Junior League of Santa Barbara

So the pageant is over, but my passion for shortening the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) waitlist (which is currently over 100,000 children long!) is not. With pageant prep no longer consuming my every thought, I had a lot more free time to focus on other priorities; BBBS was at the top of my list. A few months prior the pageant I met a lovely lady who was involved in the Junior League (JL) who shared with me the wonderful things that the JL does for our community. I learned that each year their new member class, which I eventually became a member of, took on a year-long project that benefited the community; I crossed my fingers (and toes!) and hoped that the new member class would choose BBBS for our new member project. I am proud to report that we did in fact select Big Brothers Big Sisters (ran by Family Service Agency in Santa Barbara) and will spend the next year revitalizing part of their office and spreading awareness for the need for mentors in our county. The Santa Barbara county waitlist is 100 children long; That’s 100 children, 70 which are boys, who are not getting the positive adult influence that they desperately need and deserve!

I was honed to be selected as co-chair for the project and proud to be among this year’s 77 new Junior League of Santa Barbara members!

Below is an article about our project:

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/print/junior_league_of_santa_barbara_welcomes_2013-14_new_member_class_20131031

The Junior League of Santa Barbara’s 2013-14 New Member Class. (Junior League of Santa Barbara photo)

The Junior League of Santa Barbara is pleased to welcome 77 women into its 2013-14 New Member Class, the largest incoming class since its inception in 1924.

"We're thrilled to welcome an amazing group of women to the league this year," JLSB President Angela Bolea said. "These women come from varied backgrounds but are all committed to improving the Santa Barbara community. We're looking forward to a great year.”

Throughout the next several months, this group of new members will participate in leadership trainings to introduce them to the mission, projects and services JLSB provides to the community. They will also be working on their New Member Project, a project selected by the New Member Class that will give the most benefit to an organization in Santa Barbara that shares JLSB’s vision of improving the lives of youth and their families. This year, the new members voted to assist the Family Service Agency/Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Barbara.

“On behalf of the Family Service Agency, I would like to thank the Junior League of Santa Barbara's New Member Class of 2013 for choosing FSA as their youth literacy project,” said Christina Pizarro, FSA board member. “Revitalizing FSA's reception area and family therapy room will not only improve the aesthetics of the room but will help create a nurturing and child friendly environment that will brighten and enlighten the lives of so many local children we serve.”

FSA promotes literacy by providing at-risk children with early intervention strategies designed to maximize impact at their earliest stage of development. Research has shown that children who are nurtured and supported in their first years are more likely to thrive at school and succeed in the workplace.

The Junior League of Santa Barbara is thrilled to welcome this accomplished, dynamic and diverse group of new members to its organization, and we are excited to see what they will bring to the community this year.

For more information, call 805.963.2704, click here or follow the league on Facebook and Twitter @JuniorLeague_SB.

— Leslie Gallant represents the Communications Committee for the Junior League of Santa Barbara.

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/junior_league_of_santa_barbara_welcomes_2013-14_new_member_class_20131031

Miss International Final Competition

Dialogue with myself the morning of the Miss International Final Competition:

And here we are.

Tonight one girl’s life will change forever.

Could it possibly be me?

Did I stand out enough last night to make the ‘top 10’?

Holy cow…. I’m actually here!

The music starts, we line up in our bubblegum pink Sherri Hill rompers, we hear the cue and take the stage for the final night of competition… the night that Miss International 2013 would be crowned! As the song winds down we take our final pose and then the MC begins calling out the coveted top 10 contestants for both Teen and Miss International. After a couple other contestants are named I FINALLY hear it, “Miss California, Tiffany Allen!” The best part? As I walked to the front of the stage to thank the judges and pose for a picture I look down at the very front row, smack in the center, and see my beautiful family holding up bright pink sparkly letters that spell out “Miss CA” and sporting shirts with my picture that say “Miss California’s Biggest Fan”. My niece is smiling ear-to-ear and is holding up the universal sign language sign for “I love you”. I am the luckiest girl alive. After the remaining finalists are called we exited the stage and RAN (more like sprinted!) to the dressing rooms to prepare for the on-stage interview portion of the competition. I had emotions whirling as I stood in the dressing room in my interview suit, minus some of my new friends. I was overjoyed that I was a finalist, but my heart broke for my new friends and fellow contestants who were now sitting in the audience and were not back stage with me…. where they belonged! The greatest thing happened shortly after though, I started receiving text after text filled with well-wishes from them. They are the definition of class and true friends. I’ve won, with or without that crown.

I took the stage and shared a part of my past with the audience that use to cause me so much shame. I smiled as I walked off stage because I realized at that moment just how far I’ve come; a majority of my growth I owe to pageantry. I’ve won, with or without that crown.

After intermission was over the other contestants were finally able to join us back in the dressing room. I was overcome with gratitude when so many of them surrounded me, rooted for me, wished me well, helped me climb into and zip the dress for my next area of competition, and then helped fluff my hair, put my earrings in, and checked my makeup! Did I mention how wonderful the 2013 Miss International class is?! As I walked away from the dressing room to take the stage again in another area of competition without them, I fought back tears; I was in awe of their grace. Class acts for sure! I’ve won, with or without that crown.

All areas of competition were over and all of us took the stage for the very last time. Luckily my position on stage was directly in front of my family who were sitting in the front row, literally three feet from me. I hardly heard a word that the MCs were saying because I couldn’t keep my eyes off of my amazing family who told me again and again how proud they were, and my 5 year old niece who was still displaying her “I love you” sign. They began calling the runners up and my name was absent from the list. Miss Teen International was called and that left one last name to be said, that which I prayed would be mine for the entire last year. There was a long pause where the new Miss Teen International was crowned and sashed and I took that time to look down at my family one last time. There were six of us still holding our breath, praying that our name would be the next words out of the MC’s mouth. I looked at my older sister who stretched her arms out from side-to-side and mouthed “by a mile!” with a huge, very proud grin on her face. (Have I mentioned that I’ve won, with or without that crown??) And then the moment was here, the name was called, and that name unfortunately wasn’t mine. When I think of that moment I don’t do so with disappointment or sadness; I instead remember the look on my sister’s face with her outstretched arms and am overjoyed by how much she believed in me and my potential. So no, I didn’t win a crown, but I did come from the experience stronger, wiser, healthier, with amazing friends, awesome memories, and a reinforced belief that I have the greatest family in the world.

I won even though I didn’t walk away with the crown.

Prelims

All of my hard work, sweat (lots and lots of sweat!), prayers, preparation, and anticipation for the whole last year of my life led to this day. I had dreams, and nightmares alike, frequently about this very day and what it would feel like to stand on the Miss International stage on the first day of competition. There were some things that I expected, such as the fact that I would be standing among some of the most accomplished and beautiful women in the world on that stage, but other things were completely unexpected. I didn’t expect to have only been able to sleep 2-3 hours a night for the entire week. I didn’t expect to become so close to some of the girls I was competing with in such a small amount of time, some I know will be lifelong friends! I didn’t expect to walk off the stage that first night feeling like a million bucks, smiling as I drifted off for my three hours of sleep before I had to wake up to rehearse all day again and then (hopefully) take the stage a second time for the final competition.

Prior to taking the stage for the preliminary competition I arrived in the dressing rooms a tad before everyone else and then shortly after one other contestant arrived. Since it was just the two of us in the dressing room we got to chatting and she mentioned that she was only competing for fun and as a way to step outside of her comfort zone, and that she hoped that I would win. The first time I heard a fellow contestant make this very comment to me I was baffled, but shortly after I learned that there were numerous girls that I would share the stage with this weekend that didn’t believe that they were worthy or capable of winning. I was honored that she wanted me to win, but it hurt my heart so much to hear those words because I personally know what it feels like to be blessed to be given a title but feel like an imposter representing it. My first title was Miss Bakersfield 2007, and while I did work VERY hard to obtain the title I never truly felt worthy of it. I convinced myself that I just got ‘lucky’ and told myself that after I passed on the title I would put pageantry to rest. Who would have thought that 6 years later I would be holding a state title and then would make the ‘top 10’ at an international pageant?! Why I came back you ask? Well, pageantry has become an incredible source of healing for me. Every single time I step outside of my comfort zone and do something that frightens me (because of insecurities or fear of failure) I realized that I grow slightly more confident and comfortable in my skin. Because of the many speaking engagements, appearances, and events that I’ve taken part in over these last two and a half years as Miss Ventura County International and now as Miss California International, I am a stronger person and I’ve never (ever!) felt more sure of myself! Sure, the insecurities of my past peek out from time to time, but I can assure you that never do I turn down an opportunity to represent my title and platform because of it; I embrace the opportunities and never feel less than thrilled to face them head on.

I shared with my fellow competitor in the dressing room that day that I too didn’t always feel this confident and comfortable in my skin and urged her to at least play with the idea of feeling worthy of winning. I hope that pageantry eventually becomes as life changing for her as it has been for me. I can’t even fathom the thought of who, or where I’d be today had I not made the brave decision to give pageantry another try. My interview skills have significantly improved, I’ve made friends that feel more like sisters, public speaking has (almost!) become enjoyable, and most importantly pageantry has helped me to believe in myself; it truly has been life altering!