Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Full Circle


I have thought about writing this blog post for quite awhile so here ya go! I can remember being a teen and dreaming of competing in Miss Arkansas’ Outstanding Teen but my parents telling me they wished I didn’t get involved in pageantry. I never really understood why, so like the persistent hardhead that I am I kept pushing to compete. Years later, I finally found a way. It was my sophomore year in college and the Miss Arkansas State University Pageant was coming up. Like most all college pageants the Greek system nominates young ladies to compete and represent their organization. I was asked by the gentlemen of Kappa Alpha to represent them that year. I remember making the phone call to my parents to inform them I could not be rude and turn down the invitation to represent these gentlemen and ultimately I would be competing. They were leery at first but it was all down hill from there. I received first runner-up at Miss ASU that year and went on to win the title of Miss Southeast Arkansas.

For the next two years I won Miss Central Arkansas and Miss Greater Jacksonville. Each year my experience at Miss Arkansas taught me new lessons, which vary from learning new things about myself, new scholarship opportunities, and new relationships. I was recently reminded of ALL of these provisions while attending a wedding. Not only was the bride an individual I met through my experience of competing in the Miss Arkansas system, but so were every other individual I took a picture with that night. CRAZY! I’m not joking when I say every picture I took that night included someone I met through the Miss Arkansas system. I say this to point out I may have never won the title of Miss Arkansas and been given a job of a lifetime, but I did win by building friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime, as well as paying for schooling that has and will only continue to enhance my future.

My time competing has also provided me with the opportunity to continue mentoring and giving back by becoming the local director for Miss Arkansas State University and coordinating t-shirts for all of the contestants, chaperones, judges, etc. during the week of Miss Arkansas. Trust me, it is crazy to stop and think this is where I have ended up, but I promise I would not trade one step of the way that has brought me to this point. I credit so much of my growth and success to competing and being involved in the Miss Arkansas system. My only hope is that through not only my years of competing but now as a director and coordinator, I can show others that they too can gain more than just a title and job from their involvement in this system. Allow your journey to take you to where you end up looking back and realizing you have come full circle! Trust me, it will be worth giving back to an organization that gave you so much!

Acts 20:35, "And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."


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