Zumba and Zuppa

This past Saturday, I had the chance to take part in an event that was very special to me. First, it took place at my church, Holy Trinity Lutheran, in Yonkers. Second, it involved two of my favorite things: exercise and eating. Third, it was organized by my wonderful mother! She has spent the past few months working a project that she is passionate about: engaging the children from the community our church is located through fun events. This was her first planned activity: Zumba and Zuppa, an event to promote a healthy diet and exercise.

First, the children helped to cook two delicious pots of Zuppa -- soup! There was one vegetarian version, and a hearty chicken version. We were joined by a group of culinary and fashion students from Saunders High School, who volunteered their time to help in the kitchen. The kids had a great time peeling, slicing, chopping, and pouring the ingredients. We had two basic recipes on hand, but ended up just adding our ingredients to the children's specifications. They loved having control over their recipes!

While the soup cooked, I led the children in a short Zumba class to show them just how fun exercising can be. I had so much fun adapting some of my favorite Zumba routines to be child-friendly. That included substituting some booty shaking with jumping, group circles, and freestyling. They all had a blast, and were surprised at how tired they felt after just a few songs.

After Zumba, Pastor Rigobert stopped in to talk to the children. Our new Pastor is great at connecting with the children and engaging them with his stories. He also impressed the young men in the group by telling him about his experience playing basketball for the Gambia's national team. When he finished speaking with the group, I let all of the girls try on my crown and sash and spoke to them about the importance about being a beautiful queen on the inside. They loved it!

Finally, it was time to enjoy the fruits of our labor!

I am so glad that my mom's Zumba and Zuppa event was a success, and I can't wait to support her community projects in the future. Next up, we're planning on baking Christmas cookies. Yum!

For more pictures, check out the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Facebook Page!

Sweating for a Cause!

I can hardly believe that it is already November! I have just 4 months left in my reign as Miss Empire Star 2014. It feels like I was just crowned yesterday. Keeping busy, both at work and making appearances, has certainly made the time fly by.

October was a wonderful month filled with raising awareness for the prevention of domestic violence. Two of my favorite events of the month included sweating to support My Sisters' Place!

First up was a Spinathon hosted at Kinetic Sports Club in Pelham!

With Tyson from Team MSP!

From 8 AM to 12 PM, Team MSP took over the cycling studio. I made my way over to spin at 9 AM with my good friend and pageant sister Megan. We had a blast during the hour class conquering a hill, racing each other, and taking part in team relays. 

Megan and I after the class -- filtered to hide the sweat marks on our clothing, haha!

Last weekend, I sweat in support of My Sisters' Place once again with at Pure Barre Bronxville! Remember the Pure Give Challenge back in September? As part of the silent auction, an 80s-themed private party was up for grabs. My mother was the high bidder, and was so excited to invite her friends to join her at the studio.

 

Hollis and Jill, two fabulous Pure Barre Bronxville instructors, kept the 80s energy going as we lifted, toned, and burned to some throwback tunes. I was really happy to recognize all of the songs, and loved dressing up in my crop top and leg warmers!

As part of the Pure Give Challenge, Pure Barre Bronxville raised over $5,000 for My Sisters' Place! I am so thankful for their generosity in supporting an organization that is doing so much to prevent domestic violence and advocate for survivors here in Westchester County. I also have to give a huge thank you to my family and friends who made donations throughout the challenge. Together, we raised over $1,000. 

Exercising isn't always easy, but it is always more fun when it supports a good cause! I'm looking forward to future events with Team MSP! 

DV Video Spotlight #4

DV Video Spotlight #3

This popular PSA made the rounds earlier this year. I find it especially powerful for two reasons. First, it shows the reality that this is what some women experience every day. Abusive relationships can be very difficult to leave for good, and women often go through days, months, and even years of abuse until they (hopefully!) are able to walk away from their abuser. Second, it shows the reality that domestic violence can happen to anyone--even someone you view as having a completely "normal" life. Many victims of abuse go about their daily routines without ever letting anyone know what they are experiencing at home.

I hope this video inspires you to be more aware of the problems your friends, coworkers, or neighbors may be experiencing. While none of us could ever force someone facing abuse to leave their abuser, we can certainly be there to provide support and access to the resources they need to come to that decision on their own.

Miss Queens 2015

After a short break in September, the Miss New York 2015 local pageant season resumed on Sunday, October 12 with the crowning of a new Miss Queens! This was a particularly exciting pageant to attend, as it was the first year for a new Queens Board of Director and the start of a great legacy for the borough. 

6 young women from Queens and Long Island competed in interview, lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, talent, evening gown, and on-stage question. The show was fast-paced and entertaining. For the second time at a local pageant I've attended this season, all of the talents were different! I love when this happens, especially when it introduces me to new types of talent presentations that I haven't seen before. The Queens pageant featured a hula hoop performance, lyrical dance, spoken word performance, Haitian dance, tap dance, and dramatic monologue. 

I even had the chance to entertain the crowd with a rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade!" One thing the Miss America Organization has helped me overcome is my stage fright when performing a song in front of a crowd. In spite agreeing to sing at the last minute, I enjoyed myself and didn't stress out over having a flawless performance.

After a brief intermission, it was time for crowning!

2RU: Tiffany Farrell

1RU: Catherine Manett

and your Miss Queens 2015...

Dieusita Jean!

Dieusita had a natural grace on stage, got the crowd going during her talent, and was extremely well spoken! I know she will do an incredible job representing Queens this year.

One fun part of the evening was reconnecting with some of my Miss NY 2014 sisters! It was so nice to catch up with Claudette and Jillian. Claudette continues to succeed in law school and make many appearances to support her community and platform, and Jillian has hit the ground running as our new Miss New York! Can you believe that just a few hours before the Miss Queens pageant, she was giving a TV interview in Syracuse? They are both such pageant rock stars. 

I'm so glad to have attended the Miss Queens pageant, and can't wait to follow Dieusita's year of service. Congratulations to the entire Miss Queens Organization on a wonderful first pageant!

DV Video Spotlight #2

This is one of my favorite PSAs addressing domestic violence, because it focuses on teen dating violence. Teen dating violence can be a particularly tricky issue to address, because many teens are unable to identify  signs of abuse masked as care. For many teens, being part of a relationship is new, and having someone constantly reaching out to them makes them feel loved. Hopefully PSAs such as this one open the eyes of teens to realize that a constant barrage of texts messages--Where are you? Who are you with? What are you doing?--isn't a sign of overwhelming affection, but can be a sign of overbearing manipulation.

DV Video Spotlight #1

Would you complain to neighbors playing loud music late at night? Would you be as willing to complain to neighbors violently fighting late at night?

To be perfectly honest with you, my reaction to the situation would depend on a few things. If I felt comfortable with my neighbors, I would go to them directly if they were playing loud music late at night and talk to them about it. If they were strangers, and it only happened once, I probably would let it pass unless it was ridiculously disruptive--in which case I'd probably ask my father to say something or file a noise complaint. However, if I took the same approach to overhearing a violent fight, the consequences could be more serious than a disrupted night's sleep. If I heard a violent fight, my first reaction would be to contact the authorities--no matter what. While it might make for an uncomfortable situation the next time I saw my neighbors outside, I'd rather err on the side of caution with someone's physical well being on the line.