Brains & Beauty Queens

A New Year Brings A New Photo Shoot!

2009-01-13T21:20:00.006-05:00

In honor of the New Year, here are some of my hot shots from my latest photo shoot. These photos were taken by Len Depas, noted photographer extraordinaire, of the Photographer's Gallery in Washington, DC. Len is also the talented photographer responsible for that awesome book cover below! Enjoy!

Coming to a Borders or Barnes & Noble Near You!

2009-01-06T16:42:00.005-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I know that it has been a while since I've blogged, but things have definitely picked up over the last month! On December 7th, 2008 I crowned Nicole White as the 2009 Miss District of Columbia USA and Jessica Nowlin was crowned the 2009 Miss District of Columbia Teen USA. Since then, things have been going full speed! Then when the holidays arrived, I headed to Georgia to see my parents and have a little vacation before ushering in the New Year with friends and colleagues at Station 9 on U St. NW in Washington, DC. Where else could I say goodbye to what has been an unprecedented year, and welcome in what hopefully will bring even better things in 2009 but my home of DC! No matter what my domicile may be... my home will always be the same and I am forever a Washingtonian!

Now, there is more good news on the rise in 2009! My picture was selected to go on the cover of a Digital Portrait Photography book by Steve Sint and the book was released at the beginning of this month! The photo, seen here, was taken by my friend and one of my favorite photographers, Len Depas. He runs The Photographers Gallery in northwest Washington, DC and the man is incredible. My new headshot was also taken by him! Thanks Len for everything!

If you need a good quality photo, I strongly recommend that you pay him a visit! You will always get your money's worth!

My How Time Flies...

2008-12-01T15:21:00.007-05:00

Whoever said "time flies when you're having fun" was absolutely right! I am seven days away from the end of my reign as Miss District of Columbia USA 2008 and I can't help but feel some sadness in coming to the end of what has been an unexpected and amazing year! I've had an opportunity to meet several of the contestants in the 2009 pageant, and I feel pretty confident that the District will carry on with a strong titleholder to represent us next year. All last week and this weekend, I have really taken time to reflect on all the wonderful things and experiences this past year has brought me, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity. I can only hope that our next titleholder too feels the sense of urgency for her presence in the community and dutifully responds to that call. Since work has been rather crazy these last few weeks, and has not lent me much time to update the blog, here are some pics from my most recent appearances:

The Washington Post Music and Dance Scholarship Awards

The 2009 Miss Maryland USA Pageant

Breast Cancer Awareness in the Nation's Capital

2008-10-23T19:35:00.005-04:00

With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I had the opportunity to participate in some of the Nation's breast cancer awareness programs over the past weekend. On Saturday I attended Women Against Real Risk's (WARR) Breast Cancer Awareness Gala at the Washington Courts Hotel on this past Saturday. WARR, is an organization founded by two wonderful women, Totlyn and Claudia, who travel with a staff and volunteers to Jamaica every year to offer women free mammograms. On Saturday, they honored their hardworking staff, volunteers and survivors and fundraised for next year's trip which I can hopefully participate in.

Then on Sunday, some of the 2009 Miss DC USA/ DC Teen USA contestants joined Ivana, Miss DC Teen USA, and me down at the National Mall for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. The five mile walk took us around most of the DC monuments and it was an amazing sight to see! Although it was pretty cold that morning, the smiling faces and energy of breast cancer survivors helped to warm us up along the way, and once we reached the finish line, the real party began! We cha cha slid and cupid shuffled along with hundreds of fellow walkers and even ran into some of my fellow Howard University School of Law students walking for a good cause!

Miss DC USA is Coming Home for HOMECOMING!

2008-10-15T11:54:00.001-04:00

Today is Wednesday, and I am soooo excited because in two days I will be back in the city I love and cherish oh so much! I never realized a work transfer could make me miss DC so much, but that just further confirms that I could not have been more fortunate to represent such an amazing "state" (the District, of course) at Miss USA. Living in Manhattan really gives me an opportunity to step back and realize how blessed I am. I am so grateful to have served as an ambassador for the most powerful city in the country and I am extremely excited to COME HOME!

That's right, Howard University's homecoming is this weekend, and as a recent Howard University School of Law graduate (class of 2008 baby!), I am excited to experience my first HU alumni weekend, and most importantly, my only HU alumni weekend as the reigning Miss District of Columbia USA 2008! There are tons of events going on, and in addition, I have a few appearances in honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So yes, I will be out and about all around the city, and I hope to see you there!

New York, New York, Guess Who’s Back?!

2008-09-30T00:26:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately one is never fully in control of where life will take them, and in my instance, life, or rather my job, has taken me back to New York City to work for the fabulous firm, McKee Nelson LLP, in their capital markets division. While I will miss DC, don’t worry… your Miss DC USA will be back every other weekend keeping up with appearances and community service activities all the way up until I pass the crown on to the new titleholder in December!

In fact, I returned to DC this weekend to serve as a guest presenter for the Military Hospitality Alliance’s 5^th Annual Culinary Competition where chefs from the various branches or armed forces whipped up delectable courses and competed for the coveted Culinary Competition gold medals! Although the weather wasn’t the best, rain didn’t stop the military servicemen and women from coming out in large numbers to take part in the event. Ivana Grace, Miss Teen DC USA, and I had the honor of announcing the winners, awarding them their prizes and medals, and taking photographs with them. Sadly, we didn’t get to taste any of the creations, but we did volunteer as taste-testers for next year’s event!

After the Culinary Competition, I changed clothes and headed to my second appearance of the evening… the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Annual Awards Gala. The event was definitely a sight to see! It was held at the Washington DC Convention Center and I was photographed and interviewed on the red carpet by a variety of media outlets before the event began. The awards dinner and gala honored such notables as actress and humanitarian Kerry Washington for her work as a community activist and Illinois Senator and Presidential nominee Barack Obama, who brought the room to tears when he spoke after accepting his award. The convention center held so much history on Saturday evening, and as a former political science major, I was honored to be invited!

Miss DC USA 2008 Sings the National Anthem!

2008-09-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

So by now, it is no surprise that I am a huge fan of the Washington Nationals, especially after my fun-filled adventure with the Nats for the Night of Stars Woman of the Year Dating Auction I participated in back in May to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Washington, DC. I met some of the players “off” the field and really enjoyed hanging out, so I became a convert! Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several games, and I even picked up the sport of baseball as my bar exam stress reliever.

Since singing is one of my great loves, I decided to combine the two—I got to sing the Star Spangled Banner for the Nats game last week! First, when you inquire about singing, you have to send in a CD or DVD (no one wants a butchered National Anthem!) and once reviewed, they Entertainment committee schedules you for a game. I was scheduled to perform on September 23^rd at the game against the Florida Marlins.

When you arrive at the stadium, they conduct a sound check a few hours before the game, and then they give you field passes and show you to your own personal “Green Room”, which is a lounge area for you and your VIP guests. My girls, Bre and Erin accompanied me, and my teen, Ivana Grace (Miss DC Teen USA ’08) came out as well. Ladies, I must say the view from the field is pretty nice. 

The experience was AMAZING and Nationals Park was by far the largest crowd I’ve ever sang in front of… not to mention the game is broadcast on television as well! But, I absolutely enjoyed myself, sang to the best of my ability, then signed autographs and took pictures afterwards with Nats fans (and now recent Miss DC USA/ Miss DC Teen USA fans!). The night ended on a grand note as the Nats whooped the Marlins 9-4!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game... and the Rest of My Vacation

2008-09-10T23:12:00.001-04:00

So, since I returned from Teen USA 2008, I've spent most of my time traveling in between appearances, and one of my favorite stops has been the new Washington Nationals stadium, where I've attended just about every home game the last few weeks cheering on the guys that work so hard to represent DC oh so well. I even had the opportunity to take my mentee, Erica, a sweet girl that I met during one of my elementary school appearances, to her first professional baseball game where she got to meet some of my favorite ushers at the games-- Mr. Pete, Ms. Louise, Ms. Susan, Mr. Lewis and of course my new adopted "dad", Mr. Cecil. Erica and I both had a ball, and for Erica literally... she got her pink Nationals baseball signed by some of the players downstairs in the Nationals Clubhouse after the game! A few days later, I was invited to the National Council of Negro Women's National Black Family Reunion held on the National Mall on September 7th. I was invited by the U.S. Department of Education to read to little children and share the importance of literacy. Also, participating in the fun was my dear friend and former Miss DC Teen USA 2007, Jasmine Alexis. The event featured several tents and exhibitions, as well as performers, and vendors. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we even had the honor of meeting Dr. Dorothy Height (a Spelman alumna and implemental woman in Washington, DC) under the V.I.P. tent.

Then after the Reunion, I went over to the J.W. Marriott Hotel to meet the young ladies interested in becoming the next Miss District of Columbia USA. The interest meeting went very well, and I was able to answer most of the ladies' questions. It felt really good to be on the other side of the table, sharing my experiences and encouraging these ladies, because it served as a reminder that hard work does pay off. Although the pageant is rapidly approaching, I still have a couple more months to serve as Miss DC USA and I want to make sure that DC benefits from all that I can offer it.

If you are interested in participating in the 2009 Miss District of Columbia USA/ Miss District of Columbia Teen USA Pageant, we are still accepting contestants. Please send an email to missdcusa@gmail.com to receive the application and contestant contract.

And the Winner Is... Miss Arkansas Teen USA!

2008-08-19T15:11:00.000-04:00

Well, prelims and the final night were every bit as exciting as they promised to be! The girls looked gorgeous in their Sherri Hill Scala dresses and their opening number performance was HOT! Ivana (DC Teen USA), who is an actress/singer/dancer, worked those dance moves without so much as a blink of an eye and boy did she look GREAT! The pageant was hosted by Shelley Hennig, former Miss Teen USA 2004, and Seth Goldman. And we were treated to one of the Bahamas's own talented artists, Tada, who had the crowd on their feet!

At the end of the evening, Miss Arkansas Teen USA, Stevi Perry, was crowned Miss Teen USA 2008. Her court included Miss South Carolina Teen USA as first runner up, Miss North Carolina Teen USA as second-runner up, Miss Louisiana Teen USA as third runner up, and Miss Idaho Teen USA as fourth-runner up. I know the judges' decisions were difficult because there were so many gorgeous teens in the pageant and their bodies for swimsuit and gowns were amazing. Ivana looked SO GOOD in her swimsuit and her evening gown... I'm proud of you pumpkin!

I enjoyed the pageant with my girls and we met the new Miss Florida USA 2009 and Miss Texas USA 2009, who were sweeties as well. Chelsea Cooley, former Miss USA, was in the house and so was first runner-up to Miss Teen USA 2007, Alyssa C (Miss NJ Teen USA 2007).

All in all, Paradise Island was all that it was rumored to be and so was the Atlantis Resort. Five days with Washington, Florida, Mississippi, Alaska, and Minnesota just wasn't enough... and I miss you girls already!

Greetings from Paradise Island and Teen USA 2008!!!

2008-08-16T01:32:00.000-04:00

So, as you've guessed by now, I survived the New York bar exam, which was every bit as horrible as imagined, but...at the end of the storm comes the sunshine, and boy is the sun shining! I am in Paradise Island, Bahamas for Miss Teen USA 2008 and I am loving every bit of it! Five Miss USA contestants and I traveled all the way to the Bahamas to support our teen titleholders in this year's Miss Teen USA 2008 and so far it's been awesome!

First, Miss Minnesota USA, Kaylee, and I flew in on the same flight from Atlanta, and the party began as soon as we ran into Miss Florida (a.k.a. Flo Rida in my book!) USA 2008, Jessica (who is now retired after crowning a new Miss Florida USA 2009 in July) in the airport and grabbed a cab to our villa which sits on the ocean front. The place is absolutely gorgeous, has four beds, a full kitchen and living room, a fantastic pool, and an incredible view of the ocean and palm trees.

On day one Minnesota, Flo Rida and I arrived at our villa, immediately changed clothes and headed to the most beautiful beach I've ever seen for some much needed R&R. The water is crystal clear and you can see straight to the bottom of it! And I mean literally straight to the bottom...it looks like something off of a postcard! We laid out for a few hours, soaking up the sun, and worked on our beauty queen tans.

The beach was followed by dinner at the Dune Club, a relaxing lounge at the One & Only Ocean Club, overlooking the water. Then we headed back to the villa to change for the first day of visitation with our girls. As we headed to visitation, we were sadly disappointed to find out that we only had 30 minutes with our girls, but that was long enough to make sure that my teen, Ivana Grace, had everything she needed to do her best on stage the next night for the preliminary pageant. When I saw her, she looked amazing and I couldn't be more proud of my baby! I know that she will represent DC well!

Thanks for All Your Bar Prep Support!

2008-08-05T00:21:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to give a special thank you to everyone who sent their encouragement and prayers during my bar prep time. The bar exam was this past Tuesday and Wednesday in New York City and while it was a horribly cruel test, I can say that I felt good leaving out of it and even had the joy of finding out my good friend, Miss New Jersey USA, was waiting outside on Wednesday because her boyfriend took the test as well. So thank you for all of your support during this difficult time! I am definitely ready to get back to work with appearances and the DC charities and will keep you updated as the appearances start back up. Thanks again!

The Countdown Continues...

2008-07-21T02:44:00.000-04:00

Sorry that I've been absent for so long, but the NY Bar exam is next Tuesday and Wednesday, so it is definitely down to the wire for me. I'm off to study for the next 8 days and then I'm vacationing before I hit the Bahamas for the 2008 Miss Teen USA Pageant. More from me soon!

A Quarter of a Century Old!

2008-07-07T23:16:00.000-04:00

I wanted to give a special thanks to everyone for their happy birthday wishes! On July 5, I turned 25 (yay for the drop in my car insurance rate)! I spent it at dinner with close friends and then returned home to study Criminal Law until the wee hours of the morning, but I can truly say that I enjoyed the day because I received soooo many messages, emails, phone calls and texts. Thanks so much for the love!

P.S. I know the posts are slow lately, but the New York bar exam, which is the bar I will be taking, is July 29-30th and because the bar study is so intense, I am spending the next 21 days fully engulfed in the law. But I promise much more once the test is over! Please keep me in your prayers!

REUNITED...(And It Feels SO Good): Best Buddies Golf Tournament

2008-06-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

So, this has been quite a busy week, but I had the opportunity to step away from the bar exam books for a few days and I headed to Ocean City, Maryland for my last "official" Miss DC USA appearance until after the bar exam. The event was a 2-day golf tournament hosted by Galaxy 66 to benefit Best Buddies Maryland, which is an awesome organization which works with special needs children. The two-day event kicked off with a cocktail party at Galaxy 66, this retro space-themed bar and grille with an incredible roof top bar. At the party were some of the golf tournament players, Tammy, the owner of Galaxy 66, her staff, Best Buddies Maryland staff and volunteers and none other than....Miss USA contestants! Miss New Hampshire (Brianne), Miss Maryland (Casandra), Miss Delaware (Vincenzia), Miss New Jersey (Tiffany), and Miss West Virginia (Skylene) all drove in for the tournament and boy did we have a ball!

Now, we started off selling raffle tickets and taking a ga-zillion pictures (which shouldn't be that strange after 3 weeks in Vegas on the red carpet) and the next thing you know, we were partying with the sponsors, players and DJ for the cocktail party-turned-jam-fest! Though the day (and night) were long, I really enjoyed it. I made it to bed around 1 a.m. on Sunday and was back up, dressed and made up for our radio interview with Ocean City's own Bulldog of 88.9 FM talk radio. The radio station is located in Ocean City's historic hot spot, "Seacrets", which features a pool bar...in the water! While we didn't get to hang out at the pool bar, we did get to talk about the tournament, our experiences at Miss USA, what we do in regular life, and where we plan to go after our reigns end...plus, we even got a surprise (and random) call from one of the American Gladiator girls on air. All in all, another interesting experience...which just so happened to lead to six of us packing into Cassie's (MD) brand new Mini Cooper to make a breakfast run. Now, imagine six lovely ladies all dolled up with these blinging sashes on smushing into a Mini Cooper... we looked like we were getting out of a clown car once we got to our destination and the locals definitely took notice!

Next up, we changed and headed out to the Glenriddle Golf Course, where the Best Buddies "Man O' War" course tournament took place. And a million pictures later, six lovely pageant girls headed out to the course to meet the teams and judge some special categories, including "Farthest Drive", "Straightest Drive", "Closest to the Hole", and then some special categories created in honor of the USA girls, like, "Team Photogenic", "Team Congeniality", and the winner of the tournament-- "Team USA!"

While I didn't get to work on my drive (yep, I'm still the reigning "farthest drive" champ from out stint on the course over the summer with McKee Nelson, my law firm), I did get to meet Bobby Vermillion of the syndicated golf show, "Endless Golf" and I even taped an episode with him, interviewing teams on the green.

After the tournament, we headed back to the hotel to clean up, then to Galaxy 66 to end the festivities with food, fun, awards, a 50/50 raffle worth $15,000 and a silent auction. After that, my USA sisters and I had a good, long catch-up session then we each said our goodbyes and headed back to our respective states. All in all, I must say it was the BEST way to end my appearances for a while and I definitely enjoyed myself!

A Nice Study Break at the Girls' Modeling and Acting Camp

2008-06-18T23:01:00.000-04:00

So today, I snuck away from bar class for a few hours to go pay a visit to some lovely ladies and boy was I glad that I did. There's nothing like impacting someone else's life to really help and put your life into perspective. So here I am running around stressing over this bar exam (Teri bore witness to it on Monday at Amanda's Miss Black USA sendoff which I'll discuss further down), thinking that not passing the first time is the end of the world. And then I met Holiday Johnson's beautifully talented little girls between the ages of 7-10 at their Modeling and Acting Camp and just that easily I was able to step back and see the bigger picture. See, to these girls, I am their hopes, dreams and aspirations. To them, I have already conquered the world (as one of the girls kindly told me). To them I am fearless, fun and fabulous and they don't have the first clue of what the bar exam is. To them, I am what they strive to be. And that is an awesome feeling... because often times we get so bogged down in our own life issues, stresses, work, frustrations, goals, etc, that we never really see the big picture. My big picture says "calm down" and "stop worrying because you made it to Miss USA, so you can certainly pass the bar exam with flying colors." Funny how the environment I was called to to teach life lessons turned around and taught me! Those are the kinds of experiences that I love!

Speaking of which, on Monday, I had the pleasure of hosting Amanda Lewis's Sendoff to Miss Black USA 2009. She is the current reigning Miss Black District of Columbia, and she is quite an awesome young lady with a powerful story. She left to kick some pageant booty this week at Miss Black USA 2009 in Las Vegas and I am positive that she will do well because although I met her for the first time competing with me at Miss District of Columbia USA in November, we have really fostered a friendship and I have seen her grow into an incredible woman. She said something at her sendoff that really struck a chord with me; she so eloquently said, "being a titleholder is way more than just having the title; it's about the power and opportunity that having a title gives you to be able to impact others lives. It's amazing how the simplest things mean the world to some of the people you meet." And she was 100% correct. At the end of her sendoff, I started thinking about how many appearances I've had over the past six months, and how excited people are just to talk with you, let alone get their picture taken or an autograph and that's a great feeling. When I see people that I've met before at a prior appearance, their hellos are genuine and so are their smiles. And that is a good feeling.

Susan Komen Race for the Cure and Hoop Dreams Celebrity Basketball Game

2008-06-15T17:28:00.001-04:00

Boy have I been busy! With graduation and Miss USA both behind me, I thought there would be some down time, but I could not have been more mistaken! I have been studying for the New York bar exam, but recently got to take a study break for two exciting events: the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on June 7, 2008 and the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund Celebrity Basketball game on June 14, 2008.

Breast cancer awareness is an important cause that is near and dear to my heart not only because it is the national platform for Miss USA, but more importantly because I and just about everyone that I know has been affected by the deadly disease, so what better cause could there be for Miss DC USA?!

The National Race for the Cure drew hundreds of metro DC residents and companies who donated both their time and money in an effort to help Susan G. Komen for the Cure raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. I, for some strange reason, signed up to participate in the 5K run (instead of the nice, calm fun walk) that started at 8:00 am! But...even though I haven't really been in the gym working out since I returned from Miss USA AND even though it was definitely 90+ degrees outside that morning at 8 am, I managed to finish the race (yes, running the WHOLE way) in 30 minutes and 39 seconds. Now, true that is nothing like my time when I used to run distance in high school, but then again...it's been quite a while since I've been that young and that in shape! So, 30 minutes (and not passing out at the finish line) works for me!

Plus, after the race, I met some really awesome survivors and their families who had incredible stories to share. And in return, I told them about the three people close to my heart that I ran for-- my aunt Eleanor Taylor and my friend's mother that I never even got to meet, but have heard so much about, Vivian Burley, and a very close friend of mine who is a 5 year survivor, Donna Lindsay. And honestly, every time I got tired and wanted to slow down, I saw someone in a pink survivor shirt in the crowd running, and I said to myself, "If they can do it, then the least I can do is finish this race!" And I did!

Afterwards, I even saw Miss DC USA 2007, Mercedes Lindsay, who represented for Team 17 with her boo, Redskins star Jason Campbell, and some of the Redskin cheerleaders who also participated. The post-race party was pretty fantastic too with New Balance and Energizer giving away goodies, a dance troupe performing, and several survivors sharing their inspiring stories. Then the kids had the opportunity to get some exercise in the Kids for the Cure race where I got to cheer the children on and even met a real, live survivor queen herself! She was just as excited to see me as I was to see her (queens are drawn to each other! :-) )

Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but besides my lawyer- turned- beauty- queen- slash- distance- runner lifestyle, I also am a pretty good (ok...decent?!) basketball player. No lie! Yeah, I'm not the best with three pointers, but I have a mean show from the free throw line! And I got to show off at the 13th Annual Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund Celebrity Basketball Game on Pennsylvania Ave on yesterday. Now, I've imagined myself doing a lot of things in DC... shooting a basket in the Verizon Center during halftime at the Wizards game, catching a fly ball during a Nationals game, or even standing behind the President's podium during a press conference (optimistic, I know) in the White House... but never did I imagine that I, Chelsey Rodgers, would play basketball in the middle of the street just a few blocks down the street from where the President lives! And boy was it an awesome experience!

I played on the blue team which was coached by my new friend and DC native, Vernon Davis, who graduated from Dunbar High School (where I guest taught a law class... small world!) and now plays football for the 49ers. Our "assistant" coach was none other than Wizards guard Roger Mason, who led our BLUE team to victory over fellow Wizards forward Andre Blatche's RED team, who had a lot of bragging to do but took a pretty stinky butt-whoopin to our team on the court! Also on our team was who I would call our MVP, none other than "White Chocolate" from AND1 (and yes, that really is his name). On the red team was fellow pageant queen and my dear sister, Jasmine Alexis, aka Teen Miss DC USA 2007, and the newly crowned Miss District of Columbia's Outstanding Teen 2009.

Miss USA 2008: Day One in Vegas

2008-03-28T02:07:00.000-04:00

Day one went well. Since I had such drama at the airport on Wednesday (cancelled flight + delays + overbooked flights + missed connecting flight + lugging around all my luggage back and forth) and didn't get to Vegas until fifteen hours later, I was behind on registration and fittings. I managed to catch up today and got fitted for my opening number outfit ( a sexy turquoise dress), fitted for my swimsuit (black & gold...lol, that's a good sign!), fitted for my sponsor clothes, and then got ALL my freebies including my new $140.00 Chi flat iron compliments of our Chi stylists. Then I had my makeup and hair done by some great stylists and then did a number of photo shoots for different outfits and sponsors. After that I did the FAMOUS photo shoot with the photographer Fadil Barisha who is absolutely great! We had such a good time and he is absolutely amazing to work with. His energy and direction were incredible and I just fed off of his and turned it into my own. He showed me one shot (out of a hundred he took) and it was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous! I looked like a Beyonce album cover! LOL.

Then we had a presentation show for the great people of Las Vegas, including a famed red carpet pulled out just for us. It was awesome to go through the crowd that gathered just to see us! Then we introduced ourselves, took TONS of photos, then went to another red carpet where they took more photos and did some interviews. After that, the owner of this very swank club, Koi, set up a light dinner and cocktails for us.

I am really enjoying the girls and I got to finally meet Rachel, Miss USA 2007, today. She is as gorgeous as you could imagine in person and very tall!

The girls are really sweet, some are kind of standoff-ish, but most are really friendly, and fun girls. I absolutely LOVE my roomie, Andrea from North Carolina. [Well, we actually roomed together before]. We are like the same person. She's organized and neat like me and we even tell the same jokes...scary, huh. We're having a good time and so far, so good. Will keep you posted!

You can also check out the Miss DC USA blog at http://missdcusa2008.blogspot.com/ where I'll post my pageant diary and more pics!

Countdown to Miss USA Pageant!

2008-03-24T02:56:00.000-04:00

So it's two days before I leave for Miss USA and while I should definitely be sleeping, I've committed myself to sacrificing sleep for this night because I have a host of school work, client file work and pageant prep to get together in such a short time...so logical answer? Stay awake and do everything, then sleep in all day Tuesday.

I am really excited and slightly nervous about the experience I am about to embark on. But mostly, I am curious... curious to meet my new select group of "sorority" sisters in the 2008 Miss USA class, curious to meet the Universe organization employees, and curious to see how I'm going to get back to HUSL to graduate after I win Miss USA in a few weeks!

Ha, I know it sounds cocky, but it's not. I really am going into this pageant confidently because my weeks of preparation have allowed me to delve deeper into who I really am, and I am confident that I can go to this pageant and show them the best that I have to offer. And if that's what they're looking for, then I'm waiting for the Donald to say, "you're hired!" And if not, then I've gained an incredible experience, a larger network, and a whole bunch of free goodies compliments of the pageant's sponsors!

See, two days away and I'm still my same ol' silly self. I can finally and honestly say that...
I AM READY.