NAM Nationals Day 5

Day 5:

The day started at 8:00 am for the preliminary Formal Wear competition, which is pretty ironic - evening gowns in the morning. I scored very high in this competition as well. Check out the video on my YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/NAMMissNY09#p/a/u/0/2hnmgVPNZSQ

The day continued with the Interview competition shortly after Formal Wear. My interview went pretty well. Some questions that I was asked were:

1. Who's your favorite Disney princess and why?

• I said, "My favorite Disney princess is Belle because she is a strong, independent woman who didn't need a man to rescue her. In fact, she rescued the man. She was also an avid reader which I, being a future English teacher, believe is an important activity for children to participate in."

2. What kind of praise do you like to get?

• I said, "The kind of praise that I like to get isn't for myself directly. I run my own volunteer organization called Preserve America which is based on my belief that volunteering is one of our nation's core values that must be preserved for the future. Through Preserve America, I am constantly running different volunteer projects from raising money for cancer, collecting toys for children in the hospital, or holding events to help support our troops. When I receive praise for the things I do through Preserve America, I know that all of the time I dedicate to my projects is making a difference."

3. What book has had the biggest impact on your life?

• I said, "The book that has made the biggest impact on my life is 'The Traveler's Gift' by Andy Andrews. It's about a man - a husband and father - who is going through a rough time in his life and he is in a car accident that leaves him in a coma. While he is unconscious he meets several prominent figures in history who teach him a life lesson, like Abraham Lincoln right before he is about to give the Gettysburg Address and Anne Frank while she is hiding from the Nazi's. It's an incredibly motivating book that I received as a gift when I graduated from high school and since I have read it, I have given it to so many people as a gift and I am always recommending it to people."

One of our MANY rehearsals (I'm the one in the front in curlers.)

After interviews we had more hours of rehearsals and concluded the night with the Red Carpet Awards. At the Red Carpet Awards, the winners and runners up of all the optional contests were announced. I took away quite a few trophies myself! I was 3rd Runner-Up for Miss Photogenic, 3rd Runner-Up for Most Promising Model, 1st Runner-Up in Academic Achievement, and 1st Runner-Up for Miss Top Model!