If the Crown Fits

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Sister duo Faith Isabella Keys and Trinity Tiara Harris are taking the pageant world by storm.

Faith, a first grader at Palisades Charter Elementary School, has been selected as Miss West Los Angeles Little Sister at Miss California USA, following the foot steps of her former pageant queen mother, Mykesha Robinson, and her sister, who was recently crowned Miss West Los Angeles Teen USA.

“I’m a pageant queen from way back when,” Robinson shared with a laugh.

Robinson, a former military police officer, spent some time in the U.S. Air Force. When she separated and entered into her civilian life, she wanted an opportunity to expand the skill set she learned in the military.

A friend told her about a beauty pageant and Robinson was hooked.

“I didn’t know a thing about walking, about platform development,” Robinson said. “It was challenging for me, as a woman, particularly as a black woman, coming into an industry where it wasn’t really popular in my culture. I had a lot of learning to do.”

Robinson competed for 10 years, becoming Miss United States in 2007. Now, she couldn’t be more proud of her two daughters taking an interest in the pageant world.

With her title, Trinity, a sophomore at Brentwood School, will represent all communities in West Los Angeles at the Miss California USA/Miss California Teen USA Competition in January 2020.

Her selection was based on “her academic standing, involvement in her community, her passion for the pursuit of excellence and her interest in empowering other young women to follow in her footsteps.”

“It’s a lot of mental training,” Trinity said of the work she will be putting in between now and the pageant. “It’s a lot of confidence building, making sure that you are confident in your own skin and that you’re proud to be who you are as a person.”

She said she will work on making sure that she is physically strong, and will also practice walking in heels.

If she wins the Miss California Teen USA Pageant, Trinity will advance to the Miss Teen USA competition.

Trinity was recently spotted in the Palisades marching in the Fourth of July Parade with Assemblymember Richard Bloom, who she has interned for this summer.

“I’m using this as a way to connect with all of the communities in West LA, especially so I know how to best represent my community,” Trinity said of the internship.

Robinson shared that when their family is not preparing for the upcoming pageant, they are either volunteering or participating in the arts.

“I love the arts,” Trinity shared. “I’m a dancer, I’m a cheerleader, I’m an actress. I was pretty much born and raised in the arts. I feel that you can fight off anything through the arts and that the arts heals people.”

Faith added that her favorite thing as a kindergartener at Pali Elementary was competing in a race because the class got to eat popsicles after. She also loves drawing and shared that she can draw whatever she wants, including a star and a Christmas tree—two of her favorite things to draw.

“She’s known as the best dancer,” Robinson added. “She can show you some moves.”

Trinity is also the founder of the Confidence Conference for Teens, a two-day conference where teens can focus on what it means to be confident. She plans to have celebrities attend and speak about how confidence has helped them in their careers.

The family also spends a lot of time working on their philanthropy.

“Life gets really hard, especially now as a single parent,” Robinson shared. “I can think of so many things that we don’t have but then when I look at different families and organizations that have even less than we do, it’s inspiring to us to keep going.”

They have worked with the LA County Department of Children and Family Services as well as the office of Governor Jerry Brown.

And the family, though full-time residents of the Playa Vista, will keep the Palisades close to their heart as Trinity and Faith work to represent West LA.

“We love the Palisades,” Robinson shared. “Our heart is here. Faith going to Pali Elementary I think is the best decision I’ve made as a parent … We have our challenges here in the Palisades, but there’s so much love and connectivity.”