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."
