Josette Huang
Why I joined and love the Miss America Opportunity
Many people have misconceptions about what the Miss America Opportunity (MAO) is about. It is not just a beauty pageant––it is a service-based organization and platform; a family that fosters connection amongst sisters and their families, volunteers, supporters, and communities; and the world's largest scholarship program for women. Here are the three main reasons I joined and love MAO, and why you should consider joining, too!
Service
The main thing that attracted me to MAO was the service aspect of the crown. The crown truly is a platform to get involved in your community and speak about something you care about (and you get to do it in a pretty dress, crown, and sash)! As a titleholder, in just a few months, I have already been to numerous service-oriented events, including the LETR Worcester Mobile Plunge for Special Olympics Massachusetts, the Mile For The Mind walk for brain injury survivors, the Third Annual Autism Acceptance Touch-A-Truck Event, multiple Heart Walks for the American Heart Association, and have many more service-related appearances planned for the coming year. And of course, the crown enables me to speak out about my own CSI on a broader and more impactful scale than I would have been able to do on my own.
Sisterhood
If you haven't watched Miss Congeniality, you need to go watch it right now, because it does a really great job of showing what the meaning of Sisterhood in pageantry is. For context, Sandra Bullock plays the role of FBI Agent Gracie Hart, who uses the alias of Miss New Jersey, Gracie Lou Freebush, in the Miss United States pageant. In her on-stage interview, she receives the question, "As you may know, there are many who consider the Miss United States pageant to be outdated and antifeminist. What would you say to them?". Freebush responds, "Well, I would have to say I used to be one of them. And then I cam here, and I realized that these women are smart, terrific people who are just trying to make a difference in the world . . . And for me, this experience has been one of the most rewarding and liberating experiences of my life." No truer words have been said. Especially in our current world, which is plagued by divisiveness and negativity, I see my sister queens as beacons of hope and optimism for a better world. Each of these girls has not only an outstanding resume (I mean, just take a look at our Miss Massachusetts' Outstanding Teen, who just got accepted into Harvard University!!!), but they also have incredible hearts that they use to stand for something greater than themselves, which is so inspiring to me. Plus I never fail to smile when I'm around my Miss WoCo family. :)
Scholarship (And Sponsorships ;))!
Of course, we must not forget that MAO is a scholarship organization. The organization gives out millions of dollars of scholarship money to participants, and Miss America wins a minimum $50,000 tuition scholarship! Law and business school, here I come! Not only do I have less worry about paying for my schooling, but the sponsorships are INCREDIBLE. Want a discounted Jovani dress? Done. Want custom-made jewelry to go with that Jovani dress? Done! What more could a girl want??? (Fun fact: When I feel down, I like to put on my crown and sash and a ballgown and walk around my apartment with that outfit, and it never fails to cheer me up. You should try it out, too.)