Delanie Wiedrich never thought she’d be a pageant girl… But it turns out, pageantry, and specifically the title of Miss North Dakota, was a wonderful opportunity for her to address the difficult topic of bullying, by sharing her own personal story…
From a story at WDAZ.com:
“I vividly remember one incident where I was sitting in English class and the girl in front of me turned around and told me she’d been daydreaming about breaking my neck.”
Delanie also talked about times when she was physically abused – being punched and kicked during recess. That’s why she says she chose to run on the platform “Beyond the B Word: A New Stance on Bullying.”
Her program teaches courage, empathy, and compassion through theatre.
“We, as a society have lost our ability to be empathetic with one another. That’s what my program really focuses on, being empathetic and kind and courageous when it’s not always easy to be.”
Delanie says things began to change for her when she attended the Governor’s School for the Performing Arts… There, she found a group of friends who truly accepted her and allowed her to feel comfortable “being herself”.
We think that’s a pretty important lesson to remember… All of us need to have the courage to pursue our true selves, even when it seems like nobody else around us understands. Sooner or later, you will find a way to connect with like-minded people – and it will be soooooooo rewarding when you do 🙂
Congratulations Delanie for your wonderful year as Miss North Dakota! Junkies know you have reached countless students through your message – and countless others may never go through that which you went through, because of your message. 🙂
And now – who do Junkies think can win the Miss North Dakota crown this year? Well that’s a great question! This one WAS NOT easy – but we’ve done our best to come up with a Top 5 list… If you’d like to see who Junkies are picking to finish in the Top 5 at Miss North Dakota, just click here…
GOOD LUCK LADIES!!! Junkies LOVE North Dakota!!!
#BigJunkieLove
Carrie Lakey
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