Hi Friends!
First and foremost, I want to say Good Luck! to Miss Ohio, Erica Gelhaus! I cannot wait to see that Miss America crown on her head and literally every time I THINK about watching the pageant I get so excited! I have been watching Miss America since I was a young girl and I have many pleasant memories from those experiences (mainly being able to pick the winner out of all the women for several years in a row without any knowledge on any of the contestants. Kind of cool, right?!) One of my most vivid memories was when I was in the fifth grade and had my best friend Nicki over to the house the night of the pageant. We set up shop on top of my mom's bed with our tipped over laundry baskets as desks and all the Pretty Pretty Princess jewelry and fake tiaras we could find. Oh, in addition, we had sashes made out of toilet paper. We kept score and had the best time picking out the most fabulous dresses on stage. It is amazing to me that now my friend Erica will be on that stage and could very well be in that coveted spot. My fingers are crossed....
Next, I want to address my platform, Creating Strong Leaders for Tomorrow. My platform focuses on the organization FCCLA which I have been greatly involved in throughout my life. FCCLA stands for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and was formerly FHA (Future Homemakers of America). I began my involvement in eighth grade as a member and by the end of that year held a position as Vice President of Public Relations on the State Executive Council. Along with fourteen other high school students I was in charge of 14,000 FCCLA members statewide. The next year I was re-elected as Vice President of Membership and helped increase Ohio FCCLA's membership from fourth in the nation to second. I had the opportunity to speak in front of thousands of people, be a part of a team that was in charge of a major event, and participate in activities that expanded my knowledge on creating and maintaining a better family, the potential I held as an individual to higher my education and be successful and to enrich the lives of the people around me. Myself and students my age arranged a memorial for September 11th, planting 2,819 flags in the ground to commemorate those who lost their lives. We visited nursing homes and created flour bag babies to take care of for a week. We learned about internet safety, how to execute a complicated recipe and how to balance a checkbook. FCCLA enables students to experience many things that they would not normally get the opportunity to experience. I believe so strongly in this organization not only because it seems to be a worthwhile program but because I know it is a worthwhile program. I know the possibilities and I want to help others realize their own.
In other news, three of my eighteen credit hour schedule is dedicated to a class entitled, Green Business: God, Ecology and Money. The course load has been out of control but to be honest I really enjoy the work! The main project of the class is to conduct a sustainability audit on Baldwin-Wallace College and form ideas on how to lower the ecological footprint of the school. I know it is going to be intense and complicated but I am really looking forward to learning a new skill and being a part of a groundbreaking effort!
I hope all of you have been enjoying the chilly winter months! And let's keep our fingers crossed that the Cavs beat the Lakers tonight! :)
