Cairo Eubanks Visits Section 36!

Section 36 has another visitor! Cairo Eubanks is passionate about young leaders, a talented speaker, and the current Miss Broward County. I was honored that she wanted to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more!

So, let's see what happens when Cairo Eubanks visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Broward County crown?

I celebrated by sharing the news with my family, loved ones, and local community leaders! I was still in shock that I couldn’t sleep because I was excited for my first appearance as Miss Broward County 2020 at the Girl Scouts Thin Mint Sprint the next morning at 6AM. I cheered on the runners, attended a meeting with my Executive Director and fellow titleholders and then spent the Sunday surrounded by my family as we celebrated my Dad’s birthday! It was an amazing 24 hours that I experienced with my new title.

What did you learn about at the Miss Broward County competition that will help you at Miss Florida?

I learned to stay calm and focused no matter what’s going on around me. The day of the pageant, my feet cramped up at 12PM—6 hours before the competition started! I had to wear sandals through the rest of rehearsal and prayed that my feet would feel better in time for the competition (thank goodness they did!) . And food that was supposed to be delivered during the pageant because of dietary restrictions never showed up! Regardless, I calmly assessed my alternatives: I wore heels on stage and would immediately change to sandals until I participated in all aspects of the competition on stage. And my kind, fellow candidates shared vegan snacks they had that held me throughout the competition. These are just examples of aspects of the day that could have caused me to lose focus or be distracted. Instead, I implemented my motto that there is always a solution and was more than humbled to find out that despite some setbacks that happened on the day of the competition, I was able to overcome them to become Miss Broward County 2020 in the first competition that I have ever competed in! I am also extremely grateful for the sisterhood opportunities that the Miss America Organization provides: backstage, we were helping each other with makeup, hair, and (in my case) sharing vegan snacks so that I wouldn’t be hungry!

Which part of the Miss Florida competition are you most nervous about?

I wouldn’t say that I’m nervous per se, I’m extremely excited! It felt like a dream come true to receive the title of Miss Broward County and I look forward to experiencing the Miss Florida competition alongside some amazing fellow candidates. I have already (virtually) met and connected with many of my fellow sister queens and I can’t wait to experience the sisterhood on the Miss Florida platform.

How did you select your social impact initiative, “Unlocking Youth Leadership Potential”?

I’ve always had an interest in leadership development but it wasn’t until I came back from living abroad in Tamil Nadu while working with often marginalized youth on soft skills development that I realized that I could develop a youth leadership program. I created Personal and Professional Development, a 3-part youth leadership program that includes a 10-week online course through my company, CairoSpeaks/CairoWrites prior to competing for the title of Miss Broward County. Throughout my life, I feel blessed to have held leadership positions on local and international platforms and I know that I gained my confidence in my leadership potential after being believed in and encouraged to strive for excellence by my mentors. I want to pay it forward by providing soft skill training and leadership networking opportunities because I truly believe that every child has the potential to become a leader if they are given the opportunity to lead.

As a talented motivational speaker, what do you enjoy about going out on stage?

The best part of going out on stage is connecting with the audience! I love being able to connect with individuals of all ages, ideologies, and backgrounds. When you are able to feel the audience’s energy and I feel like I’m able to connect with each member of the audience as if it’s just the two of us in the room, regardless of the audience size.

If you could be a Disney character for a week, who would you choose? Why?

I would 100% be Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame! Not only is she intelligent, witty, and absolutely gorgeous, she was fearless and unafraid of advocating on behalf of marginalized people.

What can you tell me about CairoSpeaks/CairoWrites?

CairoSpeaks/CairoWrites is a consulting firm which specializes in executive coaching and enhancing both interpersonal communication skills and executive writing. As a Certified Leadership Coach-in-training, I also offer speech coaching sessions and ghostwriting to busy international leaders and business executives.

If you had an extra ticket to a Miami Marlins game, who would you take with you? Why?

I would definitely take my Dad who is an avid sports enthusiast. He’s also one of my favorite people in the world, so hopefully we could watch a Miami Marlins game in July (fingers crossed!). I would also make sure to schedule the ticket with my Dad when you’re going—I’m still new to baseball and I know that Section 36 would be the best to watch the game with—after we finish social distancing, I’ll be ready to watch the Marlins and I’m sure you will be, too!

Is there a feature or activity at a Miami Marlins game that you’d especially like to experience?

I would love to experience the pregame activities and then after the game watch the kids run the bases! I remember the first time that I played baseball as a child , I was amazed by that feeling of adrenaline when you’re able to score a run—I would love to see that same enthusiasm and joy that these future baseball players would have after the Marlins played!

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That would be so much fun!

As always, I want to thank Cairo for visiting with us, and for sending along the amazing picture.

As Cairo continues her time as Miss Broward County, I encourage you to check out her official Instagram and website. It’s a great way to make sure you don’t miss out on anything she’ll have going on. 

I also want to wish her the best of luck whenever she competes for the Miss Florida title. It would be wonderful to have a Section 36 visitor wear that crown!

Thanks again Cairo, and good luck!