I clearly remember, as a child, watching the Miss America Pageant with my mother and dreaming of one day becoming as graceful, talented, giving and beautiful as the women I saw on television. These women were my idols and I dreamed of one day becoming just like them, but I never thought that my dreams could become a reality. Growing up, my mother was low income and worked three jobs so that we could afford to live in our small apartment. She instilled in me a passion for music, art and science and taught me that an education would be the key to escaping our circumstances; but, when I was 13, my mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and given five years to live. Her diagnosis shook our small family to the core as we were quickly forced to reevaluate everything we were working so hard for. I began working to pay for my extracurricular activities and anything else I needed for school as my mom worked hard to fight off her disease, hoping only for the opportunity to watch me graduate from high school. Years passed and, as I turned 18, both of our dreams came true as her cancer went into remission and I gained acceptance into the Honors tract of Cellular Biology at the University of California Davis. I vowed, from that point on, to seize life and experience it for everything it had to offer and, in the Fall of my Junior year, I sent in my application to be a part of the Miss Sacramento County 2013 pageant.
This past June I stood on the Miss California stage, living a dream I never thought possible, and was chosen as first runner up to Miss California 2014. As a first time competitor in such a prestigious organization, I didn’t believe that I had the slightest chance of making as far as I did but, nevertheless, I worked tirelessly to prepare myself to represent the community I loved so much, a city that supported and believed in me all this time. I can honestly say that my year as Miss Sacramento County has helped me learn more about myself than I ever knew possible, and I know that this is true for each and every competitor in the Miss America Organization. In no other organization have I encountered a more giving, passionate and encouraging group of volunteers than I have in this one and I am so incredibly thankful for all that they continue to do. As a once incredibly shy and unsure girl, my committee and the friends I have met in the Miss America Organization have helped me blossom into the woman I am today. Though I have so much more growth to go, I am now aware of the incredible potential that is locked inside each girl who is willing to see it.
The Miss America Organization has been in the spotlight for the past few weeks and, unfortunately, not everything said about it has been positive. It seems that, despite all of the enormous good the girls in our organization are doing in their communities everyday, many people still choose to fixate on that which they don’t understand, taking what little they know and choosing to view it through a negative light. But looking at our organization and judging it for what it once was is like looking in the mirror and judging ourselves for the actions of our ancestors - it doesn’t make sense. At most we can acknowledge and accept the past and work everyday to improve ourselves for the future. Though I have only been competing in the Miss America Organization for two years, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible good it does for our communities and the growth and self-awareness it promotes in the young girls across the United States. The Miss America Organization is beautifully unique because it does not look for a ‘perfect’ Miss America, it looks for a girl who embodies herself to the fullest potential, and motivates young women throughout the country to strive to be the best ‘her’ she can be. In this way it collectively uplifts and empowers young women to stand up for what they believe in and to find confidence in the strength of her own voice.
It is unfortunate that we live in a society where bad press sells; despite all of the incredible good people do for their communities everyday, we fixate on the shortcomings of those we hold in high regard. We don’t see the scientists, doctors, artists, engineers, parents, soldiers and teachers that work tirelessly to constantly improve the lives of those around them - and that’s when it occurred to me. Why wait for them to tell our story? Why must we sit around, expecting someone else to tell us that what we are doing is significant, that the contributions we make in our communities are worthy? Even as we work to improve ourselves, whether or not it is for a competition, we are discovering our strength, our voice, and the opportunities for us to richen the world we live in.
Ultimately, I believe it is up to us to show America who we really are, what our journey has been in this organization. Instead of fueling the debate and arguing about whether or not the Miss America Organization is relevant in today’s society, I believe that we should actively and peacefully take a stand for everything each and every one of us has worked so hard for, to tell America our stories and to show them the impact this organization has made in the lives of thousands of young women throughout the country; to show America what it truly takes to become the next Miss America. This is our journey and I invite every current, past and future competitor to stand with me, to show our pride for an organization that has helped us learn and grow into the strong, caring and confident women we are today.
So please, join me on the #Road2MissA, post your story, your progress, your preparations and your journey across social media and let’s show America who we are, the true faces of the Miss America Organization.
This past June I stood on the Miss California stage, living a dream I never thought possible, and was chosen as first runner up to Miss California 2014. As a first time competitor in such a prestigious organization, I didn’t believe that I had the slightest chance of making as far as I did but, nevertheless, I worked tirelessly to prepare myself to represent the community I loved so much, a city that supported and believed in me all this time. I can honestly say that my year as Miss Sacramento County has helped me learn more about myself than I ever knew possible, and I know that this is true for each and every competitor in the Miss America Organization. In no other organization have I encountered a more giving, passionate and encouraging group of volunteers than I have in this one and I am so incredibly thankful for all that they continue to do. As a once incredibly shy and unsure girl, my committee and the friends I have met in the Miss America Organization have helped me blossom into the woman I am today. Though I have so much more growth to go, I am now aware of the incredible potential that is locked inside each girl who is willing to see it.
The Miss America Organization has been in the spotlight for the past few weeks and, unfortunately, not everything said about it has been positive. It seems that, despite all of the enormous good the girls in our organization are doing in their communities everyday, many people still choose to fixate on that which they don’t understand, taking what little they know and choosing to view it through a negative light. But looking at our organization and judging it for what it once was is like looking in the mirror and judging ourselves for the actions of our ancestors - it doesn’t make sense. At most we can acknowledge and accept the past and work everyday to improve ourselves for the future. Though I have only been competing in the Miss America Organization for two years, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible good it does for our communities and the growth and self-awareness it promotes in the young girls across the United States. The Miss America Organization is beautifully unique because it does not look for a ‘perfect’ Miss America, it looks for a girl who embodies herself to the fullest potential, and motivates young women throughout the country to strive to be the best ‘her’ she can be. In this way it collectively uplifts and empowers young women to stand up for what they believe in and to find confidence in the strength of her own voice.
It is unfortunate that we live in a society where bad press sells; despite all of the incredible good people do for their communities everyday, we fixate on the shortcomings of those we hold in high regard. We don’t see the scientists, doctors, artists, engineers, parents, soldiers and teachers that work tirelessly to constantly improve the lives of those around them - and that’s when it occurred to me. Why wait for them to tell our story? Why must we sit around, expecting someone else to tell us that what we are doing is significant, that the contributions we make in our communities are worthy? Even as we work to improve ourselves, whether or not it is for a competition, we are discovering our strength, our voice, and the opportunities for us to richen the world we live in.
Ultimately, I believe it is up to us to show America who we really are, what our journey has been in this organization. Instead of fueling the debate and arguing about whether or not the Miss America Organization is relevant in today’s society, I believe that we should actively and peacefully take a stand for everything each and every one of us has worked so hard for, to tell America our stories and to show them the impact this organization has made in the lives of thousands of young women throughout the country; to show America what it truly takes to become the next Miss America. This is our journey and I invite every current, past and future competitor to stand with me, to show our pride for an organization that has helped us learn and grow into the strong, caring and confident women we are today.
So please, join me on the #Road2MissA, post your story, your progress, your preparations and your journey across social media and let’s show America who we are, the true faces of the Miss America Organization.
