Combining passion with service
Dawnel DeRubeis uses pageant platform to impact community and bring awareness to suicide deaths
Dawnel DeRubeis was a 14-year-old high school freshman when she first stepped on the pageant stage as a way to meet people in her new Santa Clarita hometown.
But what started out as a way to make new friends, turned into a life passion and enthusiasm for competing and volunteering.
DeRubeis ended up taking home the first-ever Miss Teen SCV title that day in 1994 and hasn’t lost her fire for pageants since.
“Pageants are absolutely part of my life,” DeRubeis said. “I’m not sure if and when I will ever stop.”
Throughout the years, DeRubeis has held of the titles of Miss Teen SCV, Miss Teen Frontier Bell, Miss North Los Angeles County Teen USA, Miss SCV, Mrs. SCV, Mrs. Hollywood USA and now, Mrs. California USA Universal for 2017.
Despite the on-stage adrenaline rush, DeRubeis’ favorite part about pageants is her ability to get involved in organizations that make a positive impact in the community.
“I always try to align myself with an organization that is really strong and focused,” she said. “It becomes a part of who I am. It’s a part of my life and a part of what makes me whole.”
And this year is no different. As Mrs. California USA Universal, she is focused on aiding the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“This is my passion and my heart,” DeRubeis said. “I sit on the education board for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention … and it is the largest nonprofit that supports education and advocacy for suicide prevention.”
The foundation’s goal is to reduce the suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025 through programs and education.
With her position on the education board, DeRubeis is able to travel throughout the state to focus on teen depression and suicide warning signs, a topic that is personal to DeRubeis.
“I lost a family member to suicide and I have struggled myself for many years with depression,” she said. “It took educating myself to understand what depression is and
what effects it has and how