I am beyond thrilled to be representing Boca Raton in the Miss Florida for America pageant. As the pageantry world continues to evolve, pushing new heights–Establishing the Miss for America title has meant so much. It means more awareness, more time to focus on issues that need a voice and more time to work hard on making a difference.
As a Miss Florida for America and ultimately Miss for America hopeful, it is my mission and goal to raise awareness regarding issues of child safety with bullying being a focal point. Bullying is a growing problem and one that affects a wide array of children of all ages and even adults at times. Bullying can take many forms: it can happen in the classroom, on the school bus, on the playground, in one’s neighborhood and even on the internet. It is critically important to be able to recognize the destructive behavior in order to prevent it from continuing. The sad fact is everyone involved with bullying (the target, the aggressor and even the bystanders) are negatively affected. An increase in substance abuse, acts of violence, school drop-out rates, criminal convictions, mental health issues including depression and anxiety along with even suicides can all linked to bullying. Simply put, bullying can have effects that last a lifetime. That is why I am here using the Miss Florida for America as platform to have a stronger and louder voice. I encourage you all to be more than just a bystander. Bullying is an unwanted aggressive behavior. Take the pledge with me and be stronger than bullying.
Being an advocate for children is nothing new to me, it has always been my passion. In fact, through the years, pageantry has continued to help me cultivate what it means to lend a voice and a helping hand to those in need. I am no stranger to pageants and have been in the business since the young age of 12 winning several state titles in Junior Teen, Teen, and Mrs. divisions.
While there is nothing like sharing the stage with other strong and beautiful women, working behind the scenes for several years proved to be an experience I will always cherish. As director of production for the Miss University of Florida and Miss Florida Gator pageant, my love for pageants grew even stronger.
Sincerely enjoying balancing it all, the valuable lessons that pageantry participation has taught me over the years has been unparalleled and I attribute much of my success to date to the positive experiences I have had along the way. Having been both a contestant and pageant producer, my involvement has helped shape the confidence and grace that I continue to carry through my day-to-day operations. I consider serving my community and the people within its borders an honor and my goal is to broaden my role will the organizations that I am currently involved with in order to increase my outreach as I continue on in the pageantry world. I believe in making a difference each and every day and it’s exactly what I have on my agenda moving forward.