Tremendous news!

I received the most wonderful Christmas surprise this year. On Christmas Eve I received a call from Mrs. Webb who was my fifth grade teacher and possibly the most influential person of my past. This particular teacher was the first person that opened my eyes to my potential and believed in me when I felt no one else did. A majority of the self confidence I have today stemmed from the year I spent in her classroom. That year was a very pivitol year for me as it was the year that my parents went into drug rehab. I was ashamed of my upbringing and did my best to hide it from others but I knew deep down that Mrs. Webb knew the truth. The most wonderful part of it all is that I never felt that she judged me for my parents mistakes, and she ultimately helped me to see that their mistakes didn't limit the possibilities of MY future. I kept in contact with Mrs. Webb for a couple of years after graduating from her class but eventually we lost contact. It wasn't until later in life that I realized just how much she did impact my life. Looking back I now realize that by her pushing me academically that year it eventually gave me the confidence necessary to continue pushing myself to reach all other goals that I've had since. I received proof that hard work pays off, and that you can do anything that you truly put your mind to, when I walked away as the top student in my fifth grade class.

Ever since making the realization that she impacted my life in a much bigger way than I initially realized, I've been attempting to track her down so that I could thank her for all that she did for me. I was unsuccessful for over a year. She had since retired and no one at the school had, or would, offer any contact info. A couple weeks ago I realized why I was having such a difficult time locating her; it because I had her first name incorrect and seeing that teachers are known primarily by their last names, this makes sense. I opened a new book and the main characters name was Joan and it hit me that my teachers name was Joan and not Judy as I previously thought! I then restarted my search and with the help of my sister we had a great lead on the first day! She was discussing with a patient at the doctors office that she worked at how important it was for me to locate Mrs. Webb and the lady asked for my teachers name. By the grace of God this woman knew of Joan and said that she would attempt to get an address for her. Within the week I had an address and sent a letter off with the hopes that she would remember me (it's been 16 years since I was in the fifth grade!), but even if she didn't I felt that it was important for her to know that her years spent as a teacher were important and that she changed my life forever. Unfortunately the address was no longer current but although it took a few weeks the letter made it's way to her hands on Christmas Eve!

Speaking to her was wonderful. She remembered a lot about me and it was really nice to to share with her what I've been up to, and to update her on how wonderful my parents are doing. I'm truly looking forward to rekindling our friendship. We are already planning to have dinner together in the near future.

After our chat I received this wonderful email from her:

Hi Tiffany,

It was wonderful and I was so surprised to get your letter on Christmas Eve. I told my husband that your letter was my Christmas gift. Yesterday I had a chance to look you up on the Miss International pageant website, and I must say that you and your story are VERY impressive. I am so thankful and grateful that your life with your parents has turned out to be good. They are to be commended for turning their lives around; and I'm trusting that they had the help of God in their battle.

Tiffany, what you've written about your fifth grade year is humbling for me. I saw so much in you, and my heart went out to you; you were talented and brave-such a little adult. I loved you and reached out to you, but I never dreamed that the little bit I did could ever mean so much to you. Thank you for your encouragement, Tiffany. Thank you, Jesus, for using me as a vessel to help influence a precious fifth grade girl at Munsey in such a big way.

I hope we really can get together. I'd love to hear about your family, schooling, interests, everything!

Love you,

Joan



I am so grateful that our conversation meant as much to her as it did to me.

God is great.

My Match

I've made it my mission to use my year as Miss California to promote the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program. In theory I think most agree that mentoring benefits children facing adversity, but unless witnessed firsthand I’ve noticed that while people do realize that it’s important that these children be mentored, they don’t feel compelled to personally step up and make a difference in a child’s life by offering them that positive influence. I’ve decided that my year will be spent trying to make the personal connection that is needed. I plan to show people an insider’s view of a real match between a Big and a Little and prove through example that the program is essential and continue emphasizing that there is a immense need for mentors. In most cities there are waiting lists of over 100 children and the program is unable to function without these much needed mentors.

My personal match:
My Little’s name is Tania and she and I were matched when she was seven years old. She was incredibly shy and introverted and she had a really difficult time making and retaining friends and often found herself as the target of bullying. I spent our first couple of visits trying to get her to open up a little. It was clear that it wasn't common for her to open up to those outside of her immediate family and that this was going to be a trying task. I was incredibly relieved and excited when I showed up at her school to pick her up on our third hangout and she spotted me from about 50 yards away and her face lit up and and ran full-speed over to greet me. From the day forward there has never been a quiet or awkward moment. Our visits are filled with stories, giggles, updates, and lots of playing. Our typical outings include simple things like bike riding, sand castle building, swinging at the park, arts/crafts, playing air hockey at the arcade, bowling, baking/cooking, going out to lunch/ice cream, water balloon tossing contests, Xbox Kinect dancing, tossing a football around, frisbee, playing tennis, and silly dancing and loud singing to her favorite artist Katy Perry. Being a 'Big' is not hard work... it's fun! For me personally being a Big Sister has been a wonderful treat because I lost my childhood to my patents addiction and hanging out with my Little is allowing me to experience the world through a child's eye for the very first time.
I've watched Tania grow so much in the last couple of years. She has become significantly more confident, she has an easier time making friends, and her grades have improved. Being a mentor doesn't require you to be able to teach math equations, but it does include being a cheerleader for your Little and always encouraging them to do their best. My mentor helped me to see my potential and I'm proof that having someone believe in you can be life-altering.

I'm going to post pictures and updates on my match from time to time so that you too can witness the changes that mentoring has on a child's life, and hopefully it will inspire you to make the decision to become the positive influence that a little boy or girl in your town is waiting for.

My VERY FIRST parade.

December 8, 2012 I experienced my first parade ever as a titleholder, and what a cool experience it was to do it as Miss California.  Prior to the parade starting I took pictures and signed autograph after autograph for little girls and at that moment I thought that would be the highlight of being in a parade. As we turned on to the first stretch of the parade though a middle-aged woman yelled, "Oh my gosh, look! Miss California is here!," and the elderly male who was with her stood up and said, "Thank you SO much for being here!" I was in disbelief.  I've never felt more blessed to be in the position I'm in. Having never been in a parade as a titleholder prior to this experience I didn't quite know what to expect. I thought perhaps little girls and adolescent boys would be excited to meet Miss California, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that so many adults would appreciate my attendance so much.  This will positively be a memory that will forever live in my heart!

Appearing on the mayor's radio talk show

I had the pleasure of appearing on the Santa Barbara mayor's radio talk show where I was given the opportunity to promote the Miss International pageant and share my passion for mentoring with the BBBS organization. For those of you in the area the show will air this Saturday, December 1st at 10AM on KTMS-AM 990. Make sure you tune in. For those out of the area, I will be posting a link to the show so that you may listen to it online. What a wonderful opportunity! Huge thank you to mayor Helene Schneider for welcoming me into the studio to share my passion!

Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara (FSA)

It was so wonderful being able to speak at the Family Service Agency board of directors meeting today about my passion for Big Brothers Big Sisters! Very well received and looking forward to future opportunities with FSA! What a gracious group of people!

Bags, Bling, and Bubbly was a HUGE success!

November 9, 2012 I attended the Bags, Bling, and Bubbly fundraiser supporting the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County. The event was phenomenal! There was a wonderful turnout and celebrity Tracey Gold was honored as their Wise, Wonderful Woman of the Year and I had the honor of sharing a table with her at the event. Tracey spoke on her battle with anorexia and the way in which she was able to help mentor other girls later in life who were in the midst of the same fight. Her story of making a comeback from such a difficult time in her life was rather inspiring. It was so much fun spending the afternoon swapping stories with her!

I was also given the opportunity to speak at the event and the feedback was tremendous. Sharing the very personal story of my past is new for me, and not quite yet comfortable, and this was the first time that I shared it with such a large group of people.  After the fact I realized how unnecessary my pre-speech jitters were. A large number of people approached me after I spoke and told me how moving it was for them to see that I used my past to build strength and better myself instead of allowing it to negatively affect my future.

BIG thank you to BBBS of Ventura County for this wonderful opportunity!

Here is a link to the article written by the Ventura County Star about the event:

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/nov/09/luncheon-raises-funds-for-big-brothers-big-of/ .

Another successful meeting!

On October 22, 2012 I was given the opportunity to meet with Marni Cooney, Co-President of the Marketing and Development Committee for Family Services Agency/Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Christina Pizarro one of the committee members. I can’t even begin to tell you how impressed I was with their enthusiasm for Big Brothers Big Sisters. We spent a couple of hours getting to know one another and brainstorming ideas for marketing the program. We came up with so many wonderful ideas including setting up an information booth at the downtown Santa Barbara farmers market once a month, getting involved with the student body at UCSB, posting volunteer info in the “Lighting the Way” section of the Santa Barbara newspaper, and having me appear on the Mayor’s radio talk show. I am incredibly grateful for Marni and Christina’s eagerness to help me help the program flourish by using my title as a microphone to share my passion for mentoring!

Transforming negative thoughts

I recently had the opportunity to talk to a girl that I've never met who is writing a college paper on the negative publicity surrounding pageants (stemming mostly from Toddlers and Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo) who read my article in the Ventura County Star newspaper and tracked me down to get my input on her paper.  After reading my article she said that she was proven wrong and realizes now how  great pageantry can be for young women who aim to selflessly support their communities... this is what the International pageant system is all about! So cool that my story affected one persons opinion of pageantry for the better. This Miss California is off to a great start!

Ventura County Star Article

The Ventura County Star newspaper wrote a tremendous article on ny recent win as well as my passion and platform of mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Article can be viewed here: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/oct/08/pageant-winner-finds-title-gives-her-a-platform/?partner=yahoo_feeds#ixzz296fz5w1d
- vcstar.com

HUGE thank you to the Ventura County Star for supporting local charities/organizations! This article did a wonderful job portraying the impact that mentoring has on at risk youth. It proves that mentoring can and DOES change lifes for the better, forever! Thank you VCS for helping me share my story!

By Alicia Doyle

Tiffany Allen grew up surrounded by domestic violence and with parents addicted to drugs.
She thinks that gave her the strength to serve children in need while raising awareness of youth organizations through her role as a regional and state pageant winner.
"At a very young age I was required to take on a tremendous amount of adultlike responsibility," said Allen, 26. "A majority of my early memories were of things like drug raids, homelessness, unthinkable living conditions, molestation ... and oftentimes wondering where my next meal was going to come from."
In March, Allen was crowned Miss Ventura County International 2013 by Crowning Glory Productions. The contest is an official preliminary for the international pageant system and covers Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
Most recently, Allen was named Miss California International 2013 by Crowning Glory.
"My journey through pageantry represents healing from a trauma that I experienced, and speaking about my platform, the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, has become a source of healing for me," said Allen, of Santa Barbara, who has been a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters for about three years.
"Looking back, I truly believe that pageantry was placed in my life for a much greater reason than I initially understood," Allen said. "It has allowed me the opportunity to share the story of my adverse childhood and inspire youth facing similar situations that your past doesn't have define your future."
Instead of using her childhood as a crutch, "I used it as a learning tool to make certain that I didn't make the same mistakes that my parents did," Allen said. "Pageantry has helped me though my struggle and has helped me to find purpose in my journey."
As Miss Ventura County and now as Miss California, "Tiffany will be able to use this platform to speak to others in the community about the value mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters produces in changing the lives of children, for the better, forever," said Pedro Chavez, director of education and public affairs for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County.
As a Big Sister, Allen has spent many hours mentoring her little sister, Chavez said. "Tiffany is helping guide a child facing adversity by mentoring them to build greater self-confidence and self-esteem. These essential character-building elements are crucial to improving academic performance and overall outlook in life."
Allen shows that no matter what your past experiences growing up were like, "You always have a personal choice as to whether you let those experiences take you down or lift you up," Chavez said.
Allen is one course away from graduating from Santa Barbara City College with a liberal arts degree with a focus on behavioral science. She also works as an emergency dispatcher with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.
Allen entered her first pageant, Miss Bakersfield, during her senior year of high school with the hopes of winning a scholarship to help fund her college.
"While I didn't walk away with the crown that year, I did walk away with lifelong friends, a greater self-esteem and the desire to continue pushing myself to reach my potential," she said.

© 2012 Ventura County Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Barbara

On October 3, 2012 I met with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Barbara’s marketing committee including Scott Whiteley the Executive Director, Bonnie Pack the Program Manager and a few other staff members from their development team. In the beginning of our meeting I was able to share with them my personal story of the profound effect that my mentor had on my life and the confidence that she instilled in me, followed by my current experience of mentoring my ‘Little’ and the differences and improvements that I’ve witnessed in her. I was then able to give them a little insight into the International Pageant system and explain how our focus is on commitment to our communities and why it is so important for me to give back in the form of mentoring because of the impact that it directly had on my life. We then discussed fundraising events and recruitment strategies and we now have a few ideas to begin exploring. This may just be the beginning, but this is a big step in the right direction. I am extremely excited about this new partnership!

I love that BBBS included me in their October newsletter!

United Blood Services

On September 26, 2012 I was given the opportunity to meet with Michael Johnson (Donor Recruitment Manager) and Mary Ann Bittle (Donor Recruitment Representative) from United Blood Services at their brand new and beautiful office in Santa Barbara regarding ways in which I could use the Miss California crown to help promote, recruit, and fundraise for them. I am looking forward to joining them at their larger blood drives in the near future, and throughout my year as Miss California International. After our meeting we took a few photos for use on their social media sites followed by the most important part of my visit… my blood donation! The staff was exceptionally gracious and welcoming! They truly know how to make blood donation a pleasant experience. After my donation I had the opportunity to hangout with the staff for a bit and discuss pageants, Big Brothers Big Sisters (my platform), and then they were very interested in seeing my crown up close and a few even tried it on. It is so heartwarming when I am able to share the story of where I came from and the person that I have become because of it, and excite people who were previously unfamiliar and skeptical about pageants on how wonderful they can be. Prior to leaving, I had some of their delicious freshly popped popcorn in their remarkable new cantina area and then upon their request I took a few photos with the staff. United Blood Services has THE BEST staff! Huge thank you to UBS of Santa Barbara for making my experience so memorable.

The journey to becoming Miss California Intl. 2013

My journey to becoming Miss California Intl. was filled with good and trying days, an amazing support system, awesome directors, an incredible coach, doubt, a tremendous amount of soul searching, and lots of hours at the gym. 

I was crowned Miss Ventura County Intl. in March and from that day forward I began emotionally preparing for the coveted title. I had only 6 months to get myself in the best shape of my life (still a work in progress!) and emotionally the best version of myself that I could possibly be. I didn't waste a second. For me, being crowned Miss California wasn't about a crown and sash. One of the most significant quotes I read from the inspirational book Creating Queens by Suzy Bootz was, "Your journey is never defined or validated by a crown. It's about celebrating yourself and the person you have become because of, or in spite of your experiences". For the first time in my life I was sharing my childhood story in hopes of inspiring those in similar situation that your past doesn't have to define your future. My journey through pageantry represents healing from a trauma that I experienced, and speaking about my platform, the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization, has become a source of healing for me. Looking back, I truly believe that pageantry was placed in my life for a much greater reason than I initially understood. 

Pageant week:
I prepared as much as I possibly could leading up to the pageant, so with the pageant just a week away I decided to relax and enjoy the experience. The event was held in Bakersfield, which coincidently was my home town, so I was incredibly blessed to have over 20 of my closest friends and family at the pageant cheering me on. With or without that crown I was going to walk away a 'winner' that night-with a support system like that, how could I not?!  The day before the pageant we had rehearsal all day, followed by "Girls Night Out" at a local restaurant, and then an ice cream social and the opportunity to get to know the girls I would be competing with. I learned so much about that incredible group of women and feel truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to share the stage, and this journey with them.
I finally climbed into bed at 1:00AM (on pageant day!) and was back up at 4:30AM for hair and make up. We spent most of the day rehearsing and then we were off to our interviews. Walking into my interview I felt more prepared than ever... but that didn't scare away my last minute jitters! Huge thank you to my good friend Hilary Gushwa who calmed me, and made me look and feel like a winner! Walking out of my interview I'd never felt more confident that I was the best version of 'me' that I could be, and that my interview was the perfect start to an incredible experience!
After interview I rushed off to prep for the evening pageant. My awesome directors helped gather my stuff and ushered me to the auditorium. One hour to show time. Instead of being nervous I had an unusual calm feeling. I was backstage joking with my fellow contestants and helping them do some last minute steaming to their outfits. The band starts to play "Footloose" and we line up for our dance number. The rest of the show flies by and soon we are all lined up in our evening gowns backstage waiting for the cue to return to the stage for the crowning. We had several minutes to kill backstage while they tallied the scores so we sat around and made conversation. Shana Smith, who is now my sister queen and the new Mrs. California Intl., sparked up a conversation about the results. Our views were so similar! We both agreed that no matter what happened, we had done our own personal best and that there was nothing else we could have done to prepare. Either it was in God's plan for us or it wasn't. 
We are all back onstage, they begin handing out awards and I am given the photogenic award (BIG thank you to Marty Gushwa for secretly entering me into the competition!!) and then it was time for the crowning. 

Second runner up- Katherine Cooksey
First- Nashay Matthews
.... running through my head: "Could it be?! There are still several tremendous competitors standing here on this stage waiting to hear their name. I did it...! Right..? Oh please say my name!!"
 The director begins, "The new Miss California International 2013 is..... Tiffany Allen from Ventura County!"

Holy cow I did it!

It's been just over a week since I was announced as Miss California and that same smile is still plastered on my face! I am honored, humbled, and blessed to be given this opportunity. I intend to become one of the hardest working Miss California's that this state has ever seen!

A glimpse into my past.

Growing up my parents were domestically violent and addicted to drugs so at a very, very young age I was required to take on a tremendous amount of adult-like responsibility. A majority of my early memories were of things like drug raids, homelessness, unthinkable living conditions, late nights of changing diapers, making bottles, and often times wondering where where my next meal was going to come from.

By the time I reached the 5th grade I felt completely unworthy. I was embarrassed and ashamed of something that I didn't even do. That was when I met my 5th grade teacher who ended up becoming my first and most profound role model. She instilled in me that my parents mistakes didn't have to limit the possibilities of my future and that I was in charge of my destiny. School became my 'safe place' and became a place for me to play, and a place where I could excel. My teacher pushed me to become the best possible version of myself and for the first time ever I began to believe in my potential. That year I studied hard and at the end of the year I was given an award that listed me as the top student in the class. While a measly 5th grade certificate wouldn't be significant to most, to me, it was the biggest accomplishment of my life. That certificate gave me the confidence necessary to strive for every goal that I have since, including my goal of becoming Miss California International!

My past, while it's difficult to face and incredibly hard to talk about, led me to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization. During my childhood I felt alone in the adversity I was facing, but now in my adult life I realize that there are a tremendous number of children facing just as controversial experiences. I have made it my mission to recruit mentors for the BBBS Organization to aid in offering these at-risk children stability in an environment where they feel they have no control, and no one to lean on. I am proof that having that one person believe in you can be life altering!

Note to my amazing parents:
While your past may have caused my siblings and I a tremendous amount of turmoil at the time, it ultimately made me stronger! I am a testament that while many children can't change the circumstances that they are facing, they do have the ability to choose how they react to them. I certainly could have used those experiences as a crutch... but I didn't! I used them as learning opportunities to ensure that I didn't repeat the vicious cycle.
I am incredibly proud of the positive changes that you have made to your life!

Update on my parents: both have been clean and sober for over 15 years! My mother is the Executive Director of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation and daily touches lives and inspires those facing the experiences of her past.

The crowns before THE crown.

Winning the 2013 Miss California International crown has been one of my biggest accomplishment yet. I am a true believer that success is possible when preparation meets opportunity. Being crowned Miss California Intl. 2013 did not happen by accident; I owe this success to the trials, tribulations, mistakes, accomplishments, and role models of my past.

At just 18 years of age I entered the Miss Bakersfield pageant, my very first pageant, with the hopes of winning a scholarship to help put me through college. While I didn't walk away with the crown that year in 2004 I did walk away with lifelong friends, a greater self-esteem, and the desire to continue pushing myself to reach my true potential.

In 2007 I was crowned Miss Bakersfield. Looking back, even though I had won the crown, I still felt like something was missing. I had pushed myself to my limits physically and spent a tremendous amount of time volunteering in the community, but I truly never felt comfortable in my skin or in that position. While it was a dream come true, I felt like an imposter constantly playing the role of 'Miss Bakersfield' and never actually believing that I was worthy of it. At the end of 2007 I passed on the torch and crowned my successor. On that December day in 2007 I decided to give up pageants for good.

Fast forward to 2009.

Looking to spice up my life a little I decided to follow my heart when an opportunity arose to move to Santa Barbara, CA. I immediately began researching ways to get involved in my new community and make a few friends and realized that perhaps pageantry was the answer. I soon learned that Santa Barbara did not have a preliminary to the International pageant system and that Ventura was the closest city that did. While my life was still in transition phase from my move, I decided to enter the Miss Ventura County International pageant in 2010 anyway with very little expectation. That year I walked away as the 1st runner up and looking back I'm not surprised because I was still trying to mimic the titleholder and never truly felt worthy of the title. That year though I WAS given an incredible gift... a gift far more valuable than a crown... a gift that since, has not stopped giving. The directors (the Gushwa family) of the Ventura Co. Intl. pageant believed in me!.... which in turn gave me a tiny bit of belief in myself. At the time I was scared to death to share my past for fear of being judged. My amazing platform was volunteering with the elder community which was a passion of mine- but it was also safe and kept conversation far from the discussion of my childhood experiences. The following year I decided to give it another try and once again walked away 1st runner up- that year I decided to switch my platform to Big Brothers Big Sisters (an organization for children facing adversity that I had been mentoring with) but decided to once again steer clear of discussing my childhood.

In March I decided to try ONE more time. I promised myself though that this would be my final year and that I would compete as the true 'me'. For the first time ever I decided to give everyone a glimpse into my past. The past that instilled morals, compassion, and hard work into me; the past that I had always been ashamed of. The Gushwa family pushed me to be the best and most honest version of myself and this year and I was honored to be crowned Miss Ventura County Intl. 2013!