Miss America 2011

Miss America 2011... wow. My adrenaline was going out the roof last night. In case those of you that follow me do not know, I am very involved with pageants, specifically the Miss America Organization. I completely adore the organization and what it does for women/America, as well as how it has made incredible differences in my life.

I am in love with the newly crowned Miss America, Teresa Scanlan. Watching her last night, I didn't have her picked out as the winner. Sure, she had an awesome talent (she won talent preliminary earlier in the week - go pianist!), her SS was good, OSQ was outstanding, EG was great, and she was gorgeous. Compared to the other top 5 competitors, however, I had her as 3rd runner up (course, what do I know?!). Yet after reading her blog this afternoon I found out why she was clearly the next Miss America... She has a heart of gold. And the judges did see this.

The interview portion of pageants is the hardest. This is where you make it or you break it. While in the MAO, talent scores higher than interview, the interview is where you make your impression on the judges. If they don't like you in there, you can pretty much guess that they will not look at you very much the rest of the night. Only the judges and the contest know what goes on in the interview. You, as a contestant, want to try your best to share your passion and platform during interview. You want to show the judges why you should be the next Miss so-and-so, leading up to being the next Miss America. You want to let them know why and how you are different than the rest of the girls, and why you would be the best at the job you are interviewing for (keep in mind that Miss America, Miss state, Miss local are all first and foremost a JOB). After ending the night with a crown on her head, sash on her chest, and the title of Miss America 2011 now next to her name, Teresa showed the judges that she was indeed different than the other 52 contestants, and she did have what it take to become the next MA.

After reading her blog, as I said above, I am in love with this young lady. Teresa Scanlan is loving life. She has integrity, passion, and passion. Her platform is incredible; being in the pageant world myself, I know it is an issue that needs to be addressed. She is a wonderful example of what a role model really is. She is an amazing definition of what the MAO is all about.

Anyways, with all that being said, my best wishes, prayers, and blessings are with Teresa. I am excited for her year as MA2011. I am excited about the many lives she will be impacting for the good. She has some amazingggg opportunities and experiences ahead of her :-) Check her blog out.... it is certainly worth looking at! http://teresastravelsandtidbits.blogspot.com

xoxo, SLR