‘Built-in best friend.’ Sisters competing for Miss Georgia jobs share what experience is like
Two pairs of sisters are among the 72 candidates competing this week for the Miss Georgia and Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen titles at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus:
Miss Northwest Georgia A’Leah Burrell and Miss Gwinnett County Taylor Burrell, and Miss Macon Michaela Heide and Miss Warner Robins Outstanding Teen Remie Heide.
The preliminary competitions began Tuesday. Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen finals start at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Miss Georgia finals start at 7 p.m. Saturday.
What is it like for these sisters to compete against and with each other in this prestigious event? They shared that insight with the Ledger-Enquirer during a break in their busy schedules.
Burrell sisters
The Burrell sisters prefer to think of their situation as competing together rather than against each other. It’s the third time they qualified for the Miss Georgia event the same year.
As the older sister, A’Leah said, “I definitely feel a little bit of protection over her. But also, as much as I feel like I inspire her, she is one of my biggest inspirations.”
Seeing her older sister compete motivated Taylor to follow.
“I just kind of saw how great it was for her and how much she enjoyed it and how much she was welcomed in,” Taylor said, “so I wanted to give it a try.”
A’Leah, 24, graduated from York High School in Yorktown, Virginia, and Columbia Southern University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She owns a clothing store, called Lea Bee Boutique, in Fayetteville, Georgia.
She has participated in the Miss America Organization since she was 10. This is the third time she qualified for the Miss Georgia competition. It’s also her final year of eligibility due to the age limit.
For her talent in the competition, A’Leah sings “Say Goodbye.” Her platform is promoting accessibility to the arts.
Taylor, 22, graduated from McIntosh High School in Peachtree City, and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of West Georgia. She is on track to finish a master’s degree program in biology at West Georgia and plans to attend veterinary school.
This is her 12th year participating in the Miss America Organization and her fourth year in the Miss Georgia competition, following one year in the teen division.
For her talent in the competition, Taylor sings “Alone” by Heart. Her platform is to educate people about the correlation between violence against animals and violence against humans.
“You have your built-in best friend there, so a lot of times we’ll help each other with makeup and hair backstage,” A’Leah said. “… If she were to be crowned Miss Georgia, I would know 100% they chose the right girl, someone who is who she says she is and does her absolute best.”
Taylor returned the compliment.
“I know that she’d make an incredible representative and would be amazing at the job,” Taylor said.
Despite the overall unity, the Burrell sisters admit they sometimes argue, when the “built-in best friends” become “built-in battle buddies,” A’Leah said.
It could be bickering about borrowing clothes, misplaced belongings or who is hogging the mirror when they are roommates at competitions. Or it could be when A’Leah wants to be serious when Taylor wants to joke around, or when Taylor reminds A’Leah she isn’t her mother after receiving unsolicited advice.
They try to rise above the “outside influences pitting you against each other,” Taylor said. Whether the comments come from social media or in person, “that can be a lot of noise,” she said. “It can be difficult to ignore sometimes, but by all means, you’ve got to keep that negativity away.”
Heide sisters
Michaela, 23, graduated from Northside High School in Warner Robins, and Kennesaw State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in dance. She was hired last month to teach dance at Northside-Warner Robins.
She has participated in the Miss America Organization since she was 13 years old. This is her fourth year in the Miss Georgia competition, following one year in the teen division.
Her talent in the competition is ballet dancing to “Carmen.”
The Heide sisters have the same platform, raising money and awareness to defeat Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, inspired by their late grandmother’s experience.
Remie, 14, is a rising freshman at Northside-Warner Robins. This is her first year qualifying for the Miss Georgia’s Outstanding Teen competition. Her talent is singing “Into the Unknown” by Idina Menzel.
The Heide sisters aren’t competing for the same crown, so the chance for competitive friction isn’t an issue between them.
“It’s been a really cool experience so far, just being able to share being backstage,” Michaela said. “We start on the same side of the stage, so we’re like getting pumped backstage together.”
Michaela helps Remie with her hair and makeup.
“It’s been very time consuming,” Remie acknowledged with a smile.
When they argue, it’s often about Remie “using my stuff and not returning it,” Michaela insisted. “My hairbrush will go missing sometimes. Then I open her bag, and I see her hairbrush and my hairbrush in there.”
Michaela described Remie as “growing into a very confident woman. Being only 14 years old, she’s still trying to figure out her own opinions, but I think the competitions really help her grow in confidence, especially on the interview side, developing adult opinions that normal 14-year-olds wouldn’t be able to develop. … She’s driven when she puts her mind to something.”
The older sister shared the advice she gave her younger sister about the proper Miss Georgia competition mindset.
“Just to have fun and make friends and just do your best because you’ve been working really hard,” Michaela said. “Just leave it all on the stage.”
They remind each other to “grow as a person” instead of focusing on winning.
They enjoy performing in front of an audience and onstage in a beautiful facility. They also like the scholarship money they earn by placing in competitions.
“Even doing prelims to get to Miss Georgia helped pay for my college,” Michaela said.
Attending her sister’s competitions and practices, Remie said, made her realize “maybe I can do that. It opened up my eyes to the world of performing, and I just love performing.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
