Beautiful spirits and lovely intentions
By Pamela Kleibrink Thompson
Photograpy by Pete Grady
When I was a little girl, I watched the televised Miss America pageant with my mom. As a college student I competed in a local pageant. The Miss America Program and the local and state pageants comprise the largest single source of scholarship funds available to young women in the world. The Miss America competition begins at the local and state level. In Idaho, local competitions include Miss Boise, Miss Canyon County, Miss Meridian, and Miss Western Idaho.
Contestants in all Miss America preliminaries are judged in four areas: swimsuit, evening gown, artistic expression (talent), and Presentation & Community Achievement in Interview–a 10-minute private press conference-style interview in which contestants answer questions from a panel of judges on their background, interests, goals, opinions on current events, and social issues.
Carolyn Pace was recently crowned Miss Boise. A Boise High graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science degree from Tufts University, Carolyn graduated Cum Laude in four years. Her educational ambitions include obtaining a Master of Business in Sustainable Business. Her career goals include being an entrepreneur in local food systems, a consultant in corporate sustainability, and a social impact investor. Her past experience demonstrates a commitment to her passion for sustainable consumerism. She has worked for Idaho’s Bounty as sales and operations manager, worked as a sustainability intern for Cabot Creamery and then advanced to customer service. She was a researcher for the Center for Sustainable Organizations. Her love for the environment was enhanced by her experience as a raft guide for Cascade Outfitters. She points out, “Our economy in Idaho depends on the environment, especially water. I want to create and support businesses that use this precious resource wisely.”
When asked what social issue will have the greatest impact on her generation and why, Carolyn responded, “The gap between the top and bottom of the economic spectrum will define our generations’ success. The cycle of poverty creates “bonsai” people, restricted not by their seed, but by the situation they are planted in. If we close that gap, creating equal opportunities, we will see people achieve their full potential as big, beautiful trees. This will lead to an explosion in creativity and solutions to the world’s many problems. “
Kristen Tatilian is the new Miss Capital City. A graduate of Capital High School, her career goal is to obtain her business management degree from Boise State University and to own and operate Barclay Construction, L.L.C.. “The Miss Idaho Program encourages scholastic achievement through scholarships, community service, and having good moral character. It is the most relevant and remarkable program I’ve come across for young women, and I encourage and support what the organization represents,” shares Kristen. She is concerned that “communication skills have taken a turn for the worse due to social media sites. My peers have difficulty discussing issues and their own ideas face-to-face because it isn’t practiced anymore, and this will cause a huge negative impact when faced with job interviews or even daily conversations with people outside of the virtual world.” Her passion and platform is Volunteerism: Lend a Hand, Give What You Can. “Anybody can volunteer. Those who lend their time and energy to something that benefits their community, and contribute their skills for a greater good are exactly the type of people who help their cities and towns thrive. I believe in implementing these features at a young age and encouraging others to begin no matter what their stage of life.”
You can watch these two young women compete in the Miss Idaho Scholarship Pageant on July 11 and 12th at Nampa Civic Center, 311 Third Street South, Nampa, ID 83651. Doors open at 6:30 and the program begins at 7pm both nights.
You can pre-order tickets by July 7th or pay at the door for the pageant. To pre-order tickets for the Miss Idaho Scholarship Program Inc. make checks payable to Miss Idaho Scholarship Organization and mail to Stephanie Moorhouse, 4261 W. Dillon Dr. Meridian, ID 83646.
Competition Preliminary: Friday, July 11, 2014 $20 ea. ($25 at door)
Competition Final : Saturday, July 12, 2014 $25 ea. ($30 at door)
Children’s tickets for ages 10 and under are available at the door. (child must be present) $10
Student tickets are available at the door with valid student ID ($15.00 and $20.00)
Saturday Luncheon – July 12th @ 1:30 $15.00 ea.
Brunch will be honoring Miss Idaho 2013 Sarah Downs. The 2014 State Contestants will be in
attendance making for a great photo and autograph opportunity. Dress is semi-formal. (Tickets
will not be sold at the door. Sorry no child discount)
Miss Idaho Week Package $75 ea Includes: Friday and Saturday Competition Tickets
Friday Afternoon Talent Rehearsal (12:30 doors open at 12:00), Program Book, and Saturday Brunch
Competition and Brunch will be held at Nampa Civic Center.
311 Third Street South
Nampa, ID 83651
Box office opens nightly at 6:00 with doors opening at 6:30. All tickets are general seating.
No email or phone orders accepted. Orders received after July 7, 2014 will be returned.
If you want to be a contestant in 2015, like the Miss Boise facebook page and contact Susan Hessing 208 371-0713 who is the director of the Miss Boise Scholarship Organization
For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/MissIdahoOrg
or
http://www.missidaho.org
In 2005 the Miss America Organization created the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Program to encourage positive achievement by helping to nurture scholastic achievement, community involvement, creative accomplishment, and healthy living of our nation’s youth. Girls ages 13-17 can begin earning scholarship money for college. The Miss Idaho Outstanding Teen Program has awarded over $25,000 in scholarships at the state level and Idaho representatives have been awarded over $47,000 at the national level. For more info about Miss Teen Idaho http://wwwidahooutstandingteen.com