Kyndle Shae Dennis, 19, of Orlando was crowned Miss Apopka 2017 on Saturday, December 3, at Wekiva High School.
Dennis, who was a runner-up in last year’s Miss Apopka Scholarship Pageant, will move on to compete in the Miss Florida Pageant in 2017 in Lakeland.
Thrilled by her win, Dennis said she can’t wait to jump into her new role and serve the Apopka community.
She will appear in the Apopka Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 10, which will run from 10 a.m. to noon and follow the route on Park Avenue from Third Street northward to Votaw Road. She has also received requests to participate in other community events.
“I would like to thank the city of Apopka for putting on such an amazing pageant and having such a wonderful experience. I couldn’t ask for anything more, and I cannot wait to represent and be a part of the Apopka community,” Dennis said.
Dennis credits her win to the hard work she poured into competing in the pageant.
“Obviously, Miss Apopka is a title I wanted to have, and I just put in a lot of hard work, whether it’s into my platform and doing community service and getting involved, or running my talent in my mom’s living room over and over again,” she said. “Just being prepared as a contestant, this is definitely a title I had my eye on for quite a while.”
Dennis’ platform is volunteerism, and in this way, preparing the leaders of tomorrow. She posts updates on her volunteer work on her social media accounts as a way to encourage youth to immerse themselves with their communities.
Her comprehensive list of leadership roles includes president of the Interact Club and community service chair for Alpha Delta Pi.
“The best way, I find, to encourage youth is to lead by example,” she said.
An expanded version of this story appears on page 1B in the Friday, December 9, issue of The Apopka Chief.
