Cole Staudt chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing the state of Virginia in the forthcoming 2024 Mister USA competition.
Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” This quote applies to Cole Staudt.
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 is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment. They believe in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants. The finals will be held at The Shrine Auditorium on August 31, 2024.
Repping Virginia
On representing Virginia in the 2024 Mister USA, Staudt said, “That feels surreal; it wasn’t something I was expecting, or something I necessarily aspire to. The more I thought about it, the more it seems to make a lot of sense.”
“Even though it’s happening, it doesn’t feel real,” he admitted. “There is a little bit imposter syndrome. In this competition, there are a lot of great guys from all the different states. I just feel really lucky to be one of them. All the votes I have been getting lately have been shocking to me.”
“I am so excited; it is so surreal, I can’t believe it,” he reiterated. “I’ve never done a pageant or competition like this before so this is stepping outside my comfort zone.”
His personal life
A communications professional, Staudt lives in Washington, D.C. with his husband. In their house, they have two dogs, a white Lab named Charlie and a French bulldog Izzy, the latter of which is “in charge in the house.”
While he is not a military veteran himself, Staudt revealed that he is a military spouse. “My husband is in the Marines,” he said. ‘The military puts out some high-quality people.”
Raising awareness on Stonewall Sports
On the message that he wants to get across with Mister USA, Staudt said, “I came from a rural community in Iowa, and I’ve been in Virginia since 2017. I’ve been doing a lot of volunteering for Stonewall Sports, which is a nonprofit sports organization. I do events and sponsorships for them, and I’ve found my chosen family through this organization. My best friends are all people that I’ve met playing sports. A lot of people have that experience. We have 1,700 players here in D.C., and we are the founding chapter of this organization, which is now national from coast to coast.
“We have a lot of pride in this organization, and I’ve been reflecting a lot on organizations that help people find their chosen family. Even in 2024, there are people that are getting shunned from their families for being gay or queer. Having a network of support is really critical in those times. Having people to help me grow was really important to lead me to where I am today, and to be fortunate to sit in a position to do so many cool things, whether it’s through my job or through my work with Stonewall Sports.”
“All of these things wouldn’t have been possible without organizations that are helping empower queer people, especially those that might feel isolated,” he noted.
“When I came out, my family was incredible, but not everyone has that. People can still be in a place where they are the only gay person,” he said.
He enjoys visiting the Pentagon. “It is so cool,” he admitted. “I worked out here in the D.C. area during college, and a couple of summers ago, I worked for an Intelligence and National Security Program, and I ended up running that last summer right after college. We would always take the kids to the Pentagon for tours, and that was just incredible.”
“Going to the Pentagon is such a special tour,” he admitted.
Stage of his life
“Hitting my Stride.” “I started a new job last spring, which really cleared up a lot of things for me. I work for T-Mobile, and it’s an incredible company and organization. They support queer company, not just in our company but externally as well, so that is really empowering, he said.
“I also get to work on issues that are really important to me such as focusing on closing the digital divide in rural communities, which is something I experienced myself,” he said.
“It is really empowering to do that kind of work, especially in the rural communities where I came from,” he added.
Success
Regarding his definition of success, Staudt said, “I don’t necessarily evaluate success as a win or first place in anything in my life. Part of hitting my stride mantra is do I feel good about the outcome? Do I feel like I left it all out there. Doing everything I could possibly do, and treating the people with respect, compassion, and empathy. If the answer is ‘yes,’ then it is a success.”
“It is important to recognize the small successes… the little steps that it takes to get to that place is really important to keep myself motivated. Success is about being the best version of myself along this journey,” he said.
To learn more about 2024 Mr. Virginia Cole Staudt, follow him on Instagram.
