FEBRUARY 7, 2018 The Crown Chronicle Miss Kentucky Pageant A Note From The Executive Director Happy Wednesday Everyone! Can you believe that it’s already February?! I’m surely having a hard time figuring out where the month of January went, but I am thankful to be one month closer to spring! The last two weeks have been very busy from a MKYOT Board perspective! We’re nearing the last few local pageants of the season May 25-27th, 2018 while working tirelessly to prepare for Miss America’s National Day of Service, Miss Kentucky and MKYOT Orientation weekend and of course state pageant weeks! It’s an exciting time, but oh so much to do! In this issue of The Crown Chronicle, we catch up with two amazing women. First, we highlight another one of our Forever MKYOT’s, Alex Francke! Alex, who recently won the Miss Lexington preliminary title, has been busy since her year of service as Miss Kentucky’s Outstanding Teen. Miss Kentucky Check out her segment! June 28th - 30th, We also have a special feature in this issue...we’re highlighting Maria 2018 Montgomery! Maria, a former Miss Kentucky USA and runner up to Miss USA, does a tremendous amount of work as a professional model. She was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to work with the Crowning Moment Workshop participants this past weekend on walking and posing. The girls loved it! Thank you so much Maria! We greatly appreciate you and welcome you into the MKO family! Molly and Abby have had extremely busy weeks and continue to represent us well! I really don’t know how they do it! Don’t miss their segments here, but make sure you keep up with them on social media as well! As always, I wish you a fantastic rest of the week and hope to see you at the final local pageants of the season! Yours in Service, Dr. Ashley D. Anderson 1 Forever MKYOT: Alex Francke Miss Kentucky's Outstanding Teen 2014 • What have you been up to since you’ve given up the MKYOT title? After crowing Kennedy in 2015, I went to college at the University of Kentucky to study Business Management and International Business. I was a member of the Global Scholars Honors Pathway through the Lewis Honors College and am now pursuing the Social Enterprise Scholars Pathway focused on entrepreneurship for good. I’ve had the opportunity to be super involved with DanceBlue, UK’s dance marathon, my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, and I dabbled in Student Government. I’ve continued to run my 501(c)3 organization, Adopt an Art, and involve UK students in it as well! I’ve done quite a bit of traveling- most recently Cape Town, South Africa. In 2016, I was the 3rd Runner-Up to Miss Kentucky and I’ll be going back to Miss Kentucky this year as Miss Lexington! • Looking back on your year of service, what was your most memorable moment? Ramsey Carpenter, who was my Miss Kentucky 2014, and I got to go to the Kentucky Derby together and we had an absolute blast. We were meeting people from all over the world who were coming up to us and so excited to be in our home for this huge event and it was a huge honor to be a representative at that time! We were running around together the entire day talking and taking photos and even though we were exhausted, our hearts felt so full at the end of the day. • Funniest moment? I emceed a youth talent show and afterwards, the moms of these boys who performed in their own band (they were probably in 4th or 5th grade) asked if she could get pictures of me with all of them. Weeks passed and one day I get a text from a friend of mine who was a student teacher- one of the boys had used our photo together to make a campaign poster for Class President! It read “What would Miss Kentucky’s Outstanding Teen do? Vote for Cam!” It still makes me laugh to this day! • What is something you miss? I really miss getting to travel around the state for different events and appearances to meet all different kinds of people! I made a lot of relationships with people and families throughout my year that have lasted to this day- and I am so, so grateful. One of my favorite little girls was a patient in the DanceBlue clinic when we met, and not only did I get to watch her beat cancer and start her life in remission, I get to see her live as a rockstar who makes the school soccer team, dances in ballet recitals, and runs around with her siblings. If it hadn’t been for MKOT, I may have never even met their family, who I absolutely adore! • What was the most difficult thing about being MKYOT? Time management was definitely a hassle for me! I’ve always been someone who has a bunch of stuff to juggle, but being MKOT during my senior year of high school was pretty stressful at times. I was trying to be in school as much as I could while balancing appearances, volunteering, and college visits. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go to college or what I wanted to major in so applying to colleges was a very time consuming process! However, I think every titleholder, regardless of their circumstances, can agree that time management is one of the hardest parts of their year! • After doing the job for a year, what advice do you have for girls interested in becoming Miss Kentucky? I say go for it! It does take a certain level of tenacity and gumption, but I feel that if any woman is passionate about the pursuit of the Miss Kentucky title, she should look into. Reach out through social media sources to the current Miss Kentucky, or to previous titleholders. Research what the job entails and feel confident in asking questions to learn more and be prepared for one of the greatest opportunities! Even 2 if you do not walk away with a crown your first, second, last try, you do walk away with valuable contacts and with 30+ new friends who will be some of the most inspiring and compassionate people you will ever meet. • What advice do you have for teens interested in competing? Stay true to who you are, and don’t worry about what others are doing. The moment you stop competing with the other girls and only worry about competing with yourself is when you’re going to be the most successful in this organization. You’ll be so confident in the person you were created to be and your unique talents and abilities, it won’t phase you at all who else is vying for a title. Everyone brings something different to the table and that's a beautiful thing to appreciate. • What did you learn about yourself while you were MKYOT? The role of Miss Kentucky’s Outstanding Teen is truly one of a public servant- and I learned this is a role I thrive in and cherish. I have been so fortunate in my life to be built up and poured into by so many people, and I want to take every opportunity I can to do that for someone else. Being a source of love and encouragement for the commonwealth was a tremendous blessing and even though it was exhausting at times, it was so rewarding to know that your actions could’ve made a positive difference in someone else’s life. • How has your participation in this program impacted your life? I have built incredible relationships with the members of this organization from the competitors to the volunteers at the local and national level. Some of my closest friends came into my life because of the Miss America organization and those relationships are invaluable to me. When you’re surrounded by like-minded people who share your values and motivations, it’s so easy to make friends and feel comfortable in any setting- and this was especially true for MKOT and the MAOTeen competition. I don’t know where I’d be today if it weren’t for all of the incredible men and women in this organization who have encouraged me and been wonderful friends to me throughout my time in this organization. • What has college life been like? I have loved college and the ability to study a subject I’m passionate about while being involved in student organizations and getting to really be a part of the campus community. I’ve enjoyed cheering on the Wildcats at sporting events and going on service trips over break with my friends and sorority sisters. Getting involved has definitely enriched my experience and helped me to develop some amazing friendships in the process. UK has truly become my home and the people there are like my family. • Tell us about your recent study abroad! I got to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa for the fall semester and had the adventure of a lifetime! I took business classes at the University of Cape Town and lived with other American students who were on exchange as well. During my time there, I also got really involved in the community as an English tutor for 3rd graders in a township, a member of Common Ground christian church, and a social impact enterprise consultant for a business called Stromboli’s Catering.