Military veteran Mike Antonio chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about his latest endeavors. He will be representing Maryland in the upcoming 2024 Mister USA competition.
He is a also a Senior Project Manager, model, digital creator, and a renaissance man.
Byron Pulsifer once said: “Imagine, dream, and believe in yourself. With determination and belief, you will be surprised at what you accomplish.” This quote applies to Mike Antonio.
Mister Maryland
“It feels very good,” he said about repping Maryland. “I love my city, and I love seafood. Maryland is known for the blue crab and I enjoyed going out to the wharf when I was little. It was always fun, especially Chesapeake Bay. Lately, I have been traveling a lot.”
Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held annually, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the “Mister Universe” competition. It celebrates culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence, and empowerment. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants.
This competition will be held on August 11, 2024, in Hollywood. The winner of Mister USA will subsequently represent USA at “Mister Universe” on September 28, 2024, at The Biltmore in Los Angeles.
PhD Candidate
Antonio is also a PhD candidate. “I started out with Project Management in other fields, but for the PhD, I wanted to get into Cryogenics, especially since it deals with regeneration and preservation of life… starting with plants, small animals, and then going further. In the meantime, I picked up modeling.”
“Also, I am a military veteran,” he said. “I served for 13 years, I spent 10 years overseas in Germany, Japan, Korea, Australia, and Eastern Europe. It was very fruitful. I learned a lot. I used to teach English when I lived in Korea. I would go outside the base. I was teaching English to second and third graders on my off time from the military, usually on the weekends (since the kids would go to school on weekends as well, so that was fun.”
“Also, I did some community outreach, where I would help out with communities,” he admitted. “My whole family is in some form of government position. We all have some affiliation with the military or the government, especially because living in Washington, DC, is the mecca of all that.”
On the message that he wants to get out in “Mister USA,” he said, “You are never too old, and you are never too inexperienced to do anything that you set your heart to. Keep on going with your dream and never give up. No matter how old you are and no matter what skin color you have or what background you come from, none of that should matter.”
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Antonio said, “The Level Up.” “Recently, I opened my own contract in a project management firm, where I am still able to work with companies and still able to do project management, but now, I am able to do it on my own. I don’t have this corporate structure anymore, and this is why I keep leveling up.”
“I just finished a very prolific project, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, where I was a Senior Project Manager on that project, and it just finally opened,” he added.
Superpower of choice
If he were to have any superpower, it would be “the power to heal.” “I would seriously want to have that power, where I would be able to heal people from a physical, emotional, and mental standpoint,” he said.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Antonio said, “Success, in my eyes, is what others see. Success doesn’t come from me; it comes from others. The impact of my work and my presence is how I view success, and how I affect other people.”
Message for his fans and supporters
For his fans and supporters, Antonio expressed, “I want to thank each and every person that has helped me. This isn’t easy; the people that really come through for you and motivate you, are the true, amazing humans.”
American track and field icon Steve Prefontaine once said: “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” Mike Antonio embodies this inspirational quote by the running legend.
To learn more about Mike Antonio, follow him on Instagram.
