Kimberly Hamilton

Island Gazette’s Youth Profile : Kimberly Hamilton: Miss Pleasure Island 2004 Excited for Her New RoleIsland Gazette Online
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Island Gazette's Youth Profile : Kimberly Hamilton: Miss Pleasure Island 2004 Excited for Her New Role
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It's time to get to know Kimberly Hamilton because you will be seeing her smiling face at events around the island for the next year.Kimberly is the 2004 Miss Pleasure Island.Kimberly, along with her court, will be not only representing our community, but also giving their time to those in need.The Pleasure Island Scholarship Pageant was held in mid-May and this is not your average beauty pageant because this pageant is a community effort.There were many ways to win including selling ads and getting signatures to raise money for the community.The winners of the pageant will represent the community in a variety of ways.They will be on hand for events such as the 4th of July Celebration, the Island of Lights Christmas events and the Seafood Blues and Jazz Festival.All representatives participate in the community as well by performing at nursing homes and assisting at the Help Center during the holidays. At this year's pageant, Kimberly also won the Congeniality Award unanimously voted by her peers.She received a $500 scholarship to be applied to the college of her choice.A 2003 graduate of Ashley High School, Kimberly has just finished her first year of school at Cape Fear Community College.She plans to transfer after next year to ECU."I love college," she said happily.Kimberly has many goals for the future.While Kimberly has dealt with the challenge of being severely hearing impaired for her entire life, she hasn't let that stop her.She attends college, works part-time, drives her own car, works on her growing modeling career, and is now looking forward to her stint as Miss Pleasure Island."I like to be in the spotlight," said Kimberly with a smile.This is her fifth pageant that she has participated around the region in the last three years."She started in the pageants without telling me," laughs her mom, Bonnie."She is very brave, but she knows what she wants."Kimberly said she loves meeting new people and that is what the pageant world offers her.She has been Carolina Teen Miss, Miss Christmas Star, America's Swimsuit Model of the Year Countess (Myrtle Beach), and participated in the Atkinson Christmas Majestic, the Azalea Princess Pageant last year and was an Azalea Belle in 2002.She hopes to make a difference in the community as Miss Pleasure Island.While she plans to pursue a modeling career, Kimberly's heart is in working with the blind and deaf.She has worked very hard her whole life to speak English, which she does very well and because she was able to overcome the obstacles faced with interpreters in school, she wants to be an advocate for deaf and blind children and help them explore their options. "Not every hearing impaired person is the same," she emphasized.She is studying to be a specialist in disabilities at Cape Fear right now."I want to reach out and help children.My parents raised me as normal as they could.I went to speech therapy.They taught me to reach out and do what I want to do."Kimberly was born and raised here on Pleasure Island.She now lives with her mom in Monterey Heights.She has one older brother and a stepsister.She is very proud of her father, former Kure Beach xxyy Hamilton.Kimberly said, "My mom and dad love helping people too, and I got that from them."Kimberly is no stranger to community service, so she is excited to help out wherever she can.She has worked with Meals on Wheels, and worked at a deaf camp as a counselor to name a few.When she was at Ashley, Kimberly was president of the Sign Language Club.She was in the first class to graduate from Ashley and had transferred from Hoggard.While there, she was a cheerleader for one year and then became involved in ROTC.In her spare time, Kimberly likes to spend time with her friends, she loves to shop and go to movies.Like any teenager, she loves the beach and enjoys taking her niece swimming.She plans to enjoy her life as Miss Pleasure Island and hopes to enter the Miss Wilmington pageant as the next step in the beauty pageant circuit.Kimberly is a wonderful asset to our community and we are proud to have her represent Pleasure Island.