There She Is... Miss America
As the assistant director at the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau, I got the opportunity to meet Teresa several times at local events, and also coordinating her appearance at our booth at the Nebraska State Fair. I had an inkling what an amazing young woman she is, but it wasn't until I watched the many video clips of her competition in Las Vegas, the interviews following her crowning as Miss America, and perusing her travel blog that I really understood just what an incredible young person she is. The judges picked correctly, and she will make a wonderful Miss America!
There is a lot of biographical information about Teresa floating around in cyber space, but here is what she authored herself for her Miss Nebraska blog:
Teresa is the daughter of Mark and Janie Scanlan and is from Gering, Nebraska. She was born in Colton, California, and then grew up in Gering. As the middle child of seven, Teresa was homeschooled through her junior year of high school, when she attended Gering High School part-time, and then attended Scottsbluff High School full-time for her senior year, graduating from SHS in May of 2010.
After being crowned Miss Nebraska 2010 in June and becoming the youngest woman to wear the Miss Nebraska crown, she deferred enrollment to Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia, where she is now set to attend in the Fall of 2011. She plans on majoring in Government: American Politics and Policy and then attending Law School to become a Trial Attorney in Criminal Prosecution. Hoping to become a judge and eventually become involved in the political arena, her highest career goals are to become President or a Supreme Court Justice. As a Christian in the political arena, she hopes to break down the stereotype of crooked and dishonest politicians, operating instead under character and integrity.
As Miss Nebraska 2010, Teresa is working to promote her platform, Eating Disorders: A Generation at Risk, which is a personal issue to her because of a close friend's struggle with bulimia. She hopes to educate children and adults alike as to the signs and risks of eating disorders, as well as how and where to get help for themselves or a loved one. As a partner with the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, or ANAD, and the National Eating Disorders Association, or NEDA, Teresa will advocate their cause and work to implement positive attitudinal and behavioral change across the state. Throughout her year of service, she will work to inspire adolescents to make healthy choices in every area of their life in order to be the best person they can be and to achieve their goals. She hopes to help others regain confidence in themselves and challenge them to redefine beauty, based on inner qualities rather than outward appearance. As God's children, every person is unique and incredible in every way, and should embrace who they were made to be, rather than hurting themselves in an effort to change.
In her spare time, Teresa enjoys singing, acting, dancing, playing piano and guitar, composing songs, baking, participating in activities with her local church, and making clothes out of duct tape, among many other hobbies. Teresa will be going to Las Vegas to represent Nebraska at Miss America in January. Be sure to watch her LIVE on ABC from Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 15th!
While the Miss America organization has taken control of Teresa's blogging activities, and there aren't any new posts going up on Teresa's Travels and Tidbits, I highly recommend that you visit the site and peruse her posts from the past year. You too, will begin understand the character of this young lady, and you'll feel a renewed sense of pride in Nebraska as she describes her journeys around the state.
Now that she is Miss America, Teresa has a much bigger stage and wider audience. As they should, the Miss America organization is going to capitalize on her eloquent writing as she tells about her travels. Unless they keep her too busy to write regularly! What a schedule she has maintained since the crowning on January 15. You can follow her Miss America blog here.
Just in case you haven't had a chance to see it, here is Teresa's post-crowning interview. If you have about a half an hour, please take the time to view it.
You can see why I believe she'll do Nebraska and Miss America proud!
There are other places to follow Teresa's adventures as Miss America.
On Twitter, you can follow @MAOTravels and @MissAmericaLive
On Facebook, you can follow the Miss America Organization. There are a lot of Teresa Scanlan fan pages, but none that are authorized to my knowledge.
To keep abreast of other happenings on the Miss Nebraska front, you can become a part of their group on Facebook, the Miss Nebraska Scholarship Pageant, and bookmark their website, http://www.missnebraska.org/.
So, there she is, Miss America... telling Nebraska's story!
Thank you for stopping by. The coffee is always on.
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