I am honored to say that I have been selected to represent my high school at the HOBY Youth leadersip program! HOBY stands for Hugh O' Brian Youth Leadership, they have different kinds of leadership programs to encourage students everywhere about leadership in their communities. The program I will be attending is the State Leadership Seminar, where Sophomores learn about their leadership talents in their work place, school, home and community. I am so excited to attend in a couple of weeks!

Hello everyone!! Sorry I have not posted in awhile, I have been super busy!! A few weeks ago I was awarded second runner up at the Miss New York's Outstanding Teen pageant! I want to say thank you to everyone that has supported me thus far. But, my efforts are not over. I have had people ask me, "How do I believe in myself or improve my self-esteem?"or "What can a single person do to change the world?" Here are some ideas I have for you. The first step to building self-esteem is telling yourself you are the best person you can be. You are strong, you are amazing, you will prosper, and you can do anything. When you believe that, you can do anything! Your days will become brighter and happier. This also causes a chain reaction making other people happier as well. Secondly, one person CAN make a change in the world, even by little actions like saying hi to someone you do not usually talk to or doing chores around the house can make an impact. If you are looking for a huge impact you could contact organizations that are supporting your cause. With my cause of ending stereotypes and supporting differences we can start by not saying negative comments to another peer about what they like, what they wear, or anything about them. Also, when you hear someone else making derogatory comments stand up and say something to make it stop. Be the change you want to see in the world. I know that sometimes speaking out can make you feel uncomfortable, then you could speak to the person on private and tell them it is wrong. Make sure that you support each of your peers and remember to be you. 

Recently I was roaming the internet and I came across another great video! Dove recently put doors on random buildings all around the world that say "Beautiful" or "Average". They did this so they could see what doors women would walk through. The results showed some girls believed that they were beautiful however, some girls did not think twice about going through the average doors. Afterward, Dove interviewed some of the girls and they regretted going through the average door. One story inspired me, she said that she was always told she was average. I want and need to change the way women think. They need to believe that they are beautiful despite what others say. However, I cannot do this alone I need all of your help! We are the society, so we have to change the way we think about everyone and ourselves. Everyone is a limited edition, unique and special. Every single person needs to believe that! Here is the link to the inspiring video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjJALzZ24H0



What door would you choose? #ChooseBeautiful

Today I had the chance to go to my old elementary school and speak to third and fourth graders! We talked about believing in themselves, accepting our differences, and to never bully! They were so understanding and they made a pledge to their families, their teachers and their peers to accept everyone and to be themselves. I even heard stories from them about them standing up for their friends! However, a few kids told me that they were being bullied or have been bullied in the past. I told them to stay strong, ask for help, and have the courage to believe that they are good enough. They seemed so happy to hear my encouraging words! This is just one example why I love the Miss America Organization, I have a huge impact on the kids to believe that they can do anything when they are themselves. Thank you Ohio Street School for having me! 

Yesterday I had the honor of talking to Elise Stefanik, the representative for New York's 21st District in the House of Representatives . We talked about women empowerment and breaking the glass ceiling. She gave me advice about public speaking, and making the biggest impact on my community. Being the youngest female congresswoman ever elected, she has broken the stereotypes "women are inferior to men". Instead of viewing the fact she is a woman as a disadvantage, she used it as an advantage. It made her unique! At times she was underestimated, but she did not let that hinder her campaign or confidence. If you are being bullied because of who you are, Elise says "always be yourself, it will get better". Meeting Elise Stefanik was such an unforgettable experience, thank you Elise for putting an enormous crack in the glass ceiling!

On March 6th, it was Dr. suess's birthday! For the occasion, my tenth grade enriched english class went to Ohio Street school to read to k-4 kids! It was such a great experience to see their smiling faces when I asked them questions and read to them. They were so responsive that they even sent letters home to us! I saw that the kids didn't care what eachother looked like or what other kids like and disliked. They all cared for eachother despite their differences, we should all learn how kids treat eachother because it will diminish bullying, and judgements. 

For the past two weekends I have been competing at dance competitions in Watertown. Out of all of the perks of being a competitive dancer, the best one is being a dancer against bullying. Starstruck Dance Competition is trying to make a difference outside of the dance world and encourage everyone to end bullying in communities. Bullying has become apart of some people's lives; whether they are bullied because of how they look, act or believe about them. We as a society need to make this stop! No one deserves to be treated like that....so I challenge everyone to do thier part to end bullying. You can help someone out that is being bullied, spread kindness, do anything!! Making someone's day brighter is all it takes. Be True. Be You. Be Kind.