6 Things You Might Hear From Kids at Appearances
One of the best things about being a titleholder is the endless amount of little kid encounters you receive. They always make for good stories and great memories after you have to pass on your title. Here are a few of our favorite common questions along with some hilarious stories.
First things first, every single child wants to know about your crown. Why you have it, where it came from, how it stays on, if they can touch it... you get the idea. Miss Idaho's Outstanding Teen 2016 shared this story with us, "After explaining to a little girl why I was wearing a crown, her eyes widened as she had a moment of realization. She opened her mouth and exclaimed, 'See that silver tooth?! The dentist said I have a crown too! We're like, princess sisters!'"
Any and every princess reference. With a crown comes a million questions about why you have it on. The traditional questions range from, "Are you a princess?" and "Are you a Disney Princess?" all the way to "Do you live in a castle?" and "Where is your prince?". One local titleholder, Miss Meridian 2016, shared this story. "'Look Mom!! A princess,' a little girl said as she ran over. I bent down to hug her and she asks,"Do you know Cinderella?" I said yes, my sister works at Disneyland, I've actually met a couple Cinderellas in my day. She said," Well you should tell her to write me back because I wrote her a really nice letter and nice friends write letters back!" I tried not to laugh and her mom kept apologizing for her outburst.
Kids like to know who is in charge - and once you have a crown they want to know what you have authority over. Are you the queen of this town? Do you know so and so? The crown means a lot in their eyes. Not only are you a role model, but you have to be in charge of something when you have that on your head. Miss Boise 2015 shared about an experience she had with kids wondering what she was in charge of, "So are you like the president of Boise or something?' To which I responded, 'Basically.'"
They always want to know how old you are. Often when you are out in public little kids will be dying to know your age and within about a minute of the age question the guessing game starts, "Are you 12?" Followed by, "Are you 35?" Miss Idaho 2014 shared this story, "Kid one, 'How old are you Miss Idaho?' Kid two, '*gasp* *SMACK*DUDE YOU DON'T ASK OLD PEOPLE THAT!
Whenever you are out sharing your platform and you start taking answers from the audience there is a lot of great quotes. You never know what kids are going to say - sometimes their answers are perfect and insightful and sometimes they are just something you have to smile and nod your head. Miss Magic Valley 2011 shared a story from one of her assemblies, "My platform was anti-bullying. I always liked to start out with a question for the students. 'What does the word bullying mean to you?' During one assembly I asked and a kid raised his hand. After I called on him he said, "It's like... well, you know..." And he stood up and acted out bowling."
But of course, the best part after a long day of appearances and being your best is the compliments they give you. To make you feel like the queen of the world. Meeting kids is one of the best part of the job because they are always ready with compliments on what you are wearing, they tell you that you look like their favorite celebrity, they say you are nice and cool, and they ask for hugs. They are the reason most of us compete. Because if we can make a difference in at least one of their lives, then we did our job.
Taking on Finals – One Point at a Time
There are so many things to be excited about during this time of the year. Summer is about to begin, Miss Idaho is right around the corner, and I finally get to go HOME next week! Unfortunately, there are also a lot of things to dread during this time of the year… Massive essays (I have 2000 words due next week), assignments, and of course, finals. The worst part is that I have to complete all of these dreadful tasks BEFORE I can get to the exciting stuff.
This week is dead week at Washington State University, and to be perfectly honest, I am so ready to be done with school for the year. I have no motivation to study, I have very little time on my hands, and I miss my family… a lot. Today, I let my longing for home and lack of motivation get the best of me; I had a mini melt-down. After my melt-down, I sat in my room and scrolled through social media (avoiding my homework) for about half-an-hour before I randomly came across a picture of the Miss America crown on Facebook. To most people, this would have been an insignificant occurrence. However, as a woman preparing for Miss Idaho, this was a reminder of something very important...
Many people don’t realize that each point on the Miss America crown represents a valuable characteristic. The four points represent service, style, success, and SCHOLARSHIP. When I saw the picture of the Miss America crown earlier today, I was reminded that I represent scholarship as a TITLEHOLDER. I realized that young women are looking up to me every day, and it is my job to demonstrate studious behavior… whether I’m stressed or not. Because of one glance at the Miss America crown, I was reminded that I am a much better student than I was acting today. I am smart, I am motivated, and I am about to ACE my finals… and my 2000 word essay. I am ready to put my best foot forward and strive for the ultimate academic SUCCESS.
I encourage anyone who is struggling to finish the semester to find something motivating to look at. It could be something as small as a picture of a crown. Finish strong!
-Sarah Jensen – Miss Three Rivers
Miss Three Rivers: Tips on how to make your fundraising obligation your passion.
As a Miss Idaho contestant, I have the responsibility of raising funds for the Children’s Miracle Network. Although I have only been involved in the Miss Idaho Organization for two years, I have picked up some valuable techniques to help with fundraising. Using my experiences, I have compiled a list of tips that might help anyone who is struggling to fund raise. I hope that my advice is helpful for any current or future titleholders! Here are my tips on how to make a fundraising obligation a passion:
Tip #1: Do some research.
When I competed in my first local pageant, I made no effort to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. At the time, I couldn’t help but feel burdened by the fact that I had to raise money for an organization that I knew nothing about. The feeling of “burden” continued for me until I took the time to research the organization. I learned that the Children’s Miracle Network (CMNH) was sending funds to benefit children’s hospitals all over the United States and Canada. The entire idea of CMNH is to bring awareness and attention to children’s hospitals, while raising funds and contributing to the health care of young people. Who WOULDN’T want to contribute to that!? When I realized all of the incredible things that CMNH did, I felt PROUD to raise money for the organization.
Tip #2: Connect your fundraising to an activity that you love.
I have a special love for baking. There is something so relaxing and rewarding about spending hours in the kitchen with my recipe books. Baking is just my thing. When it came time to plan my first real Children’s Miracle Network fundraiser, I wanted to do something simple, fun, and effective. My solution: BAKE SALE. The idea was perfect; it gave me an excuse to bake for two days straight… What could be better!? Needless to say, I had a great time during the entire fundraiser. People loved my treats and I raised more money than I ever would have expected. Because I enjoyed the experience so much, I had three more bake sales to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network (I might do another one when I get home from college). Whether you love dancing, singing, playing a sport, or baking, find a way to connect an activity that you love to your fundraising efforts. I promise, you will have the time of your life.
Here it is: my first Children’s Miracle Network Bake Sale!
Tip #3: POST ABOUT IT. A lot.
I probably drove my hometown NUTS with all of my Facebook posts before my bake sales. I posted every day, multiple times a day, for about four days leading up to the events. I had so many people come to my bake sales simply because they had seen me post about them on Facebook or Instagram. In addition to that, my posts caught the attention of a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital board member in Madera, California. Because of my fundraising efforts, he invited me to tour the Madera Children’s Miracle Network hospital and experience firsthand the organization that I was raising money for. THAT IS THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA. Use technology to your advantage!
I got to tour one of the largest Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in the country! Here’s a picture at the entrance of the hospital in Madera, California.
I found my passion in the Children’s Miracle Network because I started competing in the Miss America Organization. Fundraising for CMNH has bettered my life in ways that I never could have predicted. I hope that my tips are helpful to anyone who struggles with fundraising! LET YOUR FUNDRAISING OBLIGATION BECOME YOUR PASSION.
Sarah Jensen- MIss Three Rivers 2016
Miss Boise: Take on Stereotypes Crown First!
April 16, 2016 I participated in “Miss America Serves”. “Miss America Serves” is a day that very contestant participating in a state pageant through the Miss America Organization dedicates themselves to a service project. Like all of my Miss Idaho sisters, I participated in a food drive benefiting the Idaho Food Bank. I stood in front of Fred Meyers for hours collecting food, but that isn’t enough to escape the stereotype that comes along with wearing a crown.
Like many customers before him, a man walked into the empty and silent Fred Meyers lobby. He was on the phone so I offered him a smile and didn’t mention the apparent food drive. He proceeded to walk past me speaking loudly to whomever he was talking to saying “Miss Boise is here. She won a contest and just stood up there not thinking about anything.” Since the electrical impulses in my brain processed his words and cognitively interpreted them into meaning, I found myself relieved that I must be at least thinking SOMETHING. I then continued my fight against hunger here in Boise.
Whenever I participate in any event, I am consciously strategizing how I can improve upon the stereotype of pageant contestants. Are there some girls that are a mirror reflection of our stereotype? Unfortunately, yes. You can find hundreds of girls on Youtube giving subpar interview answers as evidence of that. But even then, what is to say that the girl answering any given question just isn’t perfect? What if she simply doesn’t know the answer to every single thing in the world? I mean really. Who can answer everything? What if she accidentally just made up a word? It could happen to anyone.
To give you an example- here is the first image that populated when I typed in “Stupid Pageant Answers”.
Here is the actual YouTube video of her interview. Start the video at 0:25.
During my time volunteering for the Idaho Food Bank as a part of “Miss America Serves”, I was bombarded with the unkindness of that man based on the stereotype pictured above. I was also lucky enough to be graced with the generosity of hundreds of strangers- one in particular.
Like hundreds of customers before them, a woman and her daughter walked into a Fred Meyers lobby. The woman’s face burst into the biggest smile. Her enthusiasm shocked me as I had received some really kind donations, but not with quite the same level of excitement. She assured me that she would go shopping and then return to donate food. When she came back, she dropped a couple cans into my cart full of donations. Then, her daughter handed me a water bottle and said something along the lines of “We brought those cans for the people that are hungry, but we bought this water bottle for you. You must be so thirsty working this hard!” In light of my encounter with the man, I was speechless. I think I honestly stood there with my mouth open. I managed to get out a thank you and they started on their way.
As they were about to walk out of the door, the mom turned around and came back to me. She said “I have to tell you something” and began to tell me a story about how a few years ago, she hated pageants. She thought they began and ended with the stereotype. That was until she got to know a pageant girl herself. I can’t remember how exactly she had gotten to know one.. But that woman changed her entire opinion. She said she had, until then, never realized how hard we work in terms of our community service, our education.. everything. She also mentioned that she thinks we deserve so much more credit than we receive. She wanted to make sure I knew that I was appreciated.
Allow me to back track a little to the picture and video I posted above. That is my best friend, Erza. If you know Erza like I do, you know that she is kindhearted, genuine, thoughtful, and incredibly smart. I can’t even tell you how many times she has turned down hanging out with me because she has had plans with her little sister from “Big Brother Big Sister”. This is a mentorship program that she has been a part of for as long as I have known her (8 years). She also got a 4.0 in high school. Her hardworking and professional nature has allowed her to quickly earn promotion after promotion for the business consulting company she works for. Meanwhile, thousands of people have over looked the remarkable qualities she possesses and instead view a video that allows them to write off all pageant contestants as girls that just stand there and “don’t think about anything”.
The woman in Fred Meyers and her story about the pageant girl she knew is another example of how everyone has the ability to make a difference. Sometimes you don’t have hours to stand in front of Fred Meyers with a food drive. Sometimes you don’t have enough money to make that donation. You know what you ALWAYS can do? Live by example. Live by knowing you are powerful. Whether you know it or not, you are a direct representation of yourself and of any organizations you associate yourself with. I am proud to represent the Miss Idaho Organization at every chance I get and would relish the opportunity to do so even more as Miss Idaho.
The best way to change a stereotype is to prove it wrong!
Yours truly,
Brittany Lock Miss Boise 2016
Miss Boise’s How To: Be An Outstanding Role Model
Allow me to tell you a little bit more about myself. To start, I'm not perfect. Ask anyone, I am terrible at directions. Sometimes I say things and then want to pound my head against a wall. To me, math might as well be a foreign language. In-spite of all of these things that others may call flaws, I know that I am worthy. You know why? Because I try!
To put it nicely, I am constantly humbled by my ability to mess things up; however, this does not keep me from seeing my own worth. I have mentioned this before, but when I was about 11 or 12 I saw the Miss Boise crown and sash for the first time. It was in that moment that I set my eyes on one day holding the same title. As you know I have now achieved this goal, but that didn't come easily. I competed for 5 different titles before I won my first local. My first title, a title that changed my life, was Miss Syringa. I gained confidence, I gained personal and professional skills, but I also gained a little sister.
The Miss Idaho Organization has a program called "The Little Sister Program". For time's sake I won't go through the in's and out's of this outstanding program, but I will tell you that in short, each Miss Idaho contestant is assigned a little sister to mentor over the course of her rein. My little sister was Taylor. Even though I had bad hair days, blinked in pictures, and again, was REALLY BAD at directions, she thought I was a superstar. She started to want to wear pink and sparkles because I loved pink and sparkles, she generously volunteered to be a part of all the events I was a part of, and she even came and watched me be crowned Miss Boise! I know she looks up to me.
Knowing this allowed me to challenge myself to be the best version of myself in every moment possible. That, my friends, was truly life changing. I honestly did not know how much I was really capable of until I had that motivation! How to be a good role model you ask? Be yourself, love your flaws, but also, don't be afraid to play out your strengths! When I overcame my fear of messing up I realized that I am outgoing and effervescent. I am a life-long learner and am always willing to take on a challenge. My own flaws also taught me to be resilient and empathetic. When you allow yourself to be the best version of yourself, I promise that you are just confirming someone else's beliefs in you.
Yours truly,
Brittany Lock- Miss Boise 2016