Sarah Hider has had a busy year as Miss Ohio…

Sarah’s platform is called, “Women Hold Up Half the Sky” – And she’s taken her messages to a variety of audiences throughout her state…

For instance, she’s spoken to sorority members about being fearless as they pursued their dreams … She’s spoke to middle school girls about positive body image and the negative effects of bullying…

And she also spoke to The Ohio State University football team about… Well – Actually, I don’t know what she spoke about, but they seemed to love her nonetheless… (and this is a pretty freaking fabulous photo – so I had to include it – LOL!)

A strong social networker, Sarah has certainly raised the bar for social media in Ohio! She’s also been someone who talks about the fact that there is no clear line between your personal and your professional life on social media these days… Her solution?

Let your future employer, “see the special person you are.” (quote from the Athens Messenger).

After serving as Miss Ohio’s Outstanding Teen in 2008, then coming back to win Miss Ohio 2015, Junkies know Sarah is bound to continue being a positive role model for women in the years to come – And we wish her all the best as she pursues her own ability to show people the special person she already is. 🙂

And now, who do we think has the best chance at winning the Miss Ohio 2016 title?

We’ve made our predictions – Find out who we think might make the Top 5 at Miss Ohio 2016, when you become a Premium Junkie… Learn more at this link…

GOOD LUCK LADIES! JUNKIES LOVE OHIO!

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Carrie Lakey

Can I be honest?

I do my best to write individual “tributes” to each of the women who competed on the Miss America stage… That means I research the snot out of each woman and try to find one of two things:

1. Something unique that people may not know about each contestants
2. Something someone has done to highlight the awesome things regarding each contestant.

Today – I could tell you how incredible Miss New Mexico 2015, Marissa Livingston is – But instead, I’m going to show you a pretty fabulous video put together by the University of New Mexico, showcasing Marissa and her achievements.  It’s only 2 minutes, it gives you a WONDERFUL sense of who Mirada is as a person, and it’s WELL worth the watch!

In addition to this great video, Marissa was also honored as the non-finalist interview award winner at Miss America, which means, you can see her 10 minute interview on the Miss America DVD (available for purchase here). FYI – It’s the second time New Mexico has won the non-finalist interview award in the past 3 years 🙂

Junkies extend big congratulations to Marissa on your performance at Miss America, as well as your year as Miss New Mexico. It’s pretty obvious that she understands opportunities don’t just happen – but if there’s something you want to achieve, and you’re willing to make the right choices and do the work to get there, your dreams can come true. 🙂

And now – Who do Junkies think will be named Miss New Mexico 2016? Well – with 30 ladies in this year’s pageant, it’s not an easy choice! Find our who we’ve put in our Top 5 when you become a Premium Junkie… To learn more – just click here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love The Land of Enchantment!

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Carrie Lakey

Miss Utah 2015, Krissia Beatty, is a walking miracle. Literally.

You see, when Krissia was 2 years old, doctors informed her parents that she had spina bifida occult – which is a gap in your spine. Because doctors weren’t all that informed about the disease back when Krissia was born, they didn’t give much hope to her parents.

From Today.com, “Basically, they just handed me to my parents and said, ‘Here’s your daughter. Here’s a wheelchair. And that’s all we can do,'”

But Krissia defied the odds against her and learned to walk. Heck – more than walk, Krissia joined the Track Team at her high school! From the same article, “Running causes me pain but it’s not so intense that I can’t do it. I just ran track to prove I could overcome this.”

And on her 3rd attempt at the Miss Utah crown, Krissia was able to walk (and run) across the famous Miss America stage in Atlantic City. See? Walking Miracle. 🙂

This year, Krissia has promoted her platform of “Live Well” cross the state of Utah – advocating for people to eat well, feel well, move well, and be well. Very fitting, considering how “well” she performed in Atlantic City and during her year in her home state.

We have an upcoming podcast with Krissia to be released in the near future – She’s FABULOUS and I can’t wait to post it!  Be sure to follow along with all our podcasts (released every Tuesday) to her amazing stories from young women in the Miss America Organization.

All the best Krissia! Junkies think you’re pretty awesome and we know with a background like yours, nothing can stop you!

And now, out of 50 contestants, who do Junkies think has the best shot at being named Miss Utah 2016???  Good Question…

You can check out our Top 5 list when you become a Premium Junkie… Learn more at this link here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love Utah!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

McKensie Garber, Miss Missouri 2015, instantly won us over when we heard her say the following phrase on her podcast (which you can catch right here…)

“The heartbeat of my year as Miss Missouri is my platform, which is Character Plus… I’m speaking to students about the importance of making good choices all the time, even when no one’s looking, in order to live a life of integrity and to be truly happy, healthy and successful.”

McKenzie’s comments should remind everyone that Platforms are not “superfluous” in the least. Rather, your Platform is an amazing opportunity to reach people all over your state, not just about something that’s important to you – But about something that’s important to THEM!

In addition to McKenzie’s inspiring platform, her story of how she came to become Miss Missouri’s Outstanding Teen and then Miss Missouri, is worth the listen as well! Considering she’s from a town of 419 people, she proves there’s great value in following your dreams as hard and as fast as you can!

Junkies know McKensie has a bright future ahead of her, and that students all across the state of Missouri have a brighter future ahead of them – because of her inspiring words about developing their character.  THANK YOU McKENSIE for all your hard work this year!!! It’s been a pleasure watching you “do your thang” – Junkies Love You!!! 🙂

And now, who do we think has the best opportunity to be named Miss Missouri 2016?

Dang! That’s a GREAT question! We’ve done our best to narrow it down to the Top 5 – Which you can see when you become a Premium Junkie.  Learn more here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies Love Missouri!!! 🙂

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey

She was Miss South Dakota’s Outstanding Teen in 2007. Then, her first year in the Miss division, she finished as the 4th Runner Up.  From there, Autumn went on to be named the 2nd Runner Up for 3 years in a row.  Yes… Three years – finishing in the exact same spot.

But on her 5th attempt at the title, Autumn was finally named Miss South Dakota 2016.

Autumn talks about the ups and downs of her pageant journey during our podcast with her (listen here)… Autumn’s interview resonated with a great deal of people in the Junkie Nation because she was so incredibly honest about her past (overcoming sexual abuse from age 6), and talked about how she became rejuvenated after re-directing her Veterans-based platform: The 5 Stars for Serving Those Who Served.

And just for the record, Miss South Dakota is held in the town of Hot Springs… Which also happens to be Autumn’s hometown – AND – Home to the Miss South Dakota pageant for SEVENTY YEARS! Yes! South Dakota currently holds the record for a Miss America state contest that has been held in the same city for the longest amount of time!

Having previously attended the Miss South Dakota pageant, I can tell you – The entire community of Hot Springs makes each and every contestant feel like a “hometown girl”. It’s a pretty special place indeed. 🙂

Congratulations Autumn! Junkies are amazed by your story of persistence and your ability to overcome incredible challenges in  your life. Those character traits will never return void – And may also be the catalyst for another young lady growing up in Hot Springs, South Dakota today.

And now, who do we think has the best chance at being named Miss South Dakota 2016???

You can see our Top 5 predictions when you become a Premium Junkie… Find out more when you click here…

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies will ALWAYS LOVE South Dakota!!!

#BigJunkieLove

Carrie Lakey