Hello all, just wanted to give you a brief update on my life in the past week or so. I started classes again (after only one week off) and I am taking Criminal Law right now. It is actually very interesting but it gives me a lot of room to voice my opinions on the law and sometimes that is not so good. :-)
Anywho, I am also still processing for the New York States Parks Police. Not sure if I mentioned this before but if you have read any of my tweets ( @LonnaLu or @MissTI_MAO ) you would know how excited I am to possibly be getting this job. I have already tested for the physical (runing, sit ups, push ups and swimming), the medical, the psychological and now I am just hammering away at a bunch of paperwork while they background check me....and everyone I have known since the first grade. Kidding, kind of. This is actually the dream job of a lifetime and if I get it I will be able to retire at 43 years old and teach Criminal Justice at the college level (another dream of mine). If you are a Criminal Justice student like me and are looking for a job, they are actually about to administer the written exam (the first step in getting any police job) in November, all across the state. For more info and an application, check out their website at http://nysparks.com/employment/park-police/default.aspx
But besides that I really haven't been doing anything too crazy, just trying to relax on my week off before life got crazy again.
On a different note; I realized after I wrote my novel-length first blog that I never explained exactly why I told you so much about my past. I told you that so that you could understand the reason for my platform. My platform is called "Love Shouldn't Hurt: Teen Dating Violence Awareness." I try hard to emphasize the word "dating" because many like to replace it with the word "domestic" which implies that a couple is living together (usually not the case for teens) and also sounds a lot scarier. When students or parents hear the word "domestic" they immediately think of fists being thrown and bruises on their little girl. They don't always realize that the bruises aren't always visible and that girls can hurt just as much as boys. My main goal as Miss Thousand Islands 2013 is not to go to Miss America (although that would be pretty neat) but it is to educate the youth in New York state on the dangers of teen dating violence. The ultimate for me would be to get teen dating violence to be a part of our teenagers education curriculum (perhaps in health class?) If any of this interests you and you would like me to speak to students or just have a "hang out" with students or young adults at your school, church, soccer team, etc. please contact me at MissTI2013@gmail.com and also, feel free if you are going through something yourself to send me an email. I am always hear to help but if you don't feel comfortable talking to me or would like to talk to someone completely anonymous you can check out this really cool website http://www.loveisrespect.org/ their livechat is ALWAYS running online or you can even TEXT them!! Text "loveis" to 77054 for help.
So now that you know a little bit more about me let me tell you a couple exciting things coming up!!
-I was asked to represent my undergraduate school, Hilbert College, at a local alumni networking night in Buffalo, NY on October 18th. I was asked specifically because my school wants 3 "young successful alumni" to feature. Pretty cool eh? I won't be going as Miss TI, just little ol' me but I am still very excited and honored. Hilbert is the reason I went to Africa, worked for the Secret Service and they also sponsored me for Miss NY last year so I pretty much love them! Their 8 core values of Peace, Love, Joy, Respect, Service, Integrity, vision and compassion have really shaped who I am today and I am really honored.
-Also, I will be doing my first photo session on September 28th with my new photographer, the official photographer of Miss Thousand Islands 2013, Miss Priscilla James of High Key Photo. I am so excited!
Speaking of awesome sponsors, I would like to take a minute to thank the wonderful companies and individuals who donated to this years pageant to make it so great:
-Watertown Savings Bank
-Big Apple Music
-A Touch of Grace
-The Ritz Day Spa and Salon (AND thanks for all my goodies!! :-) )
-Waterbury Fine Jewelers
-April McClintock Photography
-Dancing Queen Studios
-Image Now
-Gray's Flower Shop (My flowers were lovely!)
-Big Hungry Shelby www.bighungryshelby.blogspot.com
-Page Fitness
-Stewart's Shops
-Mary Kay Cosmetics, Barbara Yerdon
-Cam's Pizza
-Jreck Subs
-Morgia's Pasta
-Attilio's
and Bella's Bistro
Until next time... Lonna
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Hey!! My name is Lonna and I am your new Miss Thousand Islands!!
This past Saturday, August 11, 2012, I was honored to compete with six other amazing and talented young ladies at the Miss Thousand Islands 2013 pageant. I feel honored to have been chosen as the recipient of the Deltra Willis Talent award as well as actually winning the title of Miss Thousand Islands 2013 and a chance to journey to Miss New York 2013. But before I tell you any more about the pageant, let me tell you a little bit about myself...
My name is Lonna, and I was born on October 29, 1989 in Norfolk, Virginia where my dad was stationed with the U.S. Navy. Very soon after that I moved to a place I call home, Irving, NY. Irving is about 45 minutes south of Buffalo, right on Lake Erie. I have spent most of my childhood playing on the beach on the Lake, taking dance classes and singing in any choir that would take me.
My childhood was fairly normal except for a couple things:
1. My parents were separated when I was a baby (which really is not abnormal to me, I just got extra presents and I also got to travel more)
2. I watched my mother be involved in a domestically violent relationship
Now I do not mean to tell you the second part for you to feel bad for me or to make this blog sad or very serious but whether I like it or not this event truly shaped who I am.
Later on when I was in high school I found myself in a relationship with a boy who seemed almost perfect except for the fact that he wanted to control everything I did. At the time, being 15, I didn't see a problem with someone wanting to know who I was with, where I was going, when I would be back and always making me if what I was wearing was "inappropriate."
I had witnessed physical dating violence but wasn't aware of what verbal and emotional violence was until after I had finally escaped the grip it had on me and was only left with the scars it left on my soul.
For a long time I was very insecure with myself. I loved singing, dancing, being on stage and just entertaining people in general but I found myself hiding in a crowd; no chance of me trying out for a solo or a role in a musical. It wasn't until I finally decided to compete in a local pageant that I finally started finding my courage again. I have been competing ever since, for eight years now, and each time I improve and become more comfortable in my own skin.
I competed in my first Miss America local in 2010. I finished as second runner up to Miss Buffalo 2011, Desiree Wiley. I had such an amazing time that year that I decided to come back and compete again the next year, and it just so happened to be my time. I won the title of Miss Buffalo 2012 and represented upstate in the 2012 Miss New York pageant this past June. I had an amazing journey that culminated with Miss New York week. During that week I met amazing women from throughout the state, was pushed to my physical emotional limits, did my personal best and grew as an individual more than I could have imagined.
It wasn't easy to not make the top ten but I don't give up that easily. I knew I wanted to go back to Miss New York and I knew I had to start working on it right away. During pageant week I one of the young ladies I was fortunate to grow close to was Miss Thousand Islands 2011, Allison Carlos. In getting to know Allie I realized how passionate her local was to making her be the best she could be and on top of that, they simply treated her like royalty! I knew that if I was going to be successful during my last eligible year of pageantry, it would be with a nurturing and passionate organization like this one.
That brings me to my current story; Miss Thousand Islands 2013. I feel so blessed to be representing the upstate region at state yet again and I cannot wait to see what this year brings. I will soon be touring Clayton and the surrounding areas to learn more about my new territory. I am hoping I can go scuba diving in the Golden Crescent, take a boat tour and go to the zoo. I will make sure to fill you in when I do all or any of those things! Until then here are some pictures from this years show!
My name is Lonna, and I was born on October 29, 1989 in Norfolk, Virginia where my dad was stationed with the U.S. Navy. Very soon after that I moved to a place I call home, Irving, NY. Irving is about 45 minutes south of Buffalo, right on Lake Erie. I have spent most of my childhood playing on the beach on the Lake, taking dance classes and singing in any choir that would take me.
My childhood was fairly normal except for a couple things:
1. My parents were separated when I was a baby (which really is not abnormal to me, I just got extra presents and I also got to travel more)
2. I watched my mother be involved in a domestically violent relationship
Now I do not mean to tell you the second part for you to feel bad for me or to make this blog sad or very serious but whether I like it or not this event truly shaped who I am.
Later on when I was in high school I found myself in a relationship with a boy who seemed almost perfect except for the fact that he wanted to control everything I did. At the time, being 15, I didn't see a problem with someone wanting to know who I was with, where I was going, when I would be back and always making me if what I was wearing was "inappropriate."
I had witnessed physical dating violence but wasn't aware of what verbal and emotional violence was until after I had finally escaped the grip it had on me and was only left with the scars it left on my soul.
For a long time I was very insecure with myself. I loved singing, dancing, being on stage and just entertaining people in general but I found myself hiding in a crowd; no chance of me trying out for a solo or a role in a musical. It wasn't until I finally decided to compete in a local pageant that I finally started finding my courage again. I have been competing ever since, for eight years now, and each time I improve and become more comfortable in my own skin.
I competed in my first Miss America local in 2010. I finished as second runner up to Miss Buffalo 2011, Desiree Wiley. I had such an amazing time that year that I decided to come back and compete again the next year, and it just so happened to be my time. I won the title of Miss Buffalo 2012 and represented upstate in the 2012 Miss New York pageant this past June. I had an amazing journey that culminated with Miss New York week. During that week I met amazing women from throughout the state, was pushed to my physical emotional limits, did my personal best and grew as an individual more than I could have imagined.
It wasn't easy to not make the top ten but I don't give up that easily. I knew I wanted to go back to Miss New York and I knew I had to start working on it right away. During pageant week I one of the young ladies I was fortunate to grow close to was Miss Thousand Islands 2011, Allison Carlos. In getting to know Allie I realized how passionate her local was to making her be the best she could be and on top of that, they simply treated her like royalty! I knew that if I was going to be successful during my last eligible year of pageantry, it would be with a nurturing and passionate organization like this one.
That brings me to my current story; Miss Thousand Islands 2013. I feel so blessed to be representing the upstate region at state yet again and I cannot wait to see what this year brings. I will soon be touring Clayton and the surrounding areas to learn more about my new territory. I am hoping I can go scuba diving in the Golden Crescent, take a boat tour and go to the zoo. I will make sure to fill you in when I do all or any of those things! Until then here are some pictures from this years show!
Me and some girls from In Motion dance studio, where Allison teaches
Me, Katelyn Smith (Miss Empire Rose) and Jesse Ladoue (Miss Western NY)
For more pictures check out our facebook at Miss TI Facebook
I will leave it at that because all my other blogs are going to look incredibly short compared to this =) Have a wonderful night!!
Love,
Your Miss TI,
Lonna McCary
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