I Have a Proclamation!

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said "If you modestly enjoy your fame you are not unworthy to rank with the holy." It is a little over a month since I was crowned Miss Hudson Valley 2012 and I am still a little bit overwhelmed by all of the attention that I have been receiving since. However, recently I have learned that it is ok to celebrate yourself and your accomplishments and that it is ok to be celebrated by others, even if they seem greater than you are.

I know I am VERY late on this, but on Wednesday, September 28, Miss Westchester 2012, Sarah Hreyo and I had the pleasure and honor of being invited to City Hall in Yonkers to meet Mayor Philip A. Amicone. While we were there we met many politicians and judges, including the ONLY female judge in Yonkers. She was so excited to speak with us and proud to see strong young women making a difference in their community; I couldn't believe that a woman who is working in a field dominated by men, a woman who should be and is an inspiration to me thinks that I am an inspiration as well.  It was hard to imagine that such important figures in our community would take time out of their busy days to meet with us and congratulate us on our accomplishments. As if that wasn't an honor enough, Mayor Amicone presented Sarah and I proclamations on behalf of the City of Yonkers. It was such a nice surprise and honor to be recognized for not only being Miss Hudson Valley, but for how I got there by being a hard working, intelligent, positive female role model for our community.

Meeting the mayor and so many other inspirational and esteemed people from Yonkers was such a humbling experience, but more importantly it has helped me open my eyes to the fact that I am no better or less of a person than they are. I am just a normal girl trying to make a positive difference in her community, like so many other young women who do not understand the value in the work that they do. I appreciate all of the support and encouragement that has been given to me by my incredible friends, loving family, and people I have met on my journey as Miss Hudson Valley, however short it may be thus far. Know that that proclamation was not an honor presented specifically to me, but to all who have been my cheerleaders on my journey to Miss Hudson Valley, as Miss Hudson Valley and more importantly on my life's journey. Being celebrated by an incredible group of people has given me the desire to celebrate everyone who has helped make me who I am today, after all, I am who I am as a result of where I came from.