had to raise money for her to compete. While there were hired interpreters for the pageant, the Detrows had to pay for their own interpreters for the preparation, which Kris said can cost up to $75 an hour.
To help with the costs of hiring interpreters, a nonprofit organization is being created so people can donate.
What’s next for Leticia
While Leticia is preparing for the Miss Maryland's Teen competition, she has her focus set on a different competition. As a first-year member of the Maryland School for the Deaf track and field team, Leticia will be attending the World Deaf Athletics Championships in July in Taipei, Taiwan.
Leticia practices daily but is hoping to beat her personal records as she trains and when she competes.
As for her goals after high school, Leticia said she wants to run for Liberty University and set records there. And after, she hopes to open her own clothing store.
Her vision for the store is simple: clothing designed by her with ASL graphics to spread awareness and recognition.
“I thought I was just adopting a sweet baby girl who was beautiful on the inside and outside,” Kris said. “I didn't know that I was adopting a champion.”
As for Leticia, she just wants to continue to impress everyone around her.
“I love proving people wrong,” Leticia said with a smile. “I’m not shy, I’m confident.”
Leticia was sponsored in part by Point Broadband and Stone House Urban Winery for the pageant.
Miss Maryland's Teen will be crowned at the Miss Maryland pageant, held June 19 to June 22 at the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Miss Maryland Teen competitor brings awareness for deaf community
