Miss Missouri Little Sister

This weekend, I had the privilege of meeting my little sister, Kenna, and her beautiful family.  We went out to dinner, and finally got to learn a little about one another.  She is an absolute doll!  We are both so excited for Miss Missouri in a little over a month, and have already planned several other adventures for the summer, such as a float trip and going to the American Girl store in St. Louis.  One of my favorite moments was when Kenna's mom said, "You two may be more alike that we thought."  Even though it had to do with our bedroom cleaning methods (stuffing everything under the bed or in the closet) and our crazy hair in rain, it still meant the world to me!  I am certain that our year together will be one to remember.

Kenna and I after our delicious dinner!

Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association (MSHA)

This weekend, I traveled to Osage Beach, MO to attend the 2012 Missouri Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Annual Convention.  I had the opportunity to meet many individuals in the field of speech-language pathology, speak with representatives from prospective employers, attend sessions to increase my knowledge base, and present my research project.  I learned so much about my current field of study, and met so many inspiring individuals who work passionately everyday to improve the lives of their clients and make a difference in the way they interact with others.  I felt honored and privileged to be a part of this event, and look forward to many future trips to the MSHA Convention.  On top of this, I competed in MSHA's Quest for the Cup.  This is a competition held every year at the convention for graduate students in speech-language pathology.  Each university in Missouri (with a speech-language pathology program) has a team of 5 graduate students that compete for the coveted "Cup".  This year, I was able to represent Missouri State University with 4 of my classmates.  After 58 minutes of competition, we entered into a sudden death match with the team from Southeast Missouri State University.  On the third question, we were finally named Quest for the Cup Champions for 2012!  What an honor it is, and we are excited to reclaim the title for Missouri State University for the first time since 2006.  It was a great weekend, and I feel  better prepared for my field and my ability to promote my platform.  Thank you to all of the volunteers and presenters at MSHA... what a great organization!

2012 Missouri State University's Quest for the Cup Team

 

 

 

 

2012 Quest for the Cup Champions!!

Miss Missouri Orientation

I spent this past weekend in Mexico, MO for Miss Missouri Orientation.  It was so great to finally meet all of the girls, and what a great group of girls they are!  I absolutely cannot wait to spend a week with them in June.  Not only will it be a great time, but I am certain that I will learn so much from each of them.  They are some of the most talented, spiritual, intelligent, and beautiful women I have ever met.  I feel honored to be a part of this group, and look forward to the journey ahead with them.

Also, it was great to hear about all of the plans for Miss Missouri week, including production details, wardrobe, and finally hearing the reveal of the judging panel.  It will be a memorable and once-in-a-lifetime experience!  I cannot wait!!

A speech pathologist...

Even though I have only been competing in the Miss America Organization for a year, I have been promoting my platform for much longer.  My life's passion turned into my platform; therefore, my platform is my life's passion.  Five years ago, I began my studies in speech-language pathology.  Like many people, I was not completely certain what I was getting myself into or where it would take me.  However, I did know that everything I learned about the profession, I loved!  This gave me confidence that I would love working in the field and would remain interested in my work for my entire life.  Little did I know that it would soon be my passion and life's calling.  Speech-language pathology is such a wide field of work and promotes life-long learning, which is good news for someone who has always loved being in school.

For the past 2 weeks, I have been working in the hospital setting and one of the things I hear most often is "Why do I have speech therapy?  I talk fine!"  I think this is many people's first reaction when they hear that they are going to work with speech therapy, but little do they know that we may work on speech, but we also target language, memory, cognition, and swallowing (to name a few).  As a result, I have been providing quite a bit of patient and family education regarding speech therapy, the anatomy/physiology of the brain, the swallow, and the impact of strokes/serious surgery on these.

I decided to share some of this education on my blog to hopefully answer some of these questions that are asked so often post-stroke, but would be helpful for all to know.

Lesson #1: The language center of the brain is housed in the left hemisphere in the majority of the population.  Broca's area is primarily responsible for language expression, and is located in the frontal lobe.  Wernicke's area is primarily responsible for language comprehension, and is located in the temporal lobe.  These are connected through a structure known as the arcuate fasciculus.  The ability to express and comprehend language is often taken for granted, but this is a complex system and is oftentimes upset during a stroke or traumatic brain injury.  Each year 1.4 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury, and strokes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.  Therefore, these issues are affecting more and more people, and this information is becoming more relevant to everyday life.

School Experience

For the past 7 weeks, I have been working in an elementary, middle, and high school in Springfield, MO.  I have been observing, evaluating, and treating children with speech and language disorders, as well as meeting with teachers and parents about the importance of identifying and treating these disorders.  It has been a wonderful experience, and I have learned so much about the wide variety of effects these can have on each individual child and their academic success.  I loved working in the schools, but am excited to begin my next journey in the hospitals.  For the next 8 weeks, I will be working at Mercy in Springfield, MO in the rehabilitation unit.  I will mainly be working with adults who have suffered from stroke or traumatic brain injury, which resulted in speech, language, or swallowing disorders.  It is sure to be an experience that I will never forget!

Get 'em while they're hot!

On Tuesday, February 28, my sister queen, Kelby, and I visited one of the Springfield IHOP locations to help raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hopsitals during National Pancake Day.  We went from table to table educating families about the work of CMNH and asking for donations.  Most of the people I spoke with were familiar with CMNH, but did not realize that their donations would be kept local and help children within the community.  Despite these tough economic times, every table I visited was willing to donate something, whether it was $1 or $20.  I was overwhelmed by the generosity of all of the patrons.  Also, I was able to meet a few CMNH children and families, which is always such a rewarding experience.  I feel so blessed to have been able to share in this day and promote such a wonderful organization. 

I want to send a special thanks out to the owners and staff at the Springfield IHOP on Kansas Expressway.  You were all so wonderful to work with on that evening!

And don't worry... I still had time to take down a short stack of pancakes smothered in maple syrup!!

Kelby and I selling CMNH balloons at IHOP on National Pancake Day!

The wonderful IHOP manager

After working hard, we took a break to refuel with a delicious short stack of pancakes!

Thank you to Mrs. Czerwonka for taking pictures throughout the night and documenting the memories!  It was so great spending the evening with both of the Czerwonka girls.

Home Sweet Home

I took full advantage of this three day, holiday weekend to prepare for Miss Missouri and to visit my family in St. Louis. On Friday, I went shopping with my sister to find an interview dress. We had excellent luck and found it at the first store we went in to (can't beat that)! I was able to order shoes for interview and design my talent costume as well.

On Saturday, I took some photos with my crown and sash on Main Street in St. Charles with my Aunt Anne.  She was able to capture some great shots for both my sister (Miss Audrain's Outstanding Teen) and me.  It was a lot of fun, but so very cold.  By the time I thawed out that night, I was able to look at her already edited photos.  She is so amazing!  Thanks again!!

On Sunday, I met up with Mallory to discuss my wardrobe, talent, and paperwork. I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was crowned Miss Gateway St. Louis; yet, orientation is just a little over a month away! I am sure June will be here before I know it, especially since my days are filled with school, work, and pageant prep... Never a dull moment!

One of the first shots of the day!

Time to Dance

On Sunday, January 22, I hosted a dance workshop in Springfield, MO at Red Door Dance Company as a way to raise money for the Miss Missouri Pageant and to provide the opportunity for young dancers in the area to take from some great teachers out of St. Louis.  All of the girls had a blast doing hip hop with Kelsey Pannullo, contemporary with Erika Hebron, and tap with me.  It was a great day and so much fun.  We worked hard, sweated a lot, but smiled even more! 

Thank you so much to Erika and Kelsey for driving down, to Shanna and Kay for letting us use the studio, and to everyone that attended!  I am so thankful for your support and appreciate your hard work today!

Working hard with Erika in technique class!

There is always more energy to pose for the camera!