Tigard High School alumnus Deja Fitzwater added a new crown to her growing collection last fall with her first national title.
The 19-year-old former Rose Festival Queen won the 2024 National American Miss Teen pageant, where she was also named Miss Congeniality during a 10-day competition in Orlando, Florida last November.
Though Deja is no stranger to the national stage – she represented Oregon at National American Miss competitions multiple times before taking the title as Miss Idaho – the victory came as a happy surprise.
“When I had that crown on my head, all I could think was, thank you, God, for this opportunity,” she said. “It was so special to be able to have that moment.”
It’s a moment she’s been working toward since she was a toddler.
Deja made her first appearance in a Christmas pageant at 2 years old when her mother, Fabienne Fitzwater, entered a then-tiny Deja for fun. And also, because Santa was making an appearance.
“Once (Deja) hit that stage, and the director showed her to go to each “x” and pose and smile, she fell in love with it,” Fabienne said. “We learned of National American Miss when she was four and she competed at age five, won the Miss Oregon Princess title at six and a $1,000 scholarship and a trip to Nationals.”
Seeing her daughter crowned in Florida was “surreal” despite all the years and close finishes.
“When they were down to the final two and she was one of them, I think that I was in a little bit of shock that we were even at this point,” Fabienne said. “When they called her name, I just looked at my mom and dad, and we stared at each other, and I said, ‘Oh my goodness, she won!’ Then I started jumping up and down and ‘Woohoo-ing!’”
The pageant awards $1 million in prizes in a series of state and national events for girls and women. Contestants can compete in six age groups from Princess, the youngest, to Miss, the adults. Deja, who previously represented Oregon as a Princess, Junior Preteen, and Junior Teen, added $5,000 of scholarship money to her growing pot of winnings when she was crowned Queen.
“I’ve been competing with this organization for 12 years, and it was my ninth time going to the nationals,” she said. “I’ve gotten in top five, gotten top ten, (but) I’ve never won.”
Along the way, she’s amassed more than $20,000 in scholarship prizes from this and various other pageants as she’s continued to polish speaking and interview skills that are key to contests.
Deja is currently a junior at the University of Idaho, where she’s studying communications and Asian studies and training to be an officer in the Marines after graduation through a Marine Corps Platoon Leadership Class (PLC) program for college students.
PLC lets full-time students attend summer training sessions to potentially enter the Marines as second lieutenants after graduation. During the school year, Deja trains independently, keeping in shape with long runs.
She credits her reign as Rose Queen for helping her to the recent national victory and sparking an interest in Asian culture.
“I don’t think that I would have been as well prepared (for the National American Miss) without my year Rose Festival Queen, so it all just works together. (Being) Rose Queen was phenomenal. I was able to have the opportunity to go to Taiwan, where I found a love for Taiwanese culture and for learning the language of Mandarin,” she said. “That was such a special experience.”
During her new reign, Deja will balance an already packed school, work, and training schedule – she’s preparing to run a ½ marathon in the Spring – with visiting state pageants where she’ll help mentor other contestants.
For now, though, she is settling into her new role.
“I was crowned on December 1st, so genuinely, it hasn’t been that long,” she said. “I’m still kind of getting into the swing of things, for example, balancing social media expectations with school and how to combine those. It’s been really fun.”
