Miss Indiana Blog

Monday was a great day for a unique experience for Miss Indiana.  I headed down to Aurora, IN for the day as part of an event held by South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars.  Dr. Harley Robinson, President of the organization, invited me to come down for the day for several different fun activities.  The day started off at 9:00am at South Dearborn High School.  The moment I stepped inside the doors at the school, I felt so welcomed.  Dr. Robinson was there to greet me as well as a huge banner they had made that said “Welcome Katie Stam Miss Indiana 2008.”  I spent a few minutes introducing myself to the staff at the high school before heading into the auditorium for my presentation.  I had prepared a 30 minute speech and Q&A session for the high school students.  I spoke about my experience as Miss Indiana, what I’ll be doing in January, the importance of good decision making and community service.  I have posted below some highlights of my speech.  The students were so great and attentive.  They all had so many wonderful questions for me about my year, experience, and future.  One girl even wanted to try to test me about a controversial issue.  She asked my opinion about animal captivity.  It was great practice for onstage question at Miss America:)

After my speech and session, several representatives from various not-for-profit organizations spoke about volunteer opportunities in the community.  They all had wonderful opportunities for the students to get involved.  Dr. Robinson then pulled me back on stage for a very special presentation.  In honor of my work with promoting community service, the Dollars for Scholars organization has started a 500 dollar scholarship in my name for a deserving high school senior who has excelled in their community.  It’s called the Miss Indiana Community Service Award and will be given each year.  I was so honored!  I couldn’t have asked for anything more.  That was such and amazing experience for me to know that there is now a legacy that will last a lifetime with my name attached to it.  What a blessing!  I also received a 100 dollar gift card to Wal-Mart, sponsored by Wal-Mart to give to a charity of my choice.  I haven’t decided where it will go just yet, but I have a couple of ideas.

After some quick pictures and interviews at the high school, it was time to head downtown for a few ribbon-cutting ceremonies with the Mayor.  We started off at ABC Daycare where we spent some time with the kids.  I got to talk a little bit about Miss America and what it’s like to be Miss Indiana.  I also asked if they had any questions.  The first little girl, Audrey, who was four years old was the most excited about me being there.  She had to ask the first question, but instead of asking a question, she said, “My mom watches America’s Most Wanted.”  We all started giggling.  At least she knew it had to do something with America and it was on TV.  She was so cute.  Several other kids, then had to follow her footsteps and tell me what their parents watch on TV.  Too much fun!

After the daycare ribbon-cutting, we headed over to the Cashmere Kitty, a second-hand store that only sells high-end fashion.  Brands like Ed Hardy, Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton are sold in the store for little to no money!  It was fantastic.  The owner had done such a great job setting everything up, I know she will get some great business.

We then headed to City Hall where I got a tour of the old jail and the new renovations they had just completed.  They also showed me where the line of water was from the huge flood they had back in the 1920s.  It was then time to go to Hillforest Manor, a home that was built in the 1850’s that has been turned into a museum.  After a quick tour of the gorgeous home, myself, Harley, the Mayor and several other top names in Aurora sat down to a catered luncheon.  The food and company was amazing.  I spoke for several minutes about my work as Miss Indiana, and finished that visit by taking some beautiful pictures in the home.

Once we got our bellies full, we made a straight shoot for the Middle School.  Again, I had a few moments to introduce myself to the staff and do a quick interview for the newspaper.  Then, it was time to speak to the entire school.  Through the entire day, I spoke to about 1,000 students so it was a great chance for me to spread the word.  I used the same speech from earlier in the day, but the questions the students had for me were so much more detailed.  One boy asked why I was there and why I used my time speaking to them.  I was so impressed that he asked this question (no matter what his motive was) because it gave me a chance to discuss why it was so important to me.  The kids were excellent!  I had the most amazing time. 

The last part to the day was a quick interview with the afternoon DJ at WSCH.  Then it was time to start back to Indy.  I had a little trouble with the drive home because I was so tired, but it was all so worth it!  I had a wondeful time!

xoxo-Katie

Excerpts from my speech:

Hello and good morning.  I am Katie Stam, Miss Indiana 2008, and it is such an honor to be here today.  I’m very excited to have this opportunity to speak to you all today and hopefully pass on some words of wisdom.   It wasn’t too long ago that I was sitting where you are right now.  A high school student dreading that next exam, pop quiz or research paper…group project, reading assignment or class speech.  It wasn’t too long ago that instead of worrying about where I was going to go to college, what I was going to do with my life, or filling out college scholarships, I was thinking about what we were going to do on the weekend, the next home football game, or the cute guy in gym class.  But, it also wasn’t too long ago that I realized that high school graduation meant the start of my adult life, more responsibility, more independence and more decisions.  Decisions about those questions I never thought I’d have to ask.  Decisions I’d always put off.  Decisions I thought were always in the future, not realizing the future was right in front of me!  Decisions you make today, tomorrow, and the next day will affect your future.  It’s extremely important.  That’s what I’d like to talk to you about today: Decision making, and how it can help propel you into a successful future and live your American dream, no matter what that may be………………………………….

So, let’s talk more about those BIG dreams you all have.  I know we probably have some future teachers, doctors, lawyers, mechanics, possible senators, or police officers.  It would probably amaze you to find out the different dreams and aspirations we have just in this room.  A lot of you probably don’t have any idea what you want to do.  That’s ok.  I want you to know that.  It’s perfectly fine to not know what you’re going to do the rest of your life.  Enjoy being a teenager.  Live life to its fullest!  I was a very unusual young teenager.  I actually knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life when I was in eighth grade.  I started thinking that being on television would be pretty cool, and I was right.  It is very cool.  I love it every time I’m in front of the camera. 

I’ve also known that I wanted to be Miss America since I can remember.  My cousin and I are and have always been very close.  As kids, we used to hold fake pageants in her basement.  We would make fake crowns out of old cereal boxes.  We would cut them out and glue glitter on them.  We would set up a stage and everything and host a pageant.  We watched Miss America every year and always dreamed of being on that stage!  We never knew how plausible those dreams were, and you should have heard the conversation we had several weeks after I was crowned Miss Indiana and we had a chance to let all of the excitement sink in!  Our wildest dreams are coming true.  Like I said before, I know you all have crazy dreams too, that you think will never be possible, but I’m telling you they are, but only if you work really hard for them.

I knew that if I wanted to be Miss America someday, it was going to take a lot of hard work and dedication.  I put a lot of time and energy into school to make good grades so that I could get into a really good college and get a lot of scholarship money for my education.  I continued to get involved in school and my community to gain confidence and communication skills that were vital to my success as a future Miss America contestant.  I made the decisions to not drink or smoke or do drugs or engage in sexual activity.  I chose to set a good example for others and become a good role model.  I knew what my goals in life were and what I needed to do in order to get there, and, here I am today!  I’m so blessed to have all of the amazing experiences I have had in my short lifetime………………………….. 

I do want to hit on a very important factor really quickly even though this is one of the most important things I can leave you with today.  Never forget who you are.  I was crowned back in June, and in the last five months I have gotten to brush shoulders with celebrities, travel the country, and have been treated like a movie star, but I’m still just Katie.  I’m still that girl who grew up taking care of her grandpa’s cows and farm.  I’m still that girl who really didn’t have a lot of friends, but always knew that she would rather be herself and have no one like her, then to be something she’s not and have a million friends.  I’m still that girl who loves spending time with family, bargain shopping, rough-housing with her nieces, acting goofy every once and a while to get some laughs, wears jeans and tennis shoes pretty much everywhere she goes because that’s what she’s comfortable in, and I’m still the girl who believes that others always come first.

A lot of people look at me with the crown and automatically try to judge the type of person I am, my character, values, morals, and personality.  A lot of time people don’t take the time to get to know me.  They see the crown and sash and think that’s who I am; well the way I look at it is this.  The crown does not make me; I make me.  Just as trophies and medals don’t make you; you make you.  Grades don’t make you; you make you.  Price tags don’t make you; you make you.  You are your own person.  Be proud of yourself.  Love who you are and who you want to become.  Be passionate about your life and what you have to offer.  Show the world who you are and be an example for everyone around you.  Love those crazy dreams you dream and go for them with everything you’ve got.  Step outside your comfort zone, never give up, motivate and discipline yourself, and make good decisions!  Find that passion in your life that keeps you going and never forget who you are!  I’m living proof that you can achieve whatever you put your mind to.  That’s why I’m here, to show you it can be done.

I never thought I would be considered a celebrity, but sometimes, I do feel like I live in a fantasy world!  Some of the experiences I have had have made me feel so special!  Monday, I had the opportunity to be a celebrity waitress at Colt’s player Reggie Wayne’s charity event.  It was held at Mo’s Restaurant downtown Indianapolis.  I was one of two women on the celebrity waiter list.  Tamika Catchings from the Indiana Fever was the other.  Some of the other celebrities included Dave Smiley from Smiley in the Morning, Jared from the Subway commercials, Reggie Wayne, of course, Jeff Saturday, Gary Brackett, Dallas Clark, and several other Colts players, and Chris Lytle, a professional fighter!  We met at Mo’s at 6:15 to grab some dinner.  We had steak, salmon, mashed potatoes and green beans.  It was delicious.

 Once we got done eating, it was time to start the event.  There were some many people at the restaurant.  Anybody who was somebody in Indianapolis was there.  It cost $400 a ticket to attend.  There was hardly any room to move inside the restaurant.  We were so crowded, but we were having the time of our lives.  Each of the celebrity waiters were introduced individually with a roar of applause.  We spent the night walking around to different tables making sure everyone had everything they needed.  We didn’t really serve any food or drinks, but we collected money for the Wishing on Stars foundation by signing autographs and taking pictures.

There was also an auction going on.  Hundreds and hundreds of pieces of sports memorabilia signed by the most popular and successful athletes was being auctioned off for the foundation!  Michael Jordan, Payton Manning, Walter Peyton….and soooo many others were featured!  My favorite piece of memorabilia was an Ernie Banks jersey.  Mr. Cub would have made the most perfect Christmas gift for the biggest Cubs fan in the entire world, my boyfriend Brian!!!  One man asked me during the night what it would take for him to get to wear my crown.  My answer was to buy me the Ernie Banks jersey!  Needless, to say I don’t have a jersey to give to my boyfriend for Christmas!  Apparently, it went for something like…oh, I don’t know, $16,000 last year, so who knows how much it was going for this year!

I had the most AMAZING time hanging out with Smiley and Jared and Jeff Saturday.  Reggie is the kindest, sweetest guy I have ever met and Chris Lytle is so much fun!  Like I said, I never thought of myself as a celebrity, but Monday truly made me feel like one!  I am having the most phenomenal time of life as Miss Indiana!  I couldn’t ask for anything more.

xoxo-Katie 

Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Northwest Territory and Miss Ohio Valley 2009.  Michael, Aren, Steve and I headed down to Vincennes Sunday afternoon for the pageant.  We had a great ride down; however, I did not have such a great time getting to the meeting place before we headed down.

We wanted to meet at the Adam’s Mark Hotel by the Airport at 2:30.  I had never been to the hotel before so I wasn’t exactly sure how to get there, but I have been to the airport about a hundred times, so I thought I could figure it out.  I had forgotten that the new airport terminal had opened and it was now located off of Interstate 70.  When I saw the new airport expressway, I decided to take that.  I not only drove  ten minutes out of the way all the way to the new terminal, but when I finally got back to 465, I took the Sam Jones Expressway West, when I should have taken East.  I hopped back on 465 South to get to Sam Jones East, but didn’t realize there was no exit for Sam Jones East on 465 South.  I had to go all the way back to 70, turn around and finally get to the Adam’s Mark.  I ended up getting there at 2:40…not too late, but almost in tears!

The rest of the day went fantastic.  We ate Cheeseburger in Paradise on the way home which was so good.  We all had a wonderful time!

xoxo-Katie

Friday marked the Columbus Firemen’s Chili Cook-Off!  My uncle Scott is the fire chief in Columbus, and works really closely with the Cheer Fund.  The Cheer Fund collects toys and raises money for children for Christmas.  It is so amazing and I am very proud to be a part of it.  The Chili Cook-Off is the kick off event for the cheer fund.  All the different posts get together, cook up their best pot of chili, and serve it till it’s gone.  So many people come out to join in the festivities.  All of the money made at the Cook-Off goes directly toward the cheer fund. 

I got to the Columbus FairOaks Mall at 4:30pm.  Myself and the other judges, including Paige Hardin from the Republic, Sam Simmermaker (legendary sports announcer), a television chef, a former Colt’s player, and a few other local celebrities, grabbed our bibs and got ready to chow down.  We each got a sample of each of the ten chilis.  We were to give two prizes.  First place chili and hottest chili. 

It was easy to choose the hottest chili.  It was unanimously decided which chili took the prize.  The man who made that chili has won the last five years in a row!  It was the last chili we tasted, and it left my lips tingling for 15 minutes!!!  The chili I chose as the number one chili didn’t win…actually, I don’t think it got any other votes, but it was excellent.  I had to have a whole bowl of it later that night.

I had such a great time in Columbus!  It’s pretty much my old stomping ground.  My father is from there, and my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents still live there!  I actually got to see my Granny and Pappy and my cousin Jessie and cousin Kasey.  My cousin Jessie had a baby about a month ago.  Little Ryder came too wearing his little fireman outfit.  He’s sooooo cute!

I had an amazing time!  Great food and great fun!

xoxo-Katie

Another great Girls Night Out at Castleton Square Mall with Macys.  Wednesday night, I headed up to Macys to join the Lancome counter for a fun night of makeovers, massages and music.  I got to the Lancome counter for a quick makeover with Carrie (who I absolutely adore)!  Carrie and I then started for the Aveda Salon corner to get my hair done, but they were pretty tied up, so it was time to adorn the tiara and start having fun.  Carrie loaded me up with some fliers for their new mascara and a sample.  I spent the night going around to the women telling them about the new product and encouraging them to go try it at the Lancome counter.  

I had a great time visiting with everyone.  Girls Night Out events are so wonderful! 

xoxo-Katie 

Congratulations Katie Hrynewycz, Miss Elkhart County 2009.  Katie was crowned Saturday night at Elkhart Central High School.  My boyfriend (who was my chaperone for the weekend) and I drove up to Elkhart earlier in the day to meet and have dinner with the teen and miss judges at the Christianna Country Club.  We had great food and great company.  We topped off the meal with some icecream from Coldstone Creamery.  We left from the Country Club at about five after six.  Show started at 6:30, so we were running a little short on time.

Once we got to the school, I had to rush to change clothes and run onstage to sing the national anthem.  Funny story…all the rushing was running me ragged, I accidentally left my shoes in the car.  MIOT 08, Megan also forgot her shoes back at home.  She had to borrow shoes from Elkhart Teen 08, Jeanne Medine.  After seeing that black ballerina flats didn’t really go with my elegant evening gown, Megan and I switched!  We were all kinds of crazy backstage, but no one knew any differently.  We had some quick interviews and even got to watch a part of the competition from the audience right after intermission.  Katie took the crown and will return to Miss Indiana this coming summer.  Katie was the 3rd runner up at Miss Indiana this past year!  She is a phenomenal young woman.  I am so proud of her!

xoxo-Katie

Miss Indiana USA 2009…here we come!!!  Frank, Michael, Ashley Casterline and I headed up to Merrillville for Miss Indiana USA on Sunday.  My good friend, Brittany Mason was passing on the title and we wanted to go watch to support her and enjoy the show!  Kelly Lloyd invited us to be her special guests for the day.  The pageant was fantastic.  Both Teen and Miss contestants did a fabulous job!  Bailee Zimmerman won the teen title and Courtni Hall (former Indiana teen) won the Miss.  Both excellent young women!  We’ve all known Courtni for several years, and are extremely proud of her for doing so well!

After the pageant, we had a few minutes to chat with some very special people, including Sandy Patti…one of my idols!  I’m singing one of her songs at Miss America and grew up listening to her, so it was a real treat to meet her in person!  Her daughter was competing that day.  I also got to spend some time with Scot Reid, a great friend of mine, Brittany Mason’s parents and family, Kelly Lloyd and several others that I was very excited to see.

Once we finished snapping a few photos and chatting away, we piled inside the pageant shuttle again to head home.  After about a half hour of extreme car sickness, we stopped to grab a bite to eat!  I greatly needed something to eat.  That was what was making me feel so poorly.  The rest of the drive home, Frank and I looked at pictures on my computer while Ashley and Michael kept their eyes on Facebook.  They LOVE Facebook!  It’s their favorite. 

It was a great day.  I love spending time with them all.  They are just some of the most wonderful people!  There’s a lot of great events coming up, so stay tuned…I’ll try to keep you updated.

xoxo-Katie

The Zionsville Lions Club put on another great event for the community!  Megan Thwaites, MIOT 08, Jessica Butler, Miss Fort Wayne 2009, Rachel Bogle, Miss South Central 2008, and I met up at the Lions Park for a great day of pumpkin painting, hayrides, sack races, hot dogs and smores and a great costume contest!  There were so many little kids who loved talking to all the princesses!  I had several girls attach themselves to my hip, painting fun faces, flowers, hearts and stars on pumpkins.  Then, we all headed over to the sack races.  Jessica, Megan, Rachel and I grabbed our potato sacks.  A little girl, Sienna and I raced together.  About halfway through the race, it became a little too difficult to hold up my sack with one hand, hold Sienna’s hand and keep the crown on my head, so I decided to ditch the sack.  Sienna and I just ran the rest of the race, coming in last by….well, let’s just say A LOT!!!  But, we had tons of fun. 

During the costume contest, I got to emcee and the other girls got to judge.  We started with the age group of 3 and under.  A cute little clown took the 1st place prize, winning a five dollar gift card to Burger King.  We did name a top five which included everything from a lion to Woody from Toy Story.  We had two more groups, the 4-6 age group and 7 and up.  All the kids had a great time!  I had fun talking to them during the contest.  I got to ask them questions about how and why they came up with the costume they were wearing!  It was a great day!  The Lions always know how to have a great time!

xoxo-Katie

This Sunday marked a very special day for myself and my director Frank Ricketts.  Frank and I got to perform at his church Broadway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis!  Everyone at his church was so welcoming!  I really felt like I was a part of the service.  I started out singing during the Children’s moment with “Seasons of Love” from Rent!  I had just watched the movie several nights before with my boyfriend and best friend.  Next, Frank and I sang a duet called “The Gift of Love” during the Offertory.  I loved singing with Frank!  He has an amazing voice.  I also got to meet his parents for the first time, who are so sweet.  And, the Miss Indiana crew came to join the service.  Aren, Steve, Megan, Michael, and Megan’s mother were all there!  It was a great way to start off the day!

xoxo-Katie

Congratulations to Emily Hart, the newly crowned Miss Three Rivers Festival 2009!  Emily and 14 other contestants competed for the title on Saturday night!  It was a big day for Miss Indiana with two new titleholders crowned within hours of each other.  Michael Nash and I rushed from Carmel to Fort Wayne later in the evening after Miss Central Indiana.  Michael was my co-pilot of the pageant shuttle!  Michael and I had such a great time chatting on the drive up to Fort Wayne. 

Once we arrived at the right exit to get to Summit Middle School, we got a little confused!  We ended up turning the wrong way and traveling in the wrong direction for about 15 miles with my gas light on!  We got a little nervous about actually making it to the pageant on time, but we did make it with about 10 minutes to spare!  I had just enough time to meet Jenee, run backstage, refresh makeup and change to be ready for the opening number.  Megan Thwaites, MIOT 08 and I were introduced during the opening number.  Both of us were brought out at different times during the competition to chat with the emcee Alyssa Ivanson from WANE-TV.  She is a role model of mine.  She interned at WTHR-TV the summer before I did, and I watched her tape about a dozen times!  I really look up to her work! 

Other than chatting about my year, I also got to perform on stage one of my favorite songs, “Anyway” by Martina McBride.  Emily Hart won the title with several Miss Indiana 2008 contestants placing in the top five.  Jacqueline Dobbert was named 2nd runner-up and Heather Brown was named 4th runner-up!  Congratulations girls!  I’m so proud of you!

xoxo-Katie