Bailey Scheel didn’t even like wearing dresses when her grandmother signed her up for her first pageant during COVID in 2020.

• Now, six years and eight titles later, the Choctawhatchee High School graduate is preparing to represent Florida at the America’s International Miss Pageant, set for Aug. 14-16 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

“I had absolutely no clue what a pageant was,” Scheel said. “I honestly think I only entered it because it was during COVID and there was absolutely nothing else going on at the time.”

That first competition was Junior Miss Okaloosa County, and she won. She credits much of that to Mindy Cleveland, nurse at Fort Walton Beach High School, who took Scheel under her wing after her grandmother reached out for help.

“She became such an influential person in my life, and we stay in touch to this day,” Scheel said. “I definitely would not be where I am in pageants or in life in general without her influence.”

Cleveland and her daughter Riley worked with Scheel on her walk and interview skills heading into that first competition. The two still keep in touch, and Scheel said Cleveland is excited to see her compete at the national level.

Since that first title in 2020, Scheel has built a steady resume in local and state pageantry. She was Teen Miss Fort Walton Beach in 2022, Teen Miss Niceville in 2023, Miss Navarre Beach and Miss Choctawhatchee High School in 2024. Winning the Navarre Beach title advanced her to the Miss American Heritage competition, which she also won in 2024. In 2025, she earned the Miss Florida Blueberry Teen title, which led to the Miss Florida stage. She now holds the 2026 America’s International Miss Florida title.

As a titleholder, Scheel promotes a platform she created called “Hope Through Him,” which blends her Christian faith with mental health awareness.

The idea grew in part from her involvement with Hope Squad, a suicide prevention program at Choctawhatchee High School (and across Okaloosa County Schools). But she wanted to build something of her own, and her faith felt like the natural foundation.

• “I know especially for teens and young adults, mental health is something that is so relevant and so needed,” Scheel said. “My faith has been the foundation for everything I do. I really wanted to intertwine those two parts of my life into something that could benefit others.”

She said the loss of a cousin several years ago shook her relationship with God and became a turning point.

“It was very difficult for me to understand why a loving God would take such a good person,” Scheel said. “But I was able to come back and realize why those kinds of things happen, and I just wanted to be able to help other people that may be going through similar dark times.”

Scheel has spoken publicly about her testimony, including at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes breakfast. Much of her current outreach takes the form of short videos posted to social media, an approach she said allows people to find encouragement without the pressure of a direct conversation.

“There is so much negative stigma around mental health,” she said. “For a lot of people, it’s difficult to reach out and say what they need. So by creating content that isn’t directly addressing any one person in particular, it allows people to have somewhere to look for that encouragement.”

• She has recently expanded the initiative by inviting young women from other states to contribute videos discussing mental health topics relevant to them. Winning at the national level, she said, would give her a larger audience to grow that effort.

It was last year’s national winner in the Miss division, Florida’s own Isabella Key, who first drew Scheel to the America’s International Miss system. The pageant’s motto — “love yourself and others, lead by example and serve selflessly” — resonated with her.

“When I think about what positive pageantry should be, those hit all the points,” Scheel said.

The system requires at least 10 hours of documented community service within the past year just to be eligible to compete. Scheel said most competitors far exceed that threshold. She said one of the biggest misconceptions about pageants is that they are primarily beauty competitions.

• “The service aspect is really so important and such a foundation of what we do,” she said.

The interview skills she has developed through years of competition have carried over into other parts of her life as well. Scheel said she has been told while interviewing for scholarships at the University of West Florida that she performs above what is typically expected for someone her age.

“I fully believe that is because of my pageant experience,” she said.

At the national competition, Scheel will compete in the required categories of interview, runway and evening gown. The interview accounts for 40 percent of the overall score. She is also entering three optional categories: fitness, state wear and talent, where she plans to sing. She works with a pageant coach to prepare, focusing primarily on refining her interview responses and choreographing her walks.

Balancing all of that with college coursework is something Scheel has had to figure out along the way. After her first semester at UWF in person, she shifted to taking most of her classes online, a move she said has helped her manage her time and stay less stressed.

• “I can do it in shorter increments, but just spread it out throughout the day or throughout the week,” she said.

Through it all, Scheel said the support of her community has been constant. Her family has deep roots in the area, something she said is felt at nearly every turn.

“It really seems like everywhere I go, somebody knows somebody in my family,” Scheel said. “It’s just really encouraging to know that so many people are standing behind me.”

That support showed up recently when she held a fundraiser selling popcorn to help cover pageant costs. In about a week, she raised nearly $600.

• “I think that is another part of what makes our community so special,” she said. “We have so many local brands, and I just think it’s beautiful when we can all come together and work with each other.”

Scheel said she welcomes continued support heading into August, whether through prayer, sponsorships or in-kind contributions such as jewelry or spray tans.

“Any prayer is greatly appreciated,” she said. “Obviously, my faith is a big part of my life, so I believe in the power of prayer.”

Follow Bailey here