Hello Friends and Family!
I am competing to represent Colorado in the Miss America Competition.
You may not know it, but the Miss America Foundation is one of the largest scholarship programs in the country. I am raising money to provide women interested in higher education (like me!) with the resources to earn degrees and change the world.
I cannot express enough how much your support and encouragement means to me. I am lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. Let me tell you why.
My life changed when Evan, my four year old cousin, asked me a question.
"Why does that girl live in her car? Why doesn't she have a home?"
Explaining homelessness to anyone, let alone a four-year-old is a difficult task. The nexus of the issue is so complex.
I did my best to explain why people could be experiencing homelessness. They could be in debt, they could be sick, they could be running from a dangerous situation and many other things.
I will never forget the look in Evan's eyes when he said, "I see a lot of homeless people... all the time."
There was no way I could walk away from that conversation and not act. No child should have to live in their car.
For me, this is more than just a competition. I want to give my life to this work. With the scholarship money I win, I am going to go get my PHD in Public Policy and Economics. My dream is to consult with both sides of the aisle and connect the private and public sectors to create efficient, data driven and creative solutions to help those experiencing homelessness.
As Miss Denver 2022, I have been able to start this work.
- I started a nonprofit; Safe & Stable, to bring creative solutions for fair housing
- I have written and illustrated a book to explain homelessness to children
- I have spearheaded a nationwide program to lower the barrier to housing by eliminating security deposits
- I testified at the State Capital and worked on legislation to provide relief for those experiencing homelessness
- I have given classes at elementary schools, change starts with our future leaders!
