There she is Miss America.

When you think of Miss America, what do you think of?

I think a lot of people have a really, really incorrect assumption and perception of who Miss America is and who are the women that are so driven to compete to become her.

I will tell you this. I am a graduate of the Miss America system. I won my local title,

Miss University of Alabama, Birmingham, and competed to be Miss Alabama. It wasn't the perfect fit for me,

and I wasn't successful in my quest to become Miss Alabama, but along the way, I received so

much coaching and training about how to present myself more effectively, how to communicate more effectively,

how to handle interview questions, how to perform on stage, how to create genuine human connection

even when we are miles apart or even when you're in the audience and I'm up on stage. The lessons that I learned

as a contestant within the Miss Alabama system, I would not trade for the world. Back when I was

competing, I actually was campaigning. So as a part of the Miss America program, you have to have a platform was what we called it back then.

And now they call it a social impact initiative.

So you have the opportunity to pick a cause that you are passionate about, that you want to share with the world.

I chose hands-on science in the classroom because I realized that most people cannot learn science

from a textbook.

You cannot learn how to be a good engineer or you cannot learn how to build and construct. You cannot

learn chemistry without performing the act of chemistry. And so I wanted young children to

continue experimentation because one of the things that we see within

the education system you take a three-year-old or a five-year-old and you say what do you see

and how can you explain it they have tons of ideas for what they see and how we can explain it

and they can also make connections

between oh well i saw this happen before and then you can start creating those scientific

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