Friday Frenzie!

     I've had some pretty exciting and busy weekends as Miss Kool-Aid Days, but today is the first whirlwind experience of events that has ever left me feeling like I just need to sit and digest for a little bit.

I am so excited to work with these ladies!

     The Miss Kool-Aid Days Pageant has welcomed Angie Trausch and Angela Keiser to the team as they will be taking the pageant over next year. Today was my first chance to meet these ladies and we started our busy day at a local coffee shop where we were able to get to know each other and make a plan for our day.
     At about 9:45 we headed over to our first school visit for the day at Adams Central High School. I was able to talk to the junior and senior girls about the pageant, about my experiences in the pageant, and about my hearing loss. I found that many of the girls there had a negative view of the pageant. During my presentation I led the girls through the nitty-gritty facts of the competition, countered their misconceptions of what contestants are like, and shared my own story with the girls. I encouraged them to compete in the Miss Kool-Aid Days Pageant in August and even had a student talk to me about getting involved!
    After all the pageant has done for me, I feel it is the least I can do to help it move forward and grow and also to help young girls realize the opportunities that are out there for them. If we truly want the Miss America System to grow, we need to not only convince girls to compete, but we also need to correct the misconceptions that people have about pageants; the best way to do that is to inform them.

Announcing my presence at Hastings High School!

     With one great school visit under my belt, the Angie's ushered me off to Hastings High School. While the school wasn't able to give me time to do a formal talk, they did allow us to set up a table where the three of us were able to inform girls about the pageant and get their information so we could get them involved. It was refreshing to see so many girls take an interest in the pageant and I really hope I can see them when I give up my crown in August!

That's me!

     After our visit to Hastings High, we left for our last visit to St. Cecelia High School. I was able to talk to the girls about the pageant itself, but I also made sure to emphasize the close relationships that I have formed with the other girls this year which has honestly been one of the most amazing aspects of my involvement. It is such a wonderful reminder that there is so much good in the world!
    My last event with the Angie's for the day was spending some time working on preparing my stuff for state. The ladies were so supportive and encouraging. While they gave me some things to fix and work on, they really made me feel even more like I can accomplish anything.
    I didn't think it would be possible to gain anymore absolutely wonderful and caring supporters, but I was proven wrong when I met the Angie's today. They truly are amazing women and I am so thankful to have them in my corner this year!
    
    After this crazy morning I was able to head over to The Children's Ark and meet Susan in the afternoon. While I had not been prepared to speak at the Ark, I was totally in my element at the center not only because I was able to work with kids, but also because I got to talk about my platform in a lot more detail! I was also able to talk about being a positive role model and I got to teach the kids some sign language (granted they taught me a little too - I am still learning!).
    While I loved recruiting people to the system that has helped me grow more confident and mature in the past year, teaching kids sign was perhaps my favorite part of the day. It is so important to be kind and accepting in our world, but it gets difficult when communication is broken down. Even if the kids can gain a little bit of exposure and increased acceptance of talking with their hands, I feel it will benefit them and any hearing impaired individual they may meet in life.

Whoopers and Hoopers!

     After a quick change, it was off to the Whoopers and Hoopers basketball tournament at Hastings College. The tournament is held annually and includes men and women, college age on up, competing from around the mid-west to be ranked the best team out of over 100 teams. While there, I was able to meet some of the players, including a group of men who drove 5.5 hours to get here from South Dakota!

 Selling tickets!

 Selling t-shirts!

With some of the South Dakota players!

    After all of this, I lost the pageant stuff and changed into sweats and I decided to head out to a local café for a bite to eat and a chance to use some WiFi. As I was ordering, I saw a young woman's head pop out from the back room. She looked at me and asked "Aren't you Miss Kool-Aid Days?" I guess what they say is true and I am getting a taste of what it is like to be Miss Nebraska - people recognize you even without the pageant stuff!

Dressed down and working in the café!