First Blog, First Website, and Why...

Hey Y'all, I'm Austin!

I'm a first generation college student at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. I'm originally from Tacoma, Washington and love the Pacific Northwest (I swear I'm both a Texan and Washingtonian at heart, however that's possible). I love 50's/60's music, sushi, my dog Mayzie, roses and taking pictures. I'm currently pursuing degrees in Communications and Business Administration on a pre-law track, with the hopes of either entering the field of broadcast journalism or corporate law. Last year I graduated from Bellarmine Preparatory School and was involved in many clubs and activities throughout high school, from basketball to Taekwondo. But my primary "sport", if you will, was the Miss America Organization, and still is to this day.

When I say "Miss America" I am sure you think of stereotypical beauty pageants with a swimsuit competition and ignorant contestants who struggle to answer political questions onstage, but this could not be farther from the truth of pageantry. In the past 6 years that I have competed I have gained more communication, advertising, and networking skills than I can tell you. I have started and taken over more than 12 social media accounts to promote myself and the organization, met with multiple local and state-wide politicians, done countless interviews both in a private business-style setting and on television or radio stations, and volunteered over 200 hours.

All this to say, that pageantry is not for the faint of heart. Now, yes there is a stage-performance component, but that is miniscule in comparison to the work that titleholders, or even competitors, do during their year of service or while preparing for a competition. The point I want to make is that the Miss America Organization continues to shape me into who I am today and continually opens doors to new opportunites, like this one.

While "growing up" through the program and watching competitions even before I was eligible to compete, I looked up to the incredible women involved. They are now doctors, lawyers, journalists, and so much more (our current Miss America is even a nuclear engineer for goodness sakes). Because of this, I decided to take a page out of their playbook by creating my own website and blog.

The benefit, as I see it, is three-fold. First, there is the opportunity to promote oneself in an online portfolio/resume, which is especially beneficial for aspiring journalists (side note: check out my YouTube channel if you want to see more interviews, there will be more coming soon). Secondly, it provides organization for various social links, so they can all be listed and accessible in one space (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc). Thirdly, and more importantly, it serves as a platform to promote the organizations and groups I represent. I will share more about all of these later, especially St. Jude's, CMN Hospital & Associated Guilds, and Tri Delta.

I am so excited to be starting this website and blog with you all and cannot wait to share about the adventures that lie ahead. If you have any content suggestions, appearance ideas, or just want to say hello please reach out!

With love,

Austin