South Dearborn Dollars for Scholars
November 30th, 2008Monday 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.
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.