As I approach the eleven month mark of being Miss Arizona, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the upcoming Miss Arizona 2012 competition. Recently, I have been blessed to be a guest of Wells Fargo at various events supporting nonprofits and foundations that are working to improve Arizona. What do these two things have in common? Well, a lot, but I think the key commonality is belief. All of Arizona's leaders, outstanding families, and influential organizations began with a story of someone who had an idea, and someone (or many someones) who believed in them and their plan. In the middle of June, each of twenty incredible AZ women will stand beside her beliefs and compete based on what she knows to be true, and based on who she is. And one of these twenty women will take her place as Miss Arizona 2012 because five judges believe in her and all that she stands for. It all starts with belief, and here's a little about what I've done in the past few weeks that is a reflection of its importance.

When I was in the 8th grade (yes, I realize this was longer than a few weeks ago) I took a social studies class from one of my favorite teachers of all time. Mr. Wolfe was not like the usual teachers we had. He was a friend to each of us, and he believed in each of us. Many of his "life lessons" are still things that stick with me today, which is amazing considering the amount of things people actually remember that they learned in junior high. So nothing made me happier than visiting the school in Lake Havasu City where he is now principal, to speak to his students about believing in themselves. It's a good lesson to remember, that most of what we do in life comes full circle. I had someone believe in me at a young age, and I remembered and was affected by it, and one day was able to give back to his students and, hopefully, affect them in that same manner.

Whether through teachers like Mr. Wolfe, or my family and friends, it was always impressed upon me the importance of education. And although I was fortunate enough to find the means to afford my education, there are too many young people in our own state who are struggling to find someone who believes in them enough to help them pay for theirs. I attended the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation Awards and Fundraiser as a guest of Wells Fargo, where I was able to start off the evening by thanking those who recognized me as a recipient of a scholarship from the MCCF. The evening was filled with inspiring stories: a young man who lost his parents, a single mom who was struggling to take care of her family, a teen mother, all who were able to overcome their circumstances and get the education they earned and deserved because the MCCF and their donors who believed in them.

Toward the end of April, I met up with Daniel Stringer and Danielle McBurnett (who I am so happy to see are both recovering wonderfully from their accident!) to film a promotional video for the Sanctus Real Tour for Let Hope Rise benefitting the Phoenix Dream Center. Daniel's organization, Let Hope Rise, aids in fundraising to prevent and relieve victims of human trafficking right here in Phoenix. It's a subject matter which is not often talked about, but incredibly necessary that we address it. And what better way to help raise funds than with an uplifting concert from Sanctus Real?! I'm looking forward to touring the Dream Center and attending the concert myself with a few HopeKids and their families! You can learn more at LetHopeRise.org

I also got to spend a full day surrounded by the best kind of fans…Wildcat fans! I volunteered at the University of Arizona Alumni Association Golf Tournament Scholarship Classic out at the beautiful Biltmore Golf Course. I spent the day greeting the golfers, then meeting all of the foursomes and taking photos with them while asking for donations and selling raffle tickets. At dinner, I was able to give a quick speech about what it means to me to be a Wildcat, and more importantly what it means to me and thousands of other students to be able to be a Wildcat tuition free, and encouraging them to continue to give back to their alma mater. I was lucky that my next appearance that evening was in the same building, because I had fifteen minutes from there,

to run to my car, change outfits into cocktail attire, and head into the Chrysalis Honors the Family event. Chrysalis is a wonderful organization which aids in the prevention and recovery of domestic abuse, for both the victim and the abuser. This is another shining example of an Arizona organization that was built upon someone believing in a cause, and continues to build on many people coming to the aid of families in need. It was also a beautiful reminder of how lucky I am to have grown up in such a loving household. My family and friends have always supported me and believed in me no matter what path I chose, and always encouraged me to pursue my dreams without even the thought of impeding my success along the way. For that, I know I am extremely blessed and grateful.

But that wasn't the only reminder of the importance of family I've had recently. Last weekend, I volunteered at Mother/Daughter Glamour Day with HopeKids. This was the third annual Mother/Daughter Glamour Day I had attended, and it surely did not disappoint. I saw lots of bright and beautiful familiar faces, and some new ones as well. The ladies were able to get pampered together, by getting their hair styled, nails painted, and makeup done. They then got to have a mini mother/daughter photo session, and get some adorable photos to cherish. It was a very special day with lots of fun had by all.

The word "believe" holds a very special meaning for me for many reasons, but one of the foremost is because of how others have used it to encourage me. Before the state pageant last year, I was very nervous, and some of my pageant family decided that the word "believe" should be my theme, and made me all kinds of adorable crafts with the word on them, and left me little reminders everywhere to help keep me confident. This then carried on throughout my year and through the Miss America pageant as well. And I saw it even more in the last weekend of April when all twenty of the Miss Arizona 2012 contestants gathered in Mesa for prep weekend. I was blown away by their talent run-throughs, and by their overall charisma and kindness. After a morning of meetings, and afternoon of learning about the pageant theme and choosing their competition positions, the girls and staff threw me the most amazing surprise party! It was so sweet, and I enjoyed so much getting to just spend fun quality time with all my Miss Arizona Family. I can tell you that I believe in my heart, 100%, that whoever of those twenty women is crowned next month, is meant to have that role for a purpose, and she will use it to better the community and take the organization above and beyond everyone's expectations. I have extreme faith that any of them could do a spectacular job, and I am so proud of them already.

Whether you believe in something and you want to make a difference, or you can see that fire in someone else and you want to support them on their journey, I challenge you this month to keep the word "belief" close to your heart in all that you do.

"As you make your way along your true path, do not fear what others may say or think about you. Do not believe that you might fail. You will succeed because you will not quit."