The women who competed in the recent Miss Black and Gold 2016 pageant represented a common theme through their performances—confidence.

This Sunday Angela Davis, a senior sociology and African American studies major, was bestowed the title of Miss Black and Gold, but all of the contestants’ participation proved the importance of believing in yourself and having the courage to put yourself out there.

For example, pageant contestant Ariana Moore, a senior kinesiology and sports studies major, shared words of inspiration during the pageant.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence with every fear you face,” Moore said in an article in Monday’s edition of The Daily Eastern News.

Most of the contestants shared very personal stories during the pageant.

Letting others in on your personal experiences can be daunting to do even in front of close friends and family, and to do it in front of a crowd and a panel of judges takes boldness and strength.

Not everyone may be the pageant type or wish to be judged by their appearances; however, everyone can learn from the example the Miss Black and Gold contestants set.

Telling something personal for others to hear is not the easiest thing, and being able to express yourself in such a personal way is difficult thing to do.

Doing so can inspire others to feel like they are not alone and that they can be honest about who they are and what they’ve been through in life.

Being able to muster the confidence to do something that may seem nerve wracking does not just involve being in a pageant.

People gain confidence to do many different things, from public speaking to sharing your feelings to preparing for a job interview.

Confidence allows you to put yourself out there to accomplish something you thought you could not do.

But getting confidence to do something is one of the most difficult things to do.

Everyone is nervous about doing something intimidating, especially if you are doing something for the first time.

It’s natural to be.

You just have to fake confidence until you truly feel comfortable, and this is also a natural thing.

Very few people feel like they have all the confidence in the world when taking on an uneasy task.

Real confidence does not come from out of nowhere; it comes from doing what you are afraid to do regardless of your apprehensions and learning from your experiences.

The second time you do something is never as bad.

If you want to accomplish something, you just have to have to do what you set out to do.