Michaela Sigmon loves to dance, and the reigning Miss Virginia

is studying to be a sportscaster someday.

Take a look.

NARRATOR: Michaela Sigmon has been

dancing since she was four, and competing in pageants since she

was six.

She joined a professional dance team at 16.

But Michaela's first love was pageants.

Last month, her years of hard work paid off,

and she was crowned Miss Virgina 2016.

She'll represent her home state in the Miss America

Pageant in September.

Please welcome to "The 700 Club" Michaela Sigmond.

It's wonderful to have you here.

It's lovely to be here today.

First of all, congratulations, because this

was a recent victory for you.

Thank you.

It was about six weeks ago.

Was it fun?

It was so exhilarating.

I mean all of my years of hard work, and reaching my goals,

it's just a dream come true, really.

I'm living my dream.

That's wonderful.

How has your life changed?

You've had six weeks of being Miss Virginia.

You're getting ready to go to the Miss America Pageant.

What's it like?

It's really busy.

But I love being busy.

And I always tell people that I just

want to share God's grace, and his love.

Through my walk to Miss America, whether my feet are tired,

or I'm exhausted and I just want to sleep,

I take a few cups of coffee and I'm good.

That kind of is one of the great learning experiences,

I think, of being Miss Virginia, Miss America, whatever

is-- that you just, many days have

to pull yourself up by the bootstraps

and keep on keeping on.

You've danced since-- we just saw that video--

since you were four years old.

You've been in pageants since you were very young.

How did that all start for you?

What I think about it is, I love to dance.

I love to do gymnastics.

And I was actually in acting and modeling when I was younger.

But for some reason I always chose pageants.

And I really just feel like in my generation,

and in this time in history, we need to promote valuing others.

And the self-worth in our community right now.

That's my platform, making it matter.

And that's why I chose pageants all to begin with.

Because I was meant for this time and purpose

to share valuing others.

What do you mean when you say that-- making others feel

valuable.

How do you do that?

I always say that I don't know you, but I see you,

and I value you.

I was told this story my freshman year of college.

And it talked about this man who had a beautiful job

in the city of New York.

Beautiful family.

But all he wanted is value.

In his suicide letter that night he wrote,

if just one person would just smile at me

while I walk down the streets of Times Square,

I won't commit suicide.

That night, no one smiled at him.

If I can be that one person to smile

at, just you know someone, and make that difference

and save their life, that's what I'm here for.

Talk a little bit about dance.

Because it's been such a significant part of your life.

I mean you've danced, as I mentioned, in some key places.

You've danced here on our campus at CBN because every September

we celebrate Rosh Hashana.

And you were a part of a dance troop

that really brings the spiritual element.

Exactly.

Yes.

Additional spiritual element to all of that.

Yeah so I was raised at Acadamie de Ballet dancing,

and David and Arnora Hummel, they just really taught me

that dancing is a gift.

It's a gift from the Lord, and to use it in a powerful way.

And not only to train at Academie,

but to step outside my limits to bring light in a dark place.

And that's what I'm hoping to do on the Miss America stage--

is just show His light and His guidance in my life.

You know that, I think, is one of the highlights for girls who

compete in state level and then national level

in the Miss America program, is that you

are called upon to do a talent.

And so as a dancer, are you excited about that?

Are you looking forward to it?

I am so excited.

It's something that I've done since I was four.

And it's been so many years of hard work and training,

and I'm just excited to-- I'm dancing to "Baby I'm a Star",

and if I can make someone feel like a star,

like a golden star, I've done my job.

Well, we talked a little bit about your platform.

When you go to the Miss America Pageant,

it is like-- every level of pageant-- it's like it just

gets ramped up a little bit.

What do you think will be the biggest challenges for you?

Not to be nervous.

I think that God calls us-- something

that I'm learning in my journey in six weeks

as Miss Virgina, is He calls us to be humble.

But He also calls us to be bold, and courageous,

and to walk in his guidance, and to walk

and let him speak through you.

And give him the wisdom that you're supposed to have.

There are a lot of people in our culture today

that don't value Christian values.

That wouldn't agree with some of them.

How do you handle that in interview situations, where

maybe the judges who are interviewing you

would not agree with your value system?

It's so crazy that you say that, because that my Miss

Virginia interview, I was told before I walked in

that I had no chance.

Because they believe completely different than me politically,

morally.

And I said that when God was on this earth, what did He do?

He said the greatest thing is love.

And so He is love.

And that's what I walk in.

I've learned to agree to disagree.

It's a beautiful thing.

You have to find that common goal,

and you have to love someone in spite of their view.

You have to listen in value their voice as well.

Your goal is to be a sportscaster.

Where did that come from?

I mean in the middle of the dance, and the pageants,

and all else-- here comes sportscasting.

Well, I was raised in a home where I had two older

brothers that played sports.

So I was that little four or five-year-old

who was dragged to baseball games all up

and down the east coast.

And I just-- I love the atmosphere of a sports team.

And just the bonding, the unity, and to be

able to broadcast that one day would

be an incredible opportunity.

Well, now the Miss America Pageant coming up,

what's your big focus as you head there?

My big focus is that everyone that I meet,

everyone that is helping me with my mock interviews,

preparing for the Miss America Pageant, that I value them.

That when I'm on the stage I want them to look at me

and say, wow, she valued me.

Or when I walk out of my Miss America interview saying,

there's something different about her.

She valued me.

I'm supposed to be interviewing her,

but yet she flipped the page and she valued me

in spite of the nervousness that goes.

Practicing what she preaches already.

Well, we want you to know you can watch Michaela compete

in the Miss America Pageant.

It's taking place on Sunday, September 11.

Really right around the corner.

It's 9:00 PM eastern time on ABC.

And right now you can watch our web exclusive interview

with Miss Virginia on Facebook.

If you'd like to see that, just go to facebook.com/700club.

Michaela, we wish you the best.

We'll be watching and cheering you on

as you go forward with all of this.

Thank you.

The best gift that you can give me is your prayers.

Thank you for being with us today.