I have just a little catching up to do!

Wow!  It's been a couple very busy months since I won Miss Mohawk Valley.  I can't believe that it has only been only been about two months.  I feel like I have been Miss Mohawk Valley for a year now!  Allow me to fill you in on the excitement that has occured in my first few months!

I was crowned Miss Mohawk Valley on March 20th and it has been non-stop ever since!  My first week was full of interviews with several radio stations!  I interviewed over the phone with three local stations.  My first interview was with Bug Country, 99.7 and 101.1.  As this was my first official radio interview of my year, I was very nervous.  I was sitting in the library at my school when I received the call for my interview, so I headed outside to not disrupt the students working around me.  While I think that the Miss Mohawk Valley organization is very interesting, I'm not sure how hardworking students would perceive me interupting their studying!  The interview went very well!  While I know that it only lasted about 5 minutes, it felt like I was speaking for a solid hour!  It was a great first interview!  Next came this KISS FM, 97.9 and 105.5.  This interview was very different from the interview with Bug Country.  While all three of my interviews were fun, this one was my favorite.  We discussed a lot about my platform and the process of competing at Miss New York.  It was relaxed and fun!  My third interview was with Bob Cudmore from Lite 104.7 FM WVTL.  This was an enjoyable interview despite that fact that it was at seven in the morning.  I had set my alarm for 6:45 knowing that I had an early interview and wanted to be awake and prepared.  However, I feel back asleep once I turned my alarm off!  The next thing I knew my phone was ringing and itw as Bob Cudmore ready to interview me!  You can access this interview at:


http://wvtlfm.com/page.php?page_id=48481


Needless to say, if I sound a little tired, it's because I literally woke up three minutes before the interview!

During my first week I also was able to attend the Maple Festival at the Vernon Verona Sherill high school.  This was such a fun day!  What the Maple Festival is is a celebration of the many uses of maple and the great individuals who devote their lives to the promotion of these products.  I was able to see how a maple tree is tapped and enjoy several maple products including maple cotton candy.  (If you ever have the opportunity to experience this, I highly recommend it!)  I was also able to share this experience with my little sister in the Miss Mohawk Valley organization, Miss Mohawk Valley's Outstanding Teen, Ashley McDuffee.

I have also had several amazing opportunities to promote my platform, "Empowering Students to Succeed:  The Importance of Higher Education."  I feel very passionately about encouraging our youth to complete higher education, because of the great experiences that I have had through the process of receiving my degree.  But more importantly, I feel that there is something missing in the process that potential college students go through while applying and attending college.  What I feel is missing is guidance and understanding from mentors.  I believe that there is a great opportunity in our local colleges to be a source of these mentors.  Pairing new college students with those who are currently college students would be beneficial to both groups.  The new group of students will learn from those who are currently in the process of receiving a degree, and the mentors will be reminded of the importance and satisfaction of achieving their goals.  I would like to reach out to our students to help them feel confident and empowered in their career selection and be a support throughout the process.

Along with being a, "princess,"  I am also in my final year at SUNY Oneonta as a Spanish major.  What a crazy couple months it has been, but I am loving every minute of it!  Stay tuned to see what else I have been up to!