Join Us For The Next
International Pageant

July 26th and 27th
2024

KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE

Showcasing
The Accomplishments
Of Today's
Married Women®

Mrs. Tennessee International®

Shonjrell Ladner - Top 16

1.Tell us why anyone would want come to your hometown?
Whenever I personally feel like I am failing, my heart changes when I step into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I hold new babies born on a weekly basis, suffering from drug withdrawal (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome). Many do not even have a home to go to, as they are up for fostering/adoption. When I look into their eyes as I cuddle them, they need help, and I know my purpose here, and I cannot stop.

2.What are the (2) most important things in your closet and why?
The perfect day for me would be walking through a city abroad with my family, learning about the monuments, cuisine, and just being in the moment! My husband and I recently traveled to the city of Rome, and each day, was a new adventure. It felt like I ripped a page out of a book of fairy tales, visiting a castle, seeing ruins I studied about in college, and holding hands with my best friend.

3.What do you love to cook and why?
I am a volunteer NICU Cuddler and a Board Member of a leading, addiction recovery center. I comfort babies; whose parents are not able to be there. These babies can not tell you “thank you,” but I do not have the words, to tell you the feeling you have inside, when they stop crying as you hold them. I share my experiences weekly to touch others, and hope to recruit more to join these efforts.

4.If you had an extra hour each day, what would you do?
The most treasured item in my home, is a crafted family tree I found at my late grandparent’s abandoned home. While I was visiting, my hometown, something compelled me to walk into a storage closet. I looked up, and there was a family tree, which my grandmother began to craft the year I was born! Dirty, I cleaned it up a bit, refurbished it, and now an heirloom, it means so much to our family.

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