Lauren Matsumoto

Lauren Matsumoto
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
from the 45th district
Assumed office
January 16, 2013
Personal details
Born Lauren Nicole Kealohilani Cheape
(1987-08-16) August 16, 1987
Mililani, Hawaii
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Scott Matsumoto
Alma mater University of Hawaii
Profession Politician, beauty pageant titleholder
Religion Christian
Website www.laurenforhawaii.com

Lauren Kealohilani Matsumoto (née Cheape) (born August 16, 1987) is an American politician and beauty pageant titleholder, who is a member of the Hawaii State House representing Hawaii's 45th District. Matsumoto represents Schofield, Mokuleia, Waialua, Kunia, Waipio Acres, and her hometown of Mililani in the Hawaii State House of Representatives. She holds the title of Miss Hawaii 2011, and competed in the Miss America 2012 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada.[1] She was planted in Waialua, grew up in Mililani, and is rooted in both communities.

Personal life

Matsumoto traces her roots in Hawai‘i back to 1859 and is the sixth generation to be born and raised in the islands. Her great-grandfather started Peterson’s Upland Farm in 1910 and to this day the farm still operates as a family-run business supplying fresh eggs for our communities. Her grandfather began working at Waialua Sugar Company in 1966, where he worked until he retired. Matsumoto’s grandmother Suzanne Peterson was the first woman to serve on the State of Hawai'i Board of Agriculture and later became the Director of Agriculture under Governor Waihee.

For the past 22 years Matsumoto’s father, Michael, has worked at Nanakuli High School as a Special Education Teacher. Her mother Sharon works on the family farm, promotes local agriculture in the islands, and has served as the Vice-President of the Hawai‘i Egg Producers Association. Her brother Matthew is attending University of Hawai‘i (UH) where he is a member of the UH Men’s Volleyball Team. Matsumoto was born and raised in Mililani where she attended Mililani Waena Elementary, was the first class to attend Mililani Middle School, and graduated from Mililani High School. She participated in many activities such as the Hawaiian Island Skippers jump rope team, Mililani High School Volleyball, Swimming, and Water Polo teams, as well as the Symphonic Ensemble.

Matsumoto graduated from University of Hawai'i with a B.A. degree in film production from the Academy for Creative Media and minored in both Business and Japanese. Her first experience with the legislature was with her documentary, Farm Grown, which helped pass the Feed Subsidy Bill. Matsumoto was a four-year Division I scholar-athlete at the University of Hawai‘i as a Wahine Water Polo player. She was also a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and initiated the C.A.R.E. (Collegiate Athletes Reaching Everyone) program, which uses student-athletes to encourage youth to excel in academics and participate in athletics.

In July 2013, Matsumoto married Scott Matsumoto, who is a firefighter for the Honolulu Fire Department. The couple had been together prior to Lauren becoming Miss Hawaii.

Political career

Matsumoto ran a successful campaign for election in 2012 to the newly formed Hawaii State House District 45 in Oahu, Hawaii. District 45 comprises Matsumoto's hometown of Mililani as well as Schofield, Wheeler, Mokuleia, and Waialua. She ran unopposed in the primaries as a Republican candidate. Matsumoto has served her community throughout her life and during her year as Miss Hawai'i. That passion continues today, which prompted her to make a difference in her state by running for office. Furthermore, she has the perspective of a fourth generation farmer in Hawaii on her family's egg farm, which gives her the unique opportunity to be a voice for local farmers.

Some of Matsumoto's key values of which she platformed on include expanding local agriculture, strengthening education, improving the local economy, advocating Christian fundamentalism,[2] and advocating for responsible environmental policies.

Miss Hawaii

Matsumoto competed at Miss Hawaii 2011 as Miss East Oahu. Her talent was a Jump Rope Routine, which she took up after seeing a jump rope team perform at her school.[3] Her platform is C.A.R.E.: Collegiate Athletes Reaching Everyone.[4] She won on her fourth try for the Miss Hawaii title. She represented Hawaii at the National Sweetheart 2010 Pageant, a spot she earned by placing 2nd runner-up to Miss Hawaii 2010.[5] She was named a Quality of Life Finalist at the Miss America 2012 pageant.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Lauren Cheape crowned Miss Hawaii". KHON 2. June 4, 2011.
  2. ↑ http://www.onelove.org/Content/11016/371426.pdf
  3. ↑ "Miss Hawaii contestant profile: Lauren Cheape, Miss East Oahu". KHON 2. May 29, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Miss East Oahu Page of Miss Hawaii 2011 Program Book". Miss Hawaii Organization.
  5. ↑ "National Sweetheart". Pageantopolis.
  6. ↑ "2012 Miss America photos: IHOP breakfast, Quality of Life finalists". Las Vegas Sun. January 6, 2012.

External links

Preceded by
Jalee Fuselier		 Miss Hawaii
2011 		Succeeded by
Skyler Kamaka
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