Meet The 2014-2015 National American Miss Jr. Pre-Teen Tatum Pearlman!

NAM: Tell us about yourself: 

Tatum: I am an outgoing 10yr old that is in the 5^th grade.   I love animals, and own 3 dogs (Harley, Champ and Aspen) a hamster (Buttercup) and a fish (Flip).  I am the youngest in my family. I have an older sister Lindsey and an older brother Kristofer.  Even though it gets frustrating being the baby, I don’t always mind, cause I get a lot of attention.

NAM: What activities are you involved in?  

Tatum: I ice dance 3 days a week after school, and once a week before school with my coaches Rob and Beverly, I also take private golf lessons all year round, and sing weekly with a voice coach.

NAM: What are your plans for the future?  

Tatum: After I go on to middle school, then graduate high school, I would like to attend Michigan State University and earn my degree in Teaching.

Fun during NAM National Rehearsals! 

NAM: How would your friends describe you?  

Tatum: I think my friends would describe me as caring, funny, intelligent, loyal and a rule follower- at least I hope that’s how they would describe me, lol.

NAM: What is the best advice you have ever received?  

Tatum: The best advice I have ever received is to treat people the way you want to be treated.

NAM: How did you prepare for the NAM National pageant?  

Tatum: Before Nationals, I practiced my intro in the mirror all the time and I practiced walking in my heels whenever I could, I was so afraid I was going to trip on stage.  Instead when I was called for top 10, my toes slipped out of the toe strap on one of my shoes and was dangling on to my foot by the ankle strap, I had to walk the entire V in front of the judges on my bare tip-toes with my shoe flapping all over the place and pretend like nothing was wrong! It was really funny!

With My Big Sister! 

NAM: Where is your favorite place to shop?

Tatum:I love to shop at Abercrombie.

NAM: What is your most prized possession?  

Tatum: My wish rock is my most prized possession.  My mom found it for me on a beach in New England and gave it to me.

NAM: What is your favorite movie? 

Tatum: Divergent, even though it’s not very age appropriate, I can’t help it.

NAM: What is your favorite TV show?  

Tatum: I like to watch iCarly because it’s funny and unique, and I also like to watch Full House on tv because I think it teaches good life lessons in a funny way.

NAM: What is your book?  

Tatum: My favorite book is “A Long Walk to Water”  because I love true stories and this book captured my attention and I couldn’t stop reading it.

NAM: What advice do you have for future NAM girls?  

Tatum: To be yourself and have fun no matter what you are doing.

Personal Introduction 

NAM: If you could be famous for anything what would it be?  

Tatum: I would want to be famous for singing.

NAM: What is your dream job?  

Tatum: My dream job is to be a 3^rd grade teacher, I think that’s when the work becomes more challenging, but the students will still listen to you.

NAM: How do you plan to use your title?  

Tatum: I plan to volunteer in my community whenever I can, and hopefully use my title as a microphone to get other young kids involved in volunteering as well.

NAM: How do you volunteer in your community?  

Tatum: I donate the majority of my time to “The Lake County Haven” a women and children’s homeless shelter in Illinois that promotes independent living.  I have held food and clothing drives for them, cooked meals as well as visited the shelter and written and collected words of encouragement that have been posted on the shelters inspiration board.  I also like to volunteer at food pantries, and Feed My Starving Children to name a couple of other organizations I have volunteered with.

NAM: What is your most embarrassing moment?  

Tatum: Once when I was at a Hawks game, a player got hurt and I yelled out “are you ok?”  and at that very moment, it got very quiet and everyone looked at me!

NAM: What is your favorite subject in school?  

Tatum: My favorite subject is reading. I have always loved reading since as long as I can remember.

The crowning moment! 

NAM:  If you had three wishes what would you wish for? 

Tatum: My first wish would be a white 2014 convertible Corvette with a black racing stripe down the middle. My second wish would be for a bigger closet, and my last wish would be for a million dollars that I would put in the bank to help pay for my college.

NAM: What is your biggest fear? 

Tatum: I am really scared of bugs! I think they are creepy.

NAM: Who is your rolemodel?  

Tatum: My mom is my rolemodel because she had a very rough childhood and she never gave up and always stayed positive.  She is also a caring person and nice to everyone.

Volunteering! 

NAM: If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?  

Tatum: I would have dinner with my grandma (my moms mom).  She passed away before I was born and I have always wanted to meet her.

NAM: What is your favorite part about National American Miss?  

NAM: My favorite part about NAM is that I can be myself and it has taught me to be confident, proud and helped me realize how important community service is.

NAM: How did you get started with NAM? How long have you been involved?  

Tatum: I started with NAM 5yrs ago when I was a Princess.  My big sister Lindsey also competed with NAM and I would watch her when she was a Princess and I would tell my mom that “I wanted to do that too”.

Walking the NAM National Stage! 

NAM: What is your definition of a NAM girl?   

Tatum: My definition of a NAM girl is someone who is natural, smart, confident, and poised.

NAM:What do you like to do for fun?  

Tatum: For fun I like to play restaurant and school with my friends. My entire room is set up like a classroom with a huge 4 ft by 6 ft dry erase board on one wall.

NAM: What makes your state unique? 

Tatum: I think Illinois is unique because during St. Patrick’s Day we dye the Chicago River a Bright Green color.

First Official Interview! 

NAM: What is your favorite food?  

Tatum: My favorite food is grilled shrimp.

NAM: What makes you laugh?  

Tatum: I think it’s so funny when my mom tells me stories about when I was a baby and things I used to do.

NAM: What was your first thought you had when you captured your national title?   Tatum: The first and only thought I had when I won was “Oh my gosh, is this really happening!!!”

NAM: People would be surprised to know what about you?  

Tatum: People are always surprised when they find out that I weighed 10 pounds, 1 ounce when I born.

First Interview as The 2014-2015 National American Miss Jr.  Pre-Teen! 

The Crowning Moment!