Today I got a call from my Princess, Maddie. She wanted to ask me to my first official appearance as Miss New York. I could never say no to this little lady, so we were off the the Summer Solstice Festival in Queens to celebrate the arrival of summer.
The festival, held in the Socrates Sculpture Park, is a community event that brings kids and adults together for activities centering around nature and creation. From playing in mud holes to making seed meatballs, to using scrap fabric and craft pieces to make costumes. Maddie and I made her a beautiful cape, courtesy of a lot of staples!
One of my new young friends, Rachel, heard me say bullying and shot an eager glance to her mother. Her mom told me that Rachel had recently been bullied in school for her disability and had to go through a lot of work to get it to stop. Rachel turned to me and asked if I could come to her new high school and talk about bullying. I was all smiles. I had an awesome time with Rachel, her twin sister, and her sweetly shy little brother; I'm looking forward to talking to them about helping make their schools a better place.
I got to talk to several teens about the opportunities available through the Miss America Organization, and to a number of people about my advocacy work against bullying. I love getting a chance to explain to people how much more there is to the title than just a beauty pageant. A big thanks to all my new friends!
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