No Change of Heart… A Change in Me

As I woke up this morning, a rush of emotions flooded to my body…excitement, humility, passion, joy, anticipation, determination, enthusiasm and purely genuine gratitude.  In just 24 hours, I will be leaving for Las Vegas to compete in the 90th Anniversary Miss America Pageant.  Still, I am having a difficult time believing this to be real!  After four years of competing in the Miss America program and dreaming of this day since I was a young girl, I am finally realizing one of my long-time dreams.   It is the most incredibly rewarding feeling in all the world.

While my road to Miss America technically began four years ago when I competed for my first  local pageant competition, my journey to the Miss America crown truly began as a young girl.  Growing up, like most little girls, I dreamed of becoming Miss America.  At a young, tender age, it was the magic of the pageant, the glamour, the dresses, the excitement and the production that entranced me.   As I grew older and began discovering who I was,  the dreams and goals I set for myself and who I would become, I started to unravel the true meaning of Miss America.

Every piece of who I was growing up became the tapestry that led me to the Miss America program.  From the time I took my first ride on a pony to the time I ended up winning blue ribbons at regional horse shows four years later…..From the time I first auditioned for a solo in the school Christmas pageant in the third grade, which I desperately wanted with all my heart, but did not receive, to the time I earned my first “big” role as Brigitta VonTrapp in The Sound of Music…. From the time I started playing basketball in the fifth grade as a young, timid player on the court to the time I worked hard to earn “MVP” as an eighth grader playing “center” for my team…. From the time I realized that instead of going out on weekends with other high school freshman to party and impress the older boys that I would rather spend my weekends on the stage performing and entertaining for crowds of hundreds, to the time I entered a public high school after being educated in a private school for 9 years…. From the time I decided to run for Sophomore Class President and spent endless hours campaigning, meeting new faces and rallying my class behind me to the time I led our Sophomore Class to Homecoming float victory as the president!… From the time I first stepped foot on my high school stage in the La Plata High School Chamber Choir to the time I took my final bow as a senior after three years of leading roles in our school musicals… From the time I couldn’t find a date to the homecoming dance to the realization that perhaps my values were too different and my goals were too big  for any high school boy to understand…. From the time I first realized that serving people was extremely important to me to the time I became the President of the Student Body….From the moment I stepped through the doors of high school, scared and uncertain, to the moment I graduated at the top of my class with my head held high and a vision of the future so clear…..From the time I felt like being different was a curse and challenge to the moment I realized that all of my differences made me uniquely beautiful… I was creating and paving my pathway to Miss America–to this moment right now.

When I finally stumbled upon the Miss America Program as a way to earn scholarship money my first year in college, the meaning behind the crown started becoming much deeper and richer to me.  I realized the beauty and glamour that had entranced me for so many years was simply a very small part of the history and the legacy that is Miss America.  What I have come to realize over the past four years of my involvement is the true meaning of the crown–the value of community, the value of service, the value of education and the value of character.  These are the long-standing ideals of what the Miss America program stands for, and these are the very values and ideals that I have come to understand and hold dear to my heart as a young girl growing up to the young woman I am today.  Every decision I have made, every challenge I have faced and every opportunity I have sought out led me to this time, this incredible journey to the Miss America crown.  I know now that I do not have to practice a pose or rehearse a script… I am  and have been living the life of a Miss America every day.

I could not be more proud of who I am, what I stand for and the hard work I have put into achieving my dream.  I could not be more grateful for my opportunity to serve as Miss Maryland, a role model and voice for so many young people.  I could not be more humbled by the love and support I have received from my hundreds of friends, supporters, sponsors, mentors and family along the way to make this journey possible for me.  I could not be more passionate about the power behind the crown–the power to inspire hope, inspire change and inspire confidence.  I believe, with all of my heart, that everything happens for a special reason.  I know I am ready for the job of Miss America… I just have to leave it up to God and have the faith that everything will fall into perfect place.

I will leave you with this quote from my Miss America talent piece–a very telling, true and heartfelt statement:

“I’m where and who I want to be….No change of heart, a Change in Me.” <3

XOXO

Love, Lindsay

P.S.  Remember to watch the 2011 Miss America Pageant LIVE on ABC on Saturday, January 15th at 9 p.m. EST from Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.