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Interview prep on the bus! (Taken with Instagram)
Eh, @kaitlinmonte ? (Taken with Instagram at Hampton Inn)
"I realized early on that success was tied to not giving up. Most people in this business gave up and went on to other things. If you simply didn’t give up, you would outlast the people who came in on the bus with you."
-Harrison Ford.
My Nana just shared this quote with me yesterday and it hit home like no other. This week has been a blast so far, but i’m not going to lie…I want to be Miss New York. However, should that not be what’s in the cards, I can spend the rest of my life knowing that I came back to each state pageant (be it Alabama or New York) year after year and never gave up.
Yesterday at the 9/11 memorial the “Survivor Tree” really spoke to me. I felt like…that’s it. That’s me. I’m a ‘survivor.’ <—— No Destiny’s Child song to be inserted here, please. ;)
Thank you all for always believing in me and making me believe in myself. I haven’t given up because of me, but more importantly because of all of you who support me.
NOW- let’s do the dang thang!
St. Adalbert School
This morning’s Project Empower event at St. Adalbert’s school was amazing. We were each paired with a group of 5 or 6 Seventh Graders and asked to come up with a bullying campaign. Ours was awesome!!
Stephen, Sam, John, Joe and Ahmed came up with a great slogan “Don’t be a fool, bullying is cruel!”
Our poster had 5 ways you can help yourself if you are being bullied:
Tell a trusted adult
Stay away
Block the Internet user
Talk it out
Stay in a group of positive friends
It was incredibly satisfying to see such awesome team work come from a group of seventh grade boys. We had a great time getting to know each other!
The beauty of this particular Project Empower event was that because 29 teams presented an anti-bullying campaign, these middle schoolers were hearing the same message…. Over and over. Kaitlin has done a phenomenal job bringing this non-profit to life.
This afternoon we’ll be heading to Eger Harbor House for some retirement home action! Last year it was my favorite appearance, so I’m sure I’ll have a blast!
Catch ya later :)
So full of personality, Mr. Ahmed! (Taken with Instagram at St Adalbert’s School)
John!! He was Bully #2 in our skit! (Taken with Instagram at St Adalbert’s School)
Our bullying campaign! John, Joe, Sam, Ahmed and Stephen! (Taken with Instagram)
Ruling the world…./Staten Island. Lol (Taken with Instagram)
One Day Down! 5 More to Go!
Well, our longest day is officially done. And let me tell you…it. was. long.
I woke up for a little jog this morning and I felt great! I was so lucky that Christina Moore, Miss Verazano, and her parents were willing to come pick me up and give me a ride to Staten Island. We arrived early and were able to settle in to our rooms before heading to the lobby to meet all of the other girls.
We all hopped on the bus and it took us right across the street to Common’s Cafe. At Common’s we were welcomed with a life size hamburger character and had the ability to take some pictures in front of the restaurant. Common’s is amazing because 100% of their proceeds go charities. How awesome is that?
After the cafe, we headed in to Manhattan to City Hall where we had pictures in Bloomberg’s office, stopped by the Bull and then took a quick tour of the 9/11 Memorial. I was so touched by the fountains, but more so the “Survivor Tree.” It was really amazing to be able to just walk in when normally the wait for a ticket is months long. The power of the crown!!
Once we left the memorial, we headed down to the Staten Island Ferry and had a nice little ride across to the Island. We were greeted by TV cameras that walked wth us from the ferry to Borough Hall where we were greeted by Borough President, Mr. Molinaro. It was nice to just have a few minutes to sit and chat with each other while picking on some fruit and resting our feet! Mr. Molinaro is so much fun and an incredible supporter of the Miss NY Organization. In fact, he’s such an incredible supporter, he paid for our dinner at the new Staten Island Restaurant, Blue! We had scallops, filet, salmon, chicken, grilled veggies and so much more. It was delicious!!
Our final stop today was the Mr. New York Pageant. It was a blast! Mr. New York City, Dan Hendrock, did an AWESOME job representing me and the five boroughs! His talent was beautiful and he looked so dapper in his evening wear. I seriously couldn’t be more proud. The new Mr. New York is broadway performer and tap dancer, Luke Hawkins!!!
And. That’s all, folks. It was a fantastic day, but I am officially beyond exhausted!
Scroll down for pics from today AND sorry for any typos. I’ll proof read tomorrow…… maybe.
Love you all!
<3
SI Borough President, Mr. Molinaro! (Taken with Instagram)
