Funny Story…
When I was 17 years old I competed for the title of Miss
Finger Lakes. When I arrived that day, I
sized up the competition and figured I was out of my league. My goal was to place top 5. As they started reading off the runners up I
just thought-Ah well, I tried… however, it was my name they called as the
winner! I was asked the question, “Are
you excited to go to state (referring to Miss New York)?” to which I replied, “What’s
state?”. I had LOTS to learn. That said, I loved every second of being Miss
Finger Lakes and making the most of my year as a titleholder representing my
home region.
Fast Forward to Miss NY 2006…
I arrived at the Miss New York 2006 competition the day
after my high school graduation. Again,
completely out of my league, but this time there wasn’t a shocking happy
ending. I met amazing, gorgeous, talented,
and accomplished women ranging from ages 18-24.
They weren’t “trying” to be Miss New York material, they WERE Miss New
York material. I spent the week soaking
in the entire experience, making predictions, and trying to emulate what the
other women were doing. Looking back
that was my BIGGEST mistake.
Prepare for Crash-and-Burn…
Competition time: Interview.
I wore a hot pink suit with black buttons and pink snakeskin shoes-
enjoy that ridiculous mental picture. I
heard the judges laughing along with the contestant in the room before me (she
went on to finish in the top 5). I walked
in expecting a gingerly conversation… wham… current event, hot topic, no judges
even cracking a smile. Awesome. My two favorite memories from this interview
are as follows and I dare you not to at least crack as a smile at my
misfortune:
1)
My platform at the time was “Eliminating Hunger”. Question: “What are your thoughts on hybrid
fruits?” Answer: “Well, the advancement of food is incredibly important. If they are proven to be safe to eat and can
help more people obtain food I support them”
Example of hybrid fruits:
Grapefruit, tangerine, etc… Who knew I was so serious about produce.
2)
If you recall, 2006 was smack dab in the middle
of an election cycle, so there wasn’t much talk about the 2008 campaigns
yet. Question: “Who do you think should
be the next president of the United States?” Answer: “The senator from Illinois
that spoke at the Democratic Convention, Asafa Powell, presented himself so
well and generated such interested. I’d
put my money on him for the next election”
Within 10 minutes of leaving the room I realized that I meant
“Barack Obama”. I couldn’t figure out
how I came up with the name “Asafa Powell” until I was watching the Olympics
two years later… he is a sprinter from Jamaica.
Wow.
Moral of the Story…
I hope that gave you a hearty laugh. I was mortified at the time and still cringe
at the thought, but if I would’ve had a cake interview, I never would have
learned anything from it. I probably
competed for 4 locals since that, not for lack of interest, but life simply
took over and pageants were not feasible.
However, here I was faced with my very last year of eligibility. I’ve had the dream of representing New York
at Miss America since I was six years old.
If I just had let it pass me by I would have ALWAYS wondering if I could
have achieved it if I really gave it one last “real” shot. So I got my tail in gear and put myself in
the mindset that if I make it to Miss New York I will make every second of my
last year as a titleholder count. But,
if I didn’t, at least I would never have to wonder what could have been.
Looking forward…
So here we are and I am the new Miss Western NY 2012. I approached my first shot at the Miss NY
crown as a girl pretending to fit into the Miss State mold. This time around I am determined to give the
judges the best and truest possible version of myself. The Miss America Organization has given me so
many lasting relationships, memories, and lessons. It promotes constant progress and improvement
of both society and self. The values
that became rooted in me in 2006 have truly flourished over the past 7 years
and I am a better person because of my involvement in this organization.
We’re going out with a bang, baby!
