Hi everyone!
I am so honored and EXCITED to say that I am your newly crowned Miss Minnesota High!
How cool is that?! Yesterday was a a fast and upbeat "pageanting" experience, but certainly a fun one at that!
I encourage each and every young lady between high school and college age to participate next year, it is a system that leaves an impression!
It started bright and early at 8:30 am, (well, 5:00 if your name is Morgan Clarkson, my pre-pageant jitters and I have way too much excitement to just lay there and sleep *LoL*.) and took off flying from there. I got to meet 10 of the most beautiful and accomplished high school students Minnesota was proud to offer. What sweet and gorgeous young ladies!! Anywho, we started right away after unpacking our things, first up....walking patterns! This I could handle, simple circles, stops and exits, all was well until my two (or three...or four....) left feet and I were put to the test during opening number rehearsal. Oh man. If you know me, you would know that I cannot dance. Sometimes I can barely walk without injuring myself...or others. In fact, my freshman year of high school, I thought it would be such a good idea to go out for dance team...oh excuse me...COMPETITION dance team. All I can say is YIKES. But after 1098728469832 questions later answered by the fabulous Allyson, I began to feel a little more comfortable with the idea of dancing next to girls who were captains of their dance and cheer teams. Shortly after we started rehearsals, interview began, I was the second to last contestant in the high school division and I was SO nervous! Having been my first panel style interview, I had no idea what to expect. So adorned in my Eliza J. sheath dress, and my Max Dot Com black patent mary jane pumps, I headed up the stairs to find out! There were four judges, 3 female and one male, and my! Were they nice or what?! I was asked questions off of my paperwork, my hometown/state, and various interests of mine.
As I was about done with my interview, one of my judges jokingly asked me to sing! Again, if you know me, you know I LOVE to sing, but I had never been asked nor actually sang during an interview before. But there is always a first time for everything. Accepting the challenge (as usual :) ) I began to rack my brain at record speed for a song. I began to sing one of my favorites, by one of the vocal queens herself, Whitney Houston. After sketchily picking some words that may or may not have been correct to serve as lyrics, I finished up a verse or so, said my "thank yous" and began to descend (carefully, gripping the railing) down the stairs. Regardless of how I think it went, I was proud of myself for doing it! Normally I prepare for months before a pageant, I literally signed up just a few days before it started! I headed back to rehearsal (in flats... thank you Marc Jacobs) to try and master the dreaded...DUN DUN DUN....three step turn. I know...sounds....hard. (just remember, some people are not that gifted in that department...meaning me) Even though I messed everyone up...several times, the girls made me feel welcomed and joked along with me even though I knew they were hoping I could just master counting to three just once! Thank you ladies! Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the final show!! I had a hair touch up by the lovely Kristin M. of Sanctuary Salonspa by Aveda, finished my makeup and lined up backstage just trying to lower my heart rate and remember the dance! Well, we started out the dance all right.....and then it ended.....well..the show must go on! Sorry Allyson, we tried! I went back onstage to briefly introduce my self and the high school I am so proud to represent: Cretin-Derham Hall! I had a wonderful and beautiful and BIG cheering section who made my performance level even better, and I was just on cloud nine. I raced backstage to throw on my fun fashion, a white Sherri Hill (#2552) from the wonderful Ashley Rene's, with a huge blinged out flower ring!
I worked that stage the only way I knew how and exited the stage to lots of cheers and applause! I was so pumped, until I realized I had my biggest fear approaching....onstage question. What a fright. I had never done one of these either, but with help from the lovely Jill, I calmed down and in my Sherri Hill (#1434) from my workplace: Glitz!Gowns at the Mall of America, I graced the stage all while racing through my bio in my head. You could say that I was a "Sherri Cherry", she is one of my favorite designers! Anyways, I was asked a question that I could answer from the heart. What was it about theatre that I loved. I plan to major in vocal performance and theatre next year, and so I am more than passionate about performing. After completing my answer, I felt a huge weight lifted (briefly) from my shoulders. I was all done, the rest was up to the judges and God.
Before I knew it, we were back onstage and the scores were impressively already tabulated and handed off to Allyson, the emcee. She read off that in the high school division, Elena Richter won a 1,000 dollar scholarship, Katy Hamlin won the academic award, and Alyssa Bestul won photogenic! Well done ladies! In the Collegiate division, Haley O'Brien won both photogenic and academic. Talk about beauty and brains!! Beginning with 2nd runner up, the results were called. Victoria Haler was named second runner up, followed by the beautiful Christy Prust for first runner up. After a suspense filled few seconds, I heard your 2012 Miss Minnesota High is.....Morgan Clarkson!!! Again, if you know me, you can imagine, as usual, that I dropped to the ground in shock, gratitude and also as I like to call JKR....Jonathan Kayne Relief...my heels were in for some revenge from me wearing them for so long. I was so excited and blessed, not just to have such an amazing support system, or to have a new crown placed upon my head, but also to have been crowned by my long time friend, Ashely Fogarty. I have some big shoes to fill this year. She is the definition of selfless.
After a few moments of disbelief, I was whisked away to watch the collegiate crowning. 2nd runner up went to the fun and sassy Courtney Igbo-Ogbonna, and first runner up went to the beautiful and sweet Holly Bui. Then we were introduced to new royalty...Haley O'Brien...your new Miss Minnesota Collegiate 2012!! This was soo exciting because Haley and I had just "facebooked" each other talking about how cool it would be to reign together as sister queens this year, and WE DID IT!!!
I had tons of official and friendly photos taken and I was too happy for words to finally get out of my heels and to eat for the first time since my spoonful of applesauce at 6:00 that morning! My mom and I sat down with Suzie Kearns, Allyson Kearns-Weisenbeck, and Haley and her mom and brother to discuss what was to be expected of our reign and of course, the national pageant in march in San Antonio Texas (home of the Alamo)! Too happy to think, I had to ask my mom later what in the world we talked about, my brain could barely take any more information that day! I was so blessed to have a mom who was into pageants to support me, not like some of the pageant cray crays you see on tv! We packed up the car and headed home with a new crown and year of 365 blessings ahead of us.
Needless to say, I HAD to send texts and make phone calls, and of course make a facebook status as a new queen! I still have over 450 people to personally thank for voting for me in the People's Choice competition that I won!
Before I knew it, it was 8 o' clock and I was pooped! I fell into a deep and deserved post-pageant pass out with my crown in my rhinestoned crown case (Thanks Ash!) next to me.
I had such an amazing day and I can hardly believe that I was chosen to represent Minnesota and girls in high schools across the great north star state. I'd like to thank anyone who voted for me or reposted my link ( especially Megan Barret...MAN IS SHE GOOD!) and anyone who didn't delete me because of my 117871982980423 status updates. My pageant friends for stopping and dropping regardless of their plans for Sunday to answer questions, peptalk me, and be the best cheering section a girl could ask for! Ashley Swathwood of Ashley Rene's for helping me find a fun fashion last minute And of course, my mom, Lesa Clarkson, (my twin) for putting up with my last minute decisions, meltdowns and money issues regardless of if my room was actually clean-clean or Morgan clean. It meant the world to have her sitting there, as usual, camera in hand, cheering me on! You all will get to know her as well! And last but not least, God, I repeated a new favorite Bible verse Proverbs 30:31 (thanks to Kimberly Jester ) "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but, a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised".
With that, I sign off for the first time as your Miss Minnesota High 2012 \^^^^/ keep it classy!
P.S. I promise my blogs won't be that long in the future, thanks for hanging in there!! :)
Onstage Question!
The coveted crown and banner!
Miss Minnesota High School 2012 is....Morgan Clarkson!
My state directors, Haley and me!
The tower of successors, Brittany Link, Miss MN High 2010 (top), Ashley Fogarty, Miss MN High 2011, and me! Miss MN High 2012!!!
"Representing the purple and gold that never gets old, from Cretin-Derham Hall...I am Morgan Clarkson!"
The beautiful Lesa Clarkson (nanie to me) and me!
