My goodness, I don’t even know where to begin! After talking to previous title holders about what nationals is like, they all told me the same: “it’s an incredible experience that can only be explained by actually living it yourself”, they were very right. Going to Orlando, Florida and being a part of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Scholarship Pageant was a dream to say the least. When I arrived there I knew it would be intense hard work but I still wasn’t completely sure what it would be like. At my arrival, I was filmed for introductions and fitted for a fabulous custom-made Tony Bowls dress for opening number! Another very fun part of arrival was the Tony Bowls Photo shoot, where the theme this year was Lady Gaga.
After getting all registered, I was able to meet my roommate for the very first time! Miss Tennessee Outstanding Teen, Maggie Belew, was my roommate, and it was so meant to be! We had such a blast together over that week and she became one of my best friends! The first three days we had intense rehearsals all day with our instructor Pam and her two assistants that were so much fun and loved to goof off and show us their dance skills and lifts! Haha! In rehearsals we learned everything we needed to know before going on stage the next week. In the evenings we were able to go on outings in Orlando. The first night we went to Medieval Times, where we walked out with our state flags, watched jousting, and ate great food. MAOT 2010, Janette Morelan, was the honored princess of the nightJ Jeanette is truly the most inspiring young woman I have ever met in my life and I feel so honored to know her and have her as a friend. She was a fantastic Miss America Outstanding Teen. I look forward to having her as my nation’s President in 2040!
The next outing we had was to Planet Hollywood at Disney World, where we took pictures on the Red Carpet, received many gifts, and ate a good meal. During these outings is when the contestants would get to know one another better. I made so many amazing friends who I could really relate with. I was in awe of how outstanding these young women were and I had to keep reminding myself that I was one of them! I would have never guessed the bond that we would share by the end of those two weeks, and I am so grateful for it. Now, wherever I travel in the U.S., I will know at least one person from every state!
During our stay we received so many gifts from our sponsors that I had to dedicate my largest suitcase to gifts for the travel home!After all of our preparation, the competition began on Monday with personal interviews. They did not turn out nearly as scary as I thought and ended up being very fun because my directors had prepared me so well. On Tuesday, I competed in Talent and was so happy with my performance. Every contestant’s talent was seriously phenomenal! The next night was evening gown, where I got to wear my beautiful white gown sponsored by Regalia in Florida! Love that dress:) The next night was fitness, my favorite portion of the competition. It was so fun! Backstage I had the best hostess in the world helping me, her name was Barbara and I do not know what I would have done without her. During the week I was only able to see the people who came to support me during visitation after each night’s competition; it was certainly wonderful to see them! I was so happy to have Miss Idaho, Kylie Koefed there as well to cheer me on. I can’t wait to go cheer her on at Miss America in January and see all of the Outstanding Teens again!
Finals night was Saturday, where the new
Miss America Outstanding Teen 2011, Lacey Russ of Oklahoma was crowned!!!! I was so incredibly happy for her and I know she will represent America’s teens very well this year with her platform P.U.R.E, promoting teen abstinence. Congratulations Lacey!Following the final competition was the awards ceremony where six college scholarships were awarded to certain contestants and I received one of them! I was awarded the Nova Southeastern University Razor’s Edge Leadership Scholarship because of my phone interview, essay, and leadership application! It was so exciting! Other awards like Miss Congeniality, and Most Photogenic were awarded and during those awards, I received the Scholastic Achievementin Academic Life Award, which I am extremely proud of! This award was based on highest GPA and best scored resume. Taylor Fitch, MAOT 2009 was given this award the year that she won, so she presented the award to me! At the end of the night, I officially gained over $42,000 in college scholarships from the Miss America Scholarship Organization. I was so shocked but so grateful.
The entire experience was without a doubt the biggest and most challenging adventure I had ever gone on. I still can’t believe that I got to hang out with Miss America and actually be a part of what I had been dreaming about for years. I loved every minute of representing Idaho in this extraordinary event.
Thank you so much to everyone who prepared me and made it possible for all of us Outstanding Teens to live our dreams.
Your friend,
Katy Lootens - MIOT 2010
