Miss Florida 2010 Journey

March Highlights!

2011-04-10T00:58:00.028-04:00

Hello Florida!

I am finding it very hard to believe that time is flying by so quickly and that my year as Miss Florida is coming to an end in a couple short months. :( However, I am so excited to meet the amazing young women of our state who have the opportunity compete for the honor of becoming Miss Florida. I am anxious to meet all of them in May, but for those I have met along the preliminary pageant road this year, it has been an absolute pleasure to get to know them and I can't wait to see the personal growth each contestant experiences with their local titles and at the state pageant. It is going to be one incredible show. Remember to save the date....

2011 Miss Florida and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen Pageant- July 5- 9th - Mahaffey Theater- St.Petersburg, Florida :)

Also- for more pictures and status updates- remember to follow me on Facebook: Jaclyn Raulerson-Miss Florida

Speaking of preliminary pageants... My next appearance took me to St.Petersburg for the Miss Largo/St.Petersburg/Pinellas County Pageant at the Palladium Theater! It was such a crazy feeling to think that it has been over a year since I won the title of Miss Largo in the very same theater. I can't even imagine how it will feel in July when I crown the new Miss Florida. I have been a part of the Miss Largo Pageant family since 2006, when I was crowned Miss Largo Outstanding Teen and then as Miss Largo 2010. I can't thank Lynn and the board enough for all they have done for me. There is too much to even begin to say, but I do have to give them an extra special thank you from the bottom of my heart for making the trip out to Las Vegas for Miss America this year. To have you all there meant the absolute world to me, because you all have truly been there from the beginning :) Thank you again, SO MUCH! I also had a great time catching up with my sister queens, Brittany Wardell and Cassie Mitchell. They are both some of the most ambitious and caring young women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and both did a phenomenal job at Miss Florida and representing St.Petersburg and Pinellas County throughout the year. Congratulations to the new Miss Largo- Kate Judge, Miss St.Petersburg- Laura McKeeman, Miss Pinellas County- Stephanie Ziajka, Miss St.Petersburg's Outstanding Teen- Haley Muley, Miss Pinellas County's Outstanding Teen- Julann Baker, Miss Largo's Outstanding Teen- Savannah Gribbins, and Miss West Coast Outstanding Teen- Monique Griffin! All the contestants did a fabulous job, as did our wonderful emcees- David Lang and Robyn Martin!

Miss Largo 2011 and 2010!

Next, was National Pancake Day at IHOP benefiting the Children's Miracle Network! My day began with a segment on Studio 10! It was my second time appearing on the show as Miss Florida and it is always such a fun atmosphere. This time, I was flipping pancakes on-air, no pressure! Luckily, I was successful in flipping each one neatly, all while promoting CMN, IHOP, All Children's Hospital and The Miss America Organization. Afterwards, I visited seven different IHOP locations in the St.Petersburg area! Although it was a long day, it went by very quickly. Maybe it was all of those pancakes that gave me so much energy? ;) Thank you to Crissy McWilliams for accompanying me during the day, I always have such a blast with you! :)

My next highlight, is very special to me. I was asked by Pop Art Diva and fellow Plant City native- Jules Burt to film a PSA at the University of Tampa for her High Heel Hike to benefit children and families with Autism. It is a message that I hold very close to my heart as I have two family members,who both struggle with different types of Autism. Thank you, Jules, for allowing me to be a part of such an important campaign. You are fabulous!

The next day, I attended the Miss Tampa Pageant held at the beautiful Straz Center. Bob Clark and the Miss Tampa Board always do a fantastic job of putting together a top notch production and it was wonderful returning and seeing another phenomenal show. I was so happy to see my entire board there as well! It is not often that we are all in the same place at once, but it is so much fun when we are! Thank you to the Miss Tampa Organization and Miss Tampa 2010, Allison Martin for recognizing myself and the Miss Florida Board of Directors during the show, we appreciate all that you do! Congratulations to Chloe Lupo, Miss Tampa 2011!!! :)

Next, I was honored to serve as Grand Marshal in the 2011 Florida Strawberry Festival Grand Parade. Being a citizen of Plant City my entire life, I have grown up around the Strawberry Festival and very rarely have missed the Grand Parade. It was an exciting day beginning with the Parade Luncheon where I saw so many wonderful friends and updated them on my year and of course, my fabulous Miss America experience! The parade had a great crowd with lots of excitement throughout the route and we were so lucky to have perfect weather as well. Thank you to the Parade Committee for this honor, it was amazing!

With Rep.Rich Glorioso and Sheriff of Hillsborough County, David Gee before lining up!

I then returned to St.Petersburg to attend the Sungoddess Coronation held at the beautiful Vinoy! The scholarship based program has been a tradition in St.Petersburg since 1955 and created by the Suncoasters organization to honor young women of Pinellas County who have excelled in community service and academic achievement. Congratulations to Ms.Kristen Teresi for being selected as the 2011 Sungoddess and to Christine Foster for being named first runner up! Each member of the court should be very proud of what they have accomplished in the community, they are truly wonderful role models.

After the coronation with Council Member Newton

The next morning, I was anxious to open the St.Petersburg Crawfish Festival with our National Anthem and spend time with Laura McKeeman, Miss St.Petersburg and Julann Baker, Miss Pinellas County's Outstanding Teen. We had a wonderful time learning how to do the "Cajun Waltz" and greeting the public who attended the event. I even tried some crawfish, and I have to say, it was very good! Thank you to Robert Danielson for accompanying us throughout the day!

The next evening, I was in Miami for the Miss Miami/ Miss Suncoast Pageant at the Miami Hilton! I was reunited with Miss Miami Jaife Calil, who I had not seen since Miss Florida! It was so wonderful to see her...Jaife was my roommate at Miss Florida in 2009 and it was very special for me to be in the top five with her at Miss Florida 2010. Miss St.Petersburg, Laura McKeeman was also in attendance giving up her Miss Suncoast title. It was fun to see her twice that weekend, in two different parts of the state! Congratulations to Kourtney Gallego- Miss Suncoast 2011 and Nicole Vega- Miss Miami 2011! Thank you to Roberta and Danielle Mortimer for having me attend, you both are awesome! :)

Me and Jaife!

Next, I returned to West Palm Beach for the thirteenth annual Old Bags Luncheon hosted by The Center for Family Services whose mission is to strengthen families through counseling, education and homeless intervention to at-risk families and children in Palm Beach County. While I was there, I ran into Miss Florida Sweetheart, Diana Kelly! I was so surprised and thrilled to see her! She is having much success with her shoe line, Diana E. Kelly! Make sure to check out her line, it is fabulous! The guest speaker for the afternoon was Leigh Ann Tuohy, adoptive mother of Michael Oher whose inspiring story was created into the 2009 film "The Blind Side". Mrs. Tuohy was extremely motivating and carried such an inspiring and vital message...we should never doubt the abilities of any individual and always continue to give of ourselves. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her words of wisdom and experiences filming "The Blind Side". Once I receive my photo with her, I will make sure to post it. After the luncheon, I had the opportunity to speak with her for a bit and we had a great time talking about the day and Sherri Hill fashion! :) Thank you to Wendy Roberts for accompanying me :)

With Diana! :)

Thank you, Wendy!

I returned to St.Petersburg for the Festival of States Illuminated Night Parade! I was joined by Miss St.Petersburg, Laura McKeeman, Miss Pinellas County's Outstanding Teen- Julann Baker, Miss Largo's Outstanding Teen- Savannah Gribbins and Miss St.Petersburg's Outstanding Teen- Haley Muley. You can tell from the photo below that I was very excited to reunite with my Cinderella carriage! :) I completely felt like a princess! Thank you to Robert Danielson for arranging the evening for us, you are wonderful! Thank you also to Bill and Kim Doniel for attending with me :)

The next morning, I was a fashion segment host/model for designers Dara Lauria, NV by Nevada V, and Bunny Couture on NBC's "Daytime". I am always very thankful for opportunities such as this, because my ambition has always been to have a career in broadcast journalism. A very special thank you to the all of the designers and the wonderful people at WFLA- News Channel 8 Tampa for being so welcoming to myself as well as the other models. While in the green room, I bumped into Mario Lopez of EXTRA, as he was filming a segment for "Daytime" as well. It was fun to talk about the Miss America experience (he was the host when we were televised on TLC) and the "Spring Bling" fashion show that we were both attending that evening. Then, it was time for me to rush back to Plant City to get ready for the show!

On set with Dyana, one of the fabulous models- wearing NV by Nevada V

That evening was the "Spring Bling" Fashion Show benefiting The Children's Home. I had a blast modeling and, coincidentally running into quite a few of my good friends! Thank you to Bunny and Dara for allowing me to be a part of the show and also to Lisa McGrath for attending with me!

At the show with Mario Lopez

With one of the designers, Dara Lauria. I am wearing her clothing and jewelry pieces in this photo!

Next, I attended the Honda Grand Prix in St.Petersburg! I was joined by Miss St.Petersburg, Laura McKeeman as we participated in the official parade lap. The race drew thousands of people and it was an honor to be there representing the Miss Florida Organization in our host city. To be surrounded by such a crowd filled with excitement and being on the actual track was definitely an adrenaline rush! I secretly wanted to race one of the cars myself....but there were a couple of issues with that ;) After the lap, we visited with many of the fans and our friends with the City of St.Petersburg while we all watched the drivers in action! :) More photos from this event to come!

During the parade lap! :)

As soon as I left the Grand Prix, I hopped on a flight to Washington, D.C. to join the members of the Miss District of Colombia Organization and my Miss America sisters for a couple fun filled days in our nation's capital! I arrived on Sunday evening, in enough time to unpack my things and get a good night's rest. The next morning my roomie, Miss Louisiana, Kelsi Crain, arrived and we both got ready to meet with our scheduled organizations. I was thrilled to return to the SPAN USA offices to discuss Florida in specifics, developments in bullying research and legislation affecting the organization. My first visit was in December before Miss America and they were so unbelievably helpful in providing information and insight. It was a pleasure meeting with their amazing organization once again. Thank you to Trevor Summerfield for arranging another meeting, I appreciate it so much!

After leaving the SPAN USA offices, I returned back to the hotel to have lunch with Kelsi and then joining Melaina, Miss Colorado and Stephanie, Miss DC, for some quick shopping in Georgetown before our evening event!

Later, we all gathered at the Croatian Embassy to honor Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011 and all of her incredible achievements. She looked so beautiful that night and I was thrilled to be able to see her again and talk about all of her travels! Teresa is Croatian and the wonderful individuals at the embassy made a lovely presentation honoring her as well as the other state titleholders in attendance.

There she is.... Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan! :)

Blondes in blue! Delaware, Oklahoma, Florida, Washington and Arizona!

I missed my Melaina and Steph!

While in D.C., I was very fortunate to book a meeting with Florida Senator, Marco Rubio! I was so incredibly excited to meet him and dicuss my reign as Miss Florida and what I have and am still looking forward to accomplishing this year. He and his staff were beyond kind and welcoming, it is always nice to have the Florida bond! :) Thank you Sen.Rubio for taking the time to meet with me!

I reunited with my Miss America sisters for a private tour of the Capitol! We were even shown Speaker John Boehner's office! We were not allowed to bring our cameras into most of the areas we were shown, so I only have a few to share from our tour! What an incredible feeling it was, walking through such an important landmark to our nation. I got goosebumps walking into each part of the building, it was all so facinating and I didn't want to leave!

Texas, Colorado, Florida, and DC, taking the underground tram to the different buildings of our respective senators.

After the tour, we were treated to a luncheon inside the Capitol hosted by Sen. Strauss. I can honestly say, I had the most amazing cornbread I have ever tasted in my entire life that afternoon. I probably had about four pieces...not to mention, soup, chips and a massive club sandwich. Hey, it was a busy day and I needed fuel ;) At lunch we had great discussions about each of our meetings with our senators and how exciting it was to be treated to such a fantastic day. Before we knew it, it was time to leave for our next stop.

We then hopped on our bus to the Newseum! It is a 250,000 square foot museum of news providing history with up to date technology as well as hands on exhibits. Each of us took a photo with our hometown newspapers. I took mine with The Tampa Tribune!

Next, we quickly rushed to change inside the Newseum (so we were able to see a tad bit of it) for our cherry blossom photo shoot in front of the Jefferson Memorial. It was in the forties that day, but that didn't stop us from shooting in bright pink sundresses! All for the perfect photo, which turned out beautifully! :)

Oklahoma, New York, DC, Florida, Arizona, Virginia, Washington, Colorado, Texas, Kentucky, New Jersey, California and Oregon. I love them!

DC, Florida, Colorado!

Our last stop was the Miss DC Fundraiser held at the Capitol Hill Club arranged by the wonderful, Lisa Spies! Teresa was in attendance this evening as well, we were all delighted to see her again and hear about her travels as she had been on quite the whirlwind throughout DC also. As always, it is wonderful to meet people from other parts of the country and discuss our experiences as a titleholder, volunteer, etc. within the Miss America Organization. It truly continues to change the lives of young women every day and the countless amounts of opportunities that any young woman can take hold of as a result of being a titleholder within the organization speaks volumes of its prestiege. Thank you to Teri Galvez, The Miss DC Board and volunteers, Stephanie Williams Miss District of Colombia 2010, and the other wonderful young women who joined me in making this a phenomenal reunion. I know that there are many more to come. I love and miss you all so much already!

With Melaina at the Capitol Hill Club- Miss DC fundraiser!

Watch for more entries soon! :)

I am so grateful and blessed to be your Miss Florida 2010,

Jaclyn

January/February Highlights!

2011-02-25T17:28:00.025-05:00

Hello again! After returning from the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas, I was eager to jump back into my role as Miss Florida! I attended the Florida Strawberry Festival's annual Strawberry Ball. I was happy to see many great friends who were excited to hear all about my Miss America experience. I don't think I'll ever get tired of talking or reminiscing about it. I am pictured below with Mr. Al Berry who has been such a blessing this year. He and his wife Patsy have been such a support system for me from the very beginning. Thank you to all of the wonderful citizens of Plant City for your encouraging words, thoughts and prayers. The Ball was fantastic, as always, and was a great start to getting into the Strawberry Festival spirit!

Although not pictured, I attended the 2011 Miss Orlando and Miss Orange County Pageant in Orlando and I have to say, it was nice being in the audience this time :) Donald Gray and Juan Cantu put on a fantastic show! Congratulations to Brittany Hagan- Miss Orange County, Ashley Ramsey- Miss Orlando and Elizabeth Fechtel- Miss Orlando's Outstanding Teen. I will see you ladies in July at the Miss Florida and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen Pageant in St.Petersburg, Florida! To continue with the strawberry theme, I participated in the Strawberry Distance Challenge 5k also held in Plant City. It had been quite some time that I participated in a 5k, but I managed to place third in my 20-29 age group! You can tell I'm pretty excited in the photo below! I had such a great time, and am looking forward to racing more often :)

Grrrr! :)

After the race, I attended the 2011 Miss UCF Pageant, held at the beautiful University of Central Florida. Go Knights! Thank you to Allison Walsh for attending with me and to Veronica Levisay for allowing me to speak on behalf of the Children's Miracle Network, it is always an honor! It was a phenomenal production! Congratulations to Jaqueline Boehme, Miss UCF 2011!

With the beautiful Audra Martin and Allison Walsh!

My next appearance brought me to the Women's Junior League of Dunedin to speak on the topic of Cyberbullying. I was thrilled to once again share my story (although it is not a pleasant one) so that the severity of this issue is recognized. I was so excited to learn that they had many anti-bullying initiatives that were being planned for the upcoming year, it will most certainly change lives. Thank you to Suzanne Patrick for giving me the opportunity to speak to the lovely ladies of your Junior League!

My next highlight brings me to the United Food Bank of Plant City's annual "Celebrity Chef" event with Chef Jon Ashton as our special guest. (http://www.jonashton.com/). Before the evening began, there was a cook-off competition between the Plant City Gourmet Club and Grillers. I tried each of their dishes and have to say, they were both fabulous. However, there could only be one winner...and it was the Grillers! They had a delicious filet dish that was a hit. I couldn't wait to see what Chef Ashton would be demonstrating during dinner, which ended up being an Italian cream pasta recipe. He was extremely entertaining to say the least, but also very easy to follow as he was explaining each part of the process. It was wonderful to be a part of such a successful fundraiser for the Food Bank, as they assist countless amounts of families in the area. We appreciate their efforts so very much!

My next event took me to Naples, Florida for the ground breaking of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project/Faka Union Canal Pump Station on behalf of the Everglades Foundation. I was joined by Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar and other state and federal officials to celebrate the restoration project which will provide direct benefits to the many plant and animal species (including our Florida Panther) that inhabit the area by recreating its natural conditions and connecting broad expanses of other protected areas. It was an honor to not only be a part of the ground breaking but to also sing our National Anthem as a part of the day's events.

That evening, I attended the Foreverglades benefit at The Breakers in West Palm Beach, as it is the main fundraiser of the year for the Everglades Foundation. All proceeds support the Foundation's restoration programs aimed at saving our precious Everglades. This year's theme was "country-chic", so with my Plant City roots, I knew exactly what to wear ;) I was excited to put on my glitzy denim Juan Carlos outfit provided by Regalia Magnificent Apparel, and meet all of the wonderful people who have contributed to such an incredible organization that is continuing to change the state of Florida and our ecosystems for the better. Kenny Chesney was the star performer for the evening, but we were also surprised by another guest performer.... Jimmy Buffet! We had such a ball dancing the night away. Thank you to Wendy Roberts for accompanying me for such a fabulous evening and to the Everglades Foundation for allowing me to participate in both events.

Kenny Chesney!

I tried to put the cowboy hat over the crown...See it peeking out? :)

With legendary golfer, Jack Nicklaus and his wife. They are fantastic supporters of the Everglades Foundation!

In the midst of a very busy week, it was so wonderful to hear from Miss Delaware, Kayla Martell, that she was in Plant City (of all places!) filming for NBC's "The Doctors"! We were able to meet up in Tampa for lunch and it was the greatest feeling to see her. We had bonded so much during Miss America and I was overjoyed to be able to spend some time with her and her beautiful mother. I love you both!

The next evening, I attended the Miss Winter Park/ Miss City Beautiful Pageant. The Miss Florida Organization is thrilled to have both titles back at the state pageant this year. Congratulations to Ross Amkraut on a fabulous production, you did a fantastic job and we appreciate the opportunities that you have created for the young women in Central Florida! Congratulations also to Miss Winter Park- Kristina Janolo, Miss City Beautiful- Sara York, Miss Winter Park's Outstanding Teen- Samantha Janolo and Miss City Beautiful's Outstanding Teen- Rachel Strever!

With Kayla, Miss Delaware! :)

With our Winter Park/City Beautiful titleholders!

Next, I returned to St.Petersburg and had the honor of singing the National Anthem at the opening of International Baseball Season at Al Lang Field. It couldn't have been a more beautiful day for the game and it is always a pleasure to reunite with the wonderful people of St.Pete. It was an exciting game where Penn State took on the Seoul (South Korea) Nexen Heroes. It was great to catch up with Mayor Foster after he threw out the first pitch, and visit with other council members in attendance. It was great to see Al Lang Field keeping the tradition alive!

Although I would have loved to stay for the entire game, I immediately went to my next appearance of the day. It was an honor and privilege to attend The Sgt. Thomas Baitinger and K9 Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz Memorial Golf Tournament at Feathersound Country Club in Clearwater. I couldn't thank each of the participants enough for contributing, as all of the proceeds went directly to family. Thank you to the St. Petersburg Police Department for allowing me to attend and for all that you do each and every day in the community. You are our heroes.

After the tournament, my day didn't stop there! I drove to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay to assist in conducting another BullyBusters meeting with our awesome BullyBusters Youth Council. I love being able to help guide them as they face the battle of bullying every single day in their schools. They are true leaders and it excites me to have such positive, young people standing up to bullying by taking their personal experiences and using the strength that they have gained from persevering, to help other students. It is children and teens like them that continue to inspire me as well. Thank you to Carol and Commisioner Murman for such a wonderful partnership.

Next, I was thrilled to hear that legendary supermodel and Celebrity Apprentice star, Nikki Taylor was going to be in Plant City for the Reader's Digest "We Hear You America" tour, honoring America's greatest hometowns. They donated $1000 to Plant City's Little League and our hometown star, Chelsea Baker was recognized for her incredible achievements! She has been given nationwide exposure for throwing two perfect games in a year and has represented Plant City so well. We are so proud of you, Chelsea!

With Nikki Taylor and Chelsea Baker at City Hall!

Continue to stay posted, another entry to follow soon! :)

Much love,

Jaclyn

November/December Highlights!

2011-02-25T16:10:00.022-05:00

Hello Everyone! As promised, I will continue my blog where it was left off in November! As you can imagine, the excitement and hectic preparations for Miss America kept me quite busy during these two months. However, I want to keep all of you filled in on my amazing journey. Here are some of the highlights! :) After the Children's Miracle Network Torch Relay in Orlando, Mary and I traveled to my hometown of Plant City to attend a "Jersey Boys" concert at the Red Rose Inn and Suites. We were joined by the wonderful David Gilbert and my wonderful parents. It was such a fun evening and I couldn't wait to have my Miss America send-off party there in December! Thank you to the Madonia Family for allowing us to attend!

Mary and I. She is looking beautiful in gold! Some of the performers and I

Next, I attended the Hillsborough County School Board meeting to join Dr. Judith Rainone in presenting the Hillsborough County Schools Anti-Bullying/Harassment Awareness Month proclamation. This is aimed at ending all bullying and harassment and urges all schools, departments and individuals to launch an ongoing campaign to raise awareness about bullying and harassment prevention and intervention among youth and adults who influence them. It has been an honor to assist Hillsborough County in battling the ongoing issue of bullying.

Immediately after the meeting, I drove to the Ryan Nece Foundation's Good Samaritan Thanksgiving Celebration event. I had a wonderful time meeting the families, volunteers and supporters throughout the evening. Over 75 volunteers were able to feed over 1,000 people and distribute over 1,200 boxes of food and personal items to 400 families. Thank you to Ryan for allowing me to be a part of such a fantastic event and Mari Wilensky for attending with me.

With Ryan Nece

Later that week, I was invited to be a part of the Great American Teach in at Seminole High School, Seminole Middle School and Bauder Elementary School. I love speaking to many different ages of children about bullying prevention and sharing my story. It is an epidemic that all students experience, no matter what age, so it has been vital for me to educate them. Thank you to Mrs. Harrah and Skyler Harrah for making this day possible for me :)

The next morning, I had the pleasure of giving another "Stop Bullying Now" presentation to Valrico Elementary School. This particular presentation was covered by Channel 8 News Tampa and the Tampa Tribune, which the kids were very excited about :) This was also the day where my favorite question of the year was asked...."So, what KIND of castle do you live in, Miss Florida?". Of course, I had to tell them about my CAMARO (which the guys loved!) and explain to them that because of the amount of traveling I do, I don't get to visit my castle very often ;) Thank you to Regan Whitehurst for arranging each session!

The following week, was my Miss America support party, held at the beautiful home of Michael Nutter and Ron Jackson in Winter Park. Thank you to Jennifer McKenna, Allison Walsh, Michael and Ron for organizing an incredible afternoon for me and helping to assist me in my Miss America journey. Your kindness and willingness to help me is appreciated more than you know.

The next day, I traveled to Washington D.C. (for the very first time!) for 48 hours of business! First, I visited Florida House, which was founded in 1973 by Rhea Chiles as Florida's "embassy" in our nation's capital. It is owned by the people of the state of Florida and we are the only state to have such a facility that serves as a "home base" for tourists as well as the business community. Being a ninth generation Floridian, I always enjoy learning more information about my great state, which Florida House had much to offer. Thank you to Bart Hudson for taking the time to meet with me. (Pictured below with Fernando The Flamingo!).

Fernando!

Next, I met with SPAN USA (Suicide Prevention Action Network USA) a part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It was unbelievably wonderful to meet with the wonderful individuals who are a part of this organization. We discussed my platform very much in depth, especially legislation that could potentially effect it. Thank you to SPAN USA for the great support!

Visiting the SPAN USA headquarters

I love this shot, beautiful!

The next morning, I met with Florida Senator, Bill Nelson. He and his staff were so very welcoming and I had such a nice time discussing everything from Florida facts to bullying. It was also pretty cool to see all of the NASA and space exploration photos and to hear the interesting stories behind them. Thank you Sen. Nelson for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me.

Next, I had the honor of visiting National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Every day men and women are putting themselves in harm's way in risking their lives to preserve our freedom. I was greatly moved and humbled during my visit with them as well as their incredible families. Holding the hands and looking into the eyes of our wounded warriors is an experience that I will never forget. I am proud beyond words to be an American and grateful for the selfless sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. This was by far, my favorite day as Miss Florida.

Hey! Where did my sash go? :)

When I returned home from D.C., I visited my favorite radio station, 933flz at Clear Channel Communications in Tampa to film a short video for their "Shut It Down" anti-bullying campaign, and audio for PSA's that aired throughout the following weeks. It was awesome getting to know the crew, we had such a blast filming that day. Thank you to Tommy Chuck for allowing me to partner with 933flz to stop the spread of bullying!

With Froggy and the amazing interns!

With MJ, who I have grown up listening to. I'm a big fan!

The following day, I was joined by Miss St. Petersburg, Brittany Wardell, Miss Pinellas County Outstanding Teen, Mahallie Griffin, Miss Largo Outstanding Teen, Haley Muley, My beautiful little Mary Katherine Fechtel, Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen and my Miss Florida Sunshine Princess, Kayla Fisher for the St.Petersburg Santa Parade! It was great to be back in the host city of the Miss Florida Pageant and visiting with fans and friends from all over. Mary Katherine, Kayla and I had the privilege of riding in a carriage that looked exactly like the one in "Cinderella"! All three of us felt like absolute princesses and had a wonderful time together. After the parade, I had a delicious and fun filled lunch with the beautiful Fisher family, Mary Katherine and Dixie Fechtel. What a way to begin the Christmas holiday season! Thank you to Robert Danielson for organizing our participation in the parade.

Next, I participated in the All Children's Hospital Radiothon on behalf of the Children's Miracle Network. It is always a pleasure to visit and work with All Children's. They have incredible people who work within the hospital and within their guilds. Below is a photo of me doing a radio interview with US 103.5 fm! Thank you to Crissy McWilliams for always inviting me to participate :)

Next, came the day, which officially gave me the rush that..."I am going to compete in the Miss America Pageant in a month!". My Miss America send-off party was held at the beautiful Red Rose Inn and Suites of Plant City, Florida! I can't even begin to explain the feeling I had looking around the room, taking the afternoon in, and realizing the amount of love and support I had surrounding me at my send-off party alone. It was then that I realized no matter what the outcome of Miss America may be, I have these and other phenomenal people in my life and for that alone, I feel blessed beyond words. Thank you to Al Berry, The Madonia Family, Sandee Sytsma and the FANTASTIC committee, Mary Sullivan, the Miss Florida Board of Directors, Mary Katherine, Ann Marie Griffin, David and Carry of Regalia, LaVoyce Porter, the local directors and local titleholders in attendance and of course to my beautiful family, Mommy, Daddy and Alek ( I absolutely have to thank you three the most!). It was the perfect day of encouragement and celebration as I was approaching my departure for Las Vegas very soon! :)

With Mary Katherine Fechtel- Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen, Former Miss Florida's Allison Walsh, Kylie Williams and Mari Wilensky, the amazing Mary Sullivan and our fabulous Miss Florida Board of Directors!

As soon as my send-off party had concluded, Mary, my mother and I rushed to get ready for 93.3flz's Jingle Ball concert held at the St.Pete Times Forum! I was invited to be a guest in the Metro PCS "Celebrity Club" where I was interviewed on the jumbo-tron by Katie Sommers and also spent time with the other awesome 933flz DJs. It was great to also meet a few of the performers as well. Thanks again to everyone at 933flz! :)

With Mike Posner

Being interviewed by Katie Sommers.

My final highlight before departing for the Miss America Pageant, was my Studio 10 interview with Holley and Jerome! They were so excited to learn about my Miss Florida experience thus far and also about my Miss America preparation and details about the pageant. Being a broadcast journalism major, it is always fun for me to be on set and learn something new each time I walk into a news station. Thank you to Bill Doniel for joining me that morning!

Watch out for my next blog entry very soon! :)

Love,

Jaclyn

Miss America 2011

2011-01-19T14:38:00.017-05:00

Hello Everyone!

So much time has flown by, and I promise to update my blog with my events and appearances from December. However, I first want to express my gratitude and share with you what an unbelievable experience Miss America 2011 was for me.

I have always dreamed of being Miss Florida and one day competing on the Miss America stage.

Well, although I did not bring home the title of Miss America, I gained so much more than I could have ever imagined. I have achieved a vision that I, at times, never thought would become a reality.

Thank you to David Lang and Carry O'Neal of Regalia, Ann Marie Griffin, Don Baker, Bill Wolfe, Ron Jackson, Michael Nutter, Allison Krieger, Jennifer McKenna, Lisa McGrath- Gala Salon and Spa, Courtney and Debbie Clark, The Madonia's, Sandee Sytsma and my send-off committee, Planet Beach, Mandalay Mist, Chris Martin at Copperhead Salon, Remedi Spa, Robert Danielson, Lynn Clark and the Miss Largo Board, My little sister queen MaryKatherine, Elizabeth and Dixie Fechtel, my fabulous parade escort, David Gilbert, Dana Judge, Rob Loy, Richard Walker, Keith Williams, my wonderful E.D. , Mary Sullivan and the rest of the fabulous board of the Miss Florida Organization. I will continue to update this list as I find myself recalling others as well! There are so many wonderful individuals that I would not have otherwise been able to perform to the best of my ability at Miss America. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

To the Miss America Organization. You have changed my life. I have grown into the kind of young woman, that I always, as a young girl, hoped to become. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to showcase my platform, "Stop Bullying Now!" as a 2011 Quality of Life Finalist. I intended my year as Miss Florida to not be about myself, but about spreading my anti-bullying message to our youth and the rest of the nation. Thank you for the recognition and giving me the opportunity to share my story. To Art McMaster and Sam Haskell, you are two of the most sincere and giving individuals that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. You continue to assist young women achieve their dreams, as you have mine. Thank you for all that you put into the Miss America Organization to ensure that it continues to thrive. To the volunteers, staff, security and production crew, all of you made the "behind the scenes" experience such a joy and made sure that we were always taken care of at all times. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciated every bit of concern that you showed for us as contestants. I felt a very special bond with each of you throughout the week and I now see why we are all considered the "Miss America Family".

Walking into the arrival ceremony on Thursday afternoon, was like being lifted onto a cloud and remaining there the entire week. From the DSW commercial shoots, Planet Hollywood commercial shoots, to the Joseph Ribkoff Fashion Show, the Barry Manillow Concert (which I was unable to stay the entire time for, due to being sick :(....), visiting the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel, and my ultimate favorite....the DSW "Show Us Your Shoes" Parade, we were living an absolute dream and I relished in every moment of it.

Only 3,200 women have had the opportunity to compete for Miss America, and I am proud and honored to say that I am one of them, having represented the greatest state in the nation....FLORIDA! I can honestly say, that I do not have one single regret about my Miss America preparation or performance. I am a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason and we all have a very specific path that we are meant to take in life. Although mine is not meant for me to be Miss America, I am going to cherish the last few months I have left of being Miss Florida, and like I promised in my on-stage question at Miss Florida this year..... make all of you proud!

To the Miss America Class of 2011- I...LOVE...YOU! Wow, I was floored at the amount of laughter, deep talks, strength and bonding that we all experienced together in Vegas. I can't even begin to describe to anyone who wasn't a contestant or hostess how well we got along and the amount of camaraderie there was between us. I am HONORED to say that I was a part of this particular class and you all truly made the experience for me. I know that we will remain in touch for the rest of our lives, you are my Miss America sisters :)

To my amazing roommate- Kacie West, Miss Montana. I could not have asked for a better roomie. From the moment we met, it was unreal how our personalities just "clicked". Thank you for being such an incredible support, rock and friend, and for sharing many laughs and memories with me. You are one in a million!!!!!

To the "Wolf Pack"- Melaina, Stephanie, Kelsi, Ashley and Brittany- The amount of inside jokes and laughs we shared in Vegas is unbelievable. Never did I think that I would laugh so hard at some of the most exhausting moments of the week. We certainly kept each other entertained! :)I am going to miss every second that I spent with all of you and I can't wait for our (first of many) reunions to come! "Roo-ha-ha".

To my PHENOMENAL family- Mom, Dad, Alek, Auntie Diania and Uncle Roy, Auntie Lorraine and Uncle Jeff, Merissa, My "little" Katie and Sandy, Sherrie Ngo and Lisa and David Galloway. Thank you for making the trip to Vegas to support me. It was such a great feeling to look out into the audience and to see all of your smiling faces. You are all such a blessing to me, and I would not be where I am at this moment, without all of you. I love you so very much.

To all of my supporters and friends- thank you for your encouraging text messages, Facebook messages and wall posts. I was unable to read most of them while I was in Vegas but it means the world to me that you sent them. Thank you for the kind words :)

I will be updating my Facebook with photos from my week at Miss America, and will showcase a few of them on here once I receive them.

Looking forward to a beautiful Floridian rest of the year! :)

Jaclyn

Fall!

2010-11-09T13:38:00.017-05:00

I am undeniably ecstatic about the weeks ahead as my arrival date to the 2011 Miss America Pageant inches closer and closer. Every once in a while, I find that I am almost at a loss for words when asked to describe my experiences as Miss Florida. It is an epic combination of so many incredible moments, people, thoughts and emotions wrapped into my heart, that words cannot begin to describe it. Being Miss Florida has exceeded all of my expectations and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to serve our country as Miss America 2011. Las Vegas can't get here soon enough!

I apologize for not updating in a while. The past couple of months have been non stop and I wanted to make sure I included as much as I could for all of you to enjoy. :)

I had the opportunity to film anti-bullying PSA's for both i-Safe and Community Tampa Bay in October, thanks to the wonderful St.Pete TV crew. It has been vital that my platform, Stop Bullying Now, is recognized and its message sent directly to the people of my state and ultimately our nation. As we have witnessed within the past few months, bullying is affecting our youth at drastic levels that are incomprehensible. Thank you to both i-Safe and Community Tampa Bay for our partnerships to help stop the spread of bullying.

I was honored to be a special guest at the grand opening of Stone Crab season at Joes Stone Crab in Miami on behalf of the Everglades Foundation. In order to have a successful Stone Crab season as well as keeping many of our fish and crustacean species alive and healthy, it is imperative that we protect our ecosystems. Thank you to Joe's for allowing us to spread our message to Floridians who are directly affected by the conditions of our Everglades!

Next, I was a "celebrity guest" at the Hollywood Welcomes the Stars event benefiting the Boys and Girls Club at the Westin Diplomat Golf Resort. I had such a wonderful time with the children who were directly benefiting from the night's success. They were so wonderful to visit with and were so very polite! I met quite a few Miami Dolphins players (both current and former) including Channing Crowder, as well as Dan Mangru of the Mangru Report on FOX Business Network, magician Murray Sawchuck and many more! I was so honored to receive an award recognizing my contribution to the Boys and Girls Club (I was very excited in the photo below!). Thank you to the sponsors and individuals who made this night possible!

My travels then took me to Orlando for UCF's Spirit Splash during Homecoming weekend! I had such a blast being introduced on-stage with the rest of the Homecoming Court and spending time with Miss UCF, Sara York and Mr. UCF, Jared Massucci! The Friday before the Homecoming football game, students enter the Reflecting Pond for UCF's biggest pep rally, and only chance to legally get into the UCF Reflecting Pond! The event featured UCF's cheerleading team, dancers and Marching Knights. Thank you to UCF for the wonderful recognition.

A couple of hours later, I had the wonderful honor of singing the National Anthem at the Black and Gold Alumni Gala held at the beautiful UCF Arena. I was joined by Veronica Levisay, the Mr. and Miss UCF Executive Director and Jared Masucci, Mr. UCF who sang an awesome rendition of the UCF Alma Mater. It was such a great feeling to be amongst fellow Knights who showed support for our University and its different colleges. Congratulations to all of the winners of the various awards that were presented in honor of their achievements. Pictured below with Veronica (other photos soon to follow!) Thank you to Jared for letting me wear your coat! It was freezing in the building!

The next morning, I woke up ecstatic to be a part of the UCF Homecoming Parade! I was riding in style in a beautiful, orange, convertible Mustang! I thoroughly enjoyed waving to and greeting all of the energized UCF fans in the crowd. I must say, it couldn't have been a more perfect day for such a wonderful tradition. GOOOOOO KNIGHTS! Thank you again to Veronica and LaVoyce Porter for joining me that afternoon. I am pictured below in front of my sorority house, Delta Delta Delta before the parade began.

The Community Tampa Bay District Wide Youth Conference was held on a beautiful morning in Pinellas County for high school students who are leaders amongst their schools. The day is designed to have students discuss issues that are relevant to their school climate and ways to develop leadership skills, create action plans to implement in their school and promote a safe and respectful learning environment. The topic of many discussions was bullying and respect among the student body. I shared my personal story about growing up being severely bullied and how I was able to positively inpsire other individuals to stand up for themselves if faced with a bullying obstacle. It is never a lighthearted presentation, but I was certainly effective in getting my message across to the students, and I know that they understood what they can to do stop the spread of bullying in school and in their communities. Thank you to Jessica Estevez for allowing me to be a part of an incredible day! Please check out http://www.communitytampabay.org/! Pictured below, setting up for the day and also with some of our students who attended!

Next, I attended the Plant City Rotary Club fundraiser for The United Food Bank of Plant City. Visiting with my fellow Plant Citians was a great feeling while raising money for a fantastic cause. There are so many families this Thanksgiving season that will not be able to afford meals for themselves. It is imperative that we help our neighbors and celebrate in this season of giving. Thank you to the Plant City Rotary and Kelleigh Klein for continuing to inspire our community to give back!

After spending a week in Miami with Mary for necessary Miss America preparations, I traveled back to Durant High School in Plant City for the 2010 Calendar Girl Pageant. It is a tradition that is great in raising school spirit and allowing the young ladies of Durant High to represent their school in another capacity. As a former Cover Girl, was honored to crown the twelve young ladies who received a month on the calendar, and of course, our beautiful 2011 Cover Girl! Thank you to Jim Hilsman and Courtney Singletary for allowing me to be a part of one of my favorite Durant traditions! Pictured below with a few of the handsome escorts, one of the many volunteers and our beautiful Cover Girl, Jordan Alfonso!

The Children's Miracle Network Torch Relay hosted by All Children's Hospital took place in St.Petersburg on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon. Individuals from all walks of life (ACH employees, parents, Mariott employees, friends, residents, volunteers) gathered in North Straub Park to kick off a three mile walk through downtown St.Pete to All Children's and back to the park. After thanking the crowd for their attendance and informing them of the Miss America/CMN partnership, I was given the privilege to hold our American flag at the front of the line! I also managed to not change out of my knee high 3 1/2 inch boots and made it through the entire three mile walk! I can certainly attribute that accomplishment to many pageant rehearsals and appearances. Thank you to Crissy McWilliams for inviting me to such a special event that I was blessed to be involved with. Pictured below is my autograph on the Torch Relay Bus that has traveled throughout the country raising funds and awareness for CMN!

The next evening, I attended the annual Pineapple Ball in Homestead, Florida benefiting the Homestead Hospital. I was more than honored to sing the National Anthem before the evening's festivities and celebration of the hospital's fundraising success! As you can see from the photos, the theme was "Circus" and had fun and colorful decorations throughout the facility! Thank you to Ann Marie for joining me on such a special evening!

The next morning, Mary and I drove to Orlando for the CMN Torch Relay in Orlando! I was once again, honored to sing our National Anthem before the walk kicked off. Kara from MIX 105.1 Orlando, Chris Orion, and contestants from NBC's "Biggest Loser" joined me in welcoming our participants and Miracle Children. I had a ball greeting everyone and playing games with some of the children in the carnival section! Thank you also to Vicky DiSanto, Miss Orlando for coming out to support Children's Miracle Network and Arnold Palmer Hospital.

Look out for another blog entry soon! Thank you again to all of my fabulous friends and family for all of your continued support and well wishes :)

Love,

Jaclyn

What an incredible journey....

2010-10-11T11:32:00.026-04:00

After the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Pageant in Orlando, I drove home to celebrate my birthday with my family! It was wonderful to share the experiences and stories from MAOT with my mother, father and brother. I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing at home for the day and of course, eating lots of ice cream birthday cake! :)

I then drove to Miami to meet with the Everglades Foundation to discuss our exciting plans for the upcoming months. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be a spokesperson for them this year, especially being a ninth generation Floridian, putting my efforts towards the restoration of our Florida Everglades is vital. I can't wait to see what great things our partnership will bring for the Everglades Foundation. To find out how you can help, please visit: http://www.evergladesfoundation.org/

Later in the week, I met with Stacie Blake and Jessica Esteves of Community Tampa Bay in St.Petersburg. I shared with them my mission and personal story regarding my platform, Stop Bullying Now! During the month of October, we are working on PSA's and also the Youth Conference, as well as other anti-bullying initiatives. Please visit their website: http://www.communitytampabay.org/.

With Stacie and Jessica of Community Tampa Bay.

The following day, I attended the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation Celebrity Poker Tournament to benefit the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation and All Children's Hospital in St.Petersburg. I had a wonderful time greeting guests and taking photos with a few of the Tampa Bay Lightning players and many of the other celebrities that attended. It was wonderful seeing one of the 2010 Miss Florida Judges and former Tampa Bay Buccanneer, Ryan Nece. It was great to catch up and hear about the recent successful events of his foundation. It was a fantastic event with great people for an even greater cause. Please visit: http://www.vinny4.com/ and http://www.ryannece56.com/. Thank you to Bill and Kim Doniel for traveling with me to the tournament!

Next, I traveled to Orlando to work at an IT Outsourcing Convention for three days, with the wonderful people of Stefanini. It was such a great experience to listen and learn from individuals who had such business savvy and words of wisdom to share with me. Thank you to Stefanini for an incredible and fun-filled opportunity.

Next, I traveled to New York City for a few days working on preparation for Miss America. While I was there, I had lunch with Shauna Pender, Miss Florida 2003! I have idolized Shauna growing up and it was very surreal to be spending time with such a legendary and phenomenal woman. Thank you Shauna for a FUN afternoon! :)

As soon as I returned home from New York, I attended the Miss Florida Franchise Meeting held at The University of Central Florida! I was so happy to be on the UCF campus again, although it felt strange not to be walking to class with a book bag and laptop in my arms! I can't begin to say how wonderful it was so see the local directors of Florida. We appreciate them so very much and all that they do for the young women of our state. I had the pleasure of speaking to them and informing them of where my travels had taken me and give them an update of my Miss America preparations. As soon as I left the meeting, I walked down Greek Park Drive and spoke at my sorority's weekly New Member meeting to talk to all of the new young women of our chapter. I spoke to them about leadership and what wonderful opportunities Tri-Delta had given me throughout my collegiate years and how vital it is to take advantage of them. They are such a beautiful and bright group of ladies. Thank you to Brittany and Annie for allowing me to visit with PC '10! Below is a photo of myself and my Grandlittles, Lindsay and Melissa (who I had seen for the first time when I walked into the meeting!)

The following day, Mary and I anxiously awaited for the 2011 Miss America Contestant Lottery! I was thrilled when I was called fourth to pick my placement, and received the exact spot I was hoping for. Remember: Group- Sigma... Number-8..... Tuesday AM: Interview....Tuesday Preliminary: Swimsuit and Evening Gown.... Wednesday Preliminary: Talent...... Thursday Preliminary: On-Stage Question.... Woo-hoo!

Waiting for the lottery to begin.......

The next day, I traveled to Plant City to Tomlin Middle School, where I attended middle school. I was excited to attend Rachel's Challenge and speak to many of the students and parents that attended. Rachel Scott, was the first student to be killed in the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. Her uncle, Larry Scott conducted the presentation and travels the country promoting Rachel's Challenge. This program encourages students to be kind, understanding and helpful to others. It was an honor to speak with Mr.Scott about Rachel and my platform as well. Tomlin also launched a new club, Chain Links that is supported by the PTSA to build character and deter bullying! It was incredible to be able to make a difference by spreading such an important message. Thank you to Diana Lott for inviting me and to Larry Scott for continuing to be such an inspiration across our nation. Let's all being a chain reaction of kindness in our own communities! Visit. http://www.rachelschallenge.org/

With members of the Tomlin Middle School PTSA.

Next, I traveled to Miami for an open house event at Equinox in Coral Gables. Equinox has been an incredible sponsor and I was more than excited to be able to attend the event, that even featured a bellydancer! Thank you to Tom Kreiger who has been such a great supporter of the Miss Florida Organization. Equinox is absolutely fabulous and they have fitness facilities around the country! Visit http://www.equinox.com/!

Thank you Tom Krieger, for your generosity!

My next stop was Orlando to shoot with the fabulous Deanna Meredith for crowining and publicity shots. I am so happy with the amazing looks that Deanna was able to capture! Gina Lamm provided Hair and Make-up, which could not have looked better! Thank you so very much to Deanna and Gina for a GREAT day! http://www.deannameredith.com/

Mary and I leaving Deanna's studio in my fabulous CAMARO provided by STINGRAY CHEVROLET in Plant City, Florida!

That Tuesday, I attended an official BullyBusters of Hillsborough County meeting. While I was there, I had the pleasure of meeting many of the parents and kids that attended and was also given the opportunity to share my personal experiences with bullying. It is such a wonderful feeling to spread a message of hope and strength to the children and awareness to the parents. Thank you to Commissioner Rose Ferlita for beginning this wonderful and impactful program.

With Commissioner Rose Ferlita in my official BullyBusters t-shirt!

The next day, I was so excited to visit Knights Elementary to give them a Stop Bullying Now! presentation! I was pleasantly suprised at how well behaved the kids were, they were extremely attentive! I gave a presentation to 2nd and 3rd grade and another presentation to 4th and 5th grade, and had a blast interacting with each assembly and answering their (sometimes hysterical) questions :) After my presentations, I read to the 1st grade and under students, and they were just precious! I loved spending time with them and even showed a class how to put a crown on and they were so enthralled :) I had a fantastic time. Thank you to Mari Wilensky for allowing me to visit Knights!

Later that evening, I drove to St.Petersburg for a Rick Baker celebration at the Mahaffey Theater! It was wonderful to see Mr.Baker along with his beautiful family, a few of the St.Pete Council Members, and Mayor Bill Foster. It was an honor to be there and celebrate Mr.Baker's position with the University of South Florida! He was even presented with a USF Bulls T-shirt and sported it throughout the evening.

With the inspirational Rick Baker.

With friend and Mayor of St.Petersburg, Bill Foster

The next day, I was back at the Mahaffey Theater for the 3rd annual Curtain Call event! This was extremely special, as they give the audience a preview of each show coming to the Mahaffey during the year. The Miss Florida Pageant was one of the events featured and I was introduced onstage to speak about our partnership with the Mahaffey and the City of St.Petersburg. We are so thankful to call St.Pete the home of the Miss Florida Pageant. Thank you to Bill and Kim Doniel for attending with me.

Sitting in the audience of the Mahaffey where I was crowned. It was certainly a change to be sitting in the audience seats!

The following day, I drove to the Rosen Center Hotel in Orlando for the 2010 Florida Statewide Substance Abuse Preventions Conference. The theme of the conference was "Different Roles, Common Goals, Advancing Prevention, Empowering Lives", which parallels with my platform, Stop Bullying Now! Director of the Florida Office of Drug Control, Bruce Grant hosted the awards ceremony where I had the honor of sitting at the head table with other VIP guests including Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp. It was a pleasure to hear him speak and remind all of us that we will make a tremendous impact on our communities in preventing drug abuse. I was introduced and able to share my platform with the individuals in attendance, which is always a wonderful feeling. I handed out awards to the leaders in prevention and even recieved an award myself. Mr.Grant presented me with a Florida Office of Drug Control Who's Who in Prevention award for my service and dedication to prevention in Florida, working to protect youth and strengthen families and communities. What an honor! Thank you to Brooks Rumenik and Senta Goudy for inviting me and assisting me at the conference, I had a wonderful time!

With Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Jeff Kottkamp

Receiving my Florida Office of Drug Control Who's Who in Prevention award.

Sitting at the head table with the other VIP guests.

With King William (that's his real name!) a new friend and prevention leader!

After the conference, I headed immediately to South Florida for the Crosby, Stills and Nash concert at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino. I attended on behalf of the Everglades Foundation and promoted the foundation at the front of the venue as fans arrived at the show. I had such a wonderful time with Richard and Vivian creating awareness for the Everglades as well as the Miss America Organization. While we were there, we were lucky enough to be invited backstage! Below are a couple photos from the evening.

The next day, I modeled for Juan Carlos Pinera at a beautiful "Cirque" themed benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami. I had such a blast getting my hair and make-up done for this event! It was pretty wild, I must say, but looked great with the theme! It was a successful evening for St.Jude and Juan Carlos' designs looked incredible on each of the models. St. Jude is the philanthropy for my sorority, Tri-Delta, so this cause is very near and dear to me, I was thrilled to be a part of it. Below are photos of my "hot Cirque look" for the evening!

Red extensions? Hmmmm.

The next afternoon, I attended the Miss Florida Teen USA Pageant with Mary and Carry O'Neal of Regalia. It was a nice feeling to be in the audience and cheer for my friends that were competing. It was stiff competition but each contestant shined beautifully! Congratulations to Mikyle Crockett! Below is a photo with one of my good friends and Miss Lakeland Teen USA, Jordan Weaver, who was absolutely stunning that evening!

REMEMBER: Your Miss America ticket orders will be due at the beginning of November, please e-mail the Miss Florida Organization for ticket information.

Another reminder of my competition lineup:

Group Sigma #8

Tuesday AM- Interview

Tuesday Preliminary- Swimsuit and Evening Gown

Wednesday Preliminary- Talent

Thursday Preliminary- On-stage Question

That is all for now, everyone. I will keep you updated, as October is in full swing and Miss America is right around the corner! :)

Best Wishes,

Jaclyn

Hello Again!

2010-08-30T22:01:00.016-04:00

On Sunday, August 22nd, I attended the send-off party for Florida's Sweetheart, Diana Kelly! It was held in St.Petersburg at Skyline Fifth Apartments, the official apartment complex for Miss Florida :) It was such a pleasure to see field directors, Lynne Dalton and Patti Bolding as well as my Miss Largo Board of Directors, Lynn Clark, Heather Weber and Patty Pierce. Also in attendance were Miss Florida Board Members, Rob Loy and Keith Williams, Miss Florida 2007 Kylie Williams, Miss Central Florida Beaches Ashley Ramsey, the beautiful and talented Alicia Roberts (who is a former Miss Philedalphia and you can also catch her on weekday mornings on News Channel 8 Tampa Bay), former Mayor of St.Petersburg Rick Baker and his lovely daughter, Julann, Robert Danielson, Bill & Kim Doniel, Daniel Slapo, and of course, our beautiful guest of honor, Diana Kelly and her mom!

We had such a wonderful time wishing Diana lots of luck in Hoopeston, Illinois! She is one of 35 contestants who will vie for National Sweetheart title. Kylie and I took the liberty of crowning her with the corn stalk that Rob brought her as a gift ;) (See our silly photo below). On a personal note, Diana is someone that I have always looked up to and believe is more than deserving of the Sweetheart title. She is a phenomenal person and is going to do an incredible job this week. Good luck, Diana! Florida loves you!!!! :)

On Tuesday, August 24th I attended the first night of the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Preliminary Competition. Sierra Minott, Miss Florida 2008, emceed the first two nights of competition and kept the audience entertained with her "You Might Be a Pageant Girl If......" stories throughout the evening. She was fabulous! MaryKatherine shined in her incredible evening gown (provided by REGALIA Magnificent Apparel) and did a great job answering her on-stage question. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful she looked, and even got a little choked up when she hit the stage. :) Below are photos from visitation.

With Miss California, Arianna Asfar.

With Sierra, Miss Florida 2008 (and also Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2005)

The second night of the Miss America's Oustanding Teen Preliminary Competition, was MaryKatherine's night to compete in fitness wear. Sierra was the emcee again, and continued to do a fantastic job. I have to tell you, the fitness routine was intense! They had an adorable coreographed routine that even included a push-up during each contestant's presentation. MaryKatherine was beautiful and definitely fit!

With Massachutsetts, New Jersey, California and Hawaii

With Wyoming, Meghan Miller (former MAOT), Colorado and Connecticut

The next day, each contestant had a 60 second spot to film for ABC.com with Tall Pony Productions. I was scheduled to shoot at 9:30am and had an Artistry Cosmetics interview directly after. Both went extremely well and I can't wait to see the results! :)

Before the last night of preliminaries, Mary Sullivan and Regalia Magnificent Apparel, hosted a dinner for the 53 Miss contestants, Miss America Staff and Board Members at Maggiano's in Pointe Orlando. Art McMaster asked each contestant to share one fun fact that would help us to get to know each other better and it worked! Thank you to Mary Sullivan and Regalia for hosting such a fabulous event!

I was excited to attend the Thursday preliminary because it was MaryKatherine's night to perform her talent. She performed a BEAUTIFUL lyrical dance to "Bridge Over Troubled Waters". I had tears in my eyes as I watched her own the stage and exude grace and confidence :) Below are photos from the evening.

With my beautiful Melaina!

Being silly at Maggiano's!

On our way to dinner! Myself, Melaina (Colorado) and Emoly (Oklahoma)

The best table! Becky (Ohio), Myself, Melaina (Colorado), Sarah Beth (Mississippi), Kelsi (Louisiana) and Katie (Virginia)

After prelims! Allison Kreiger Walsh (Miss Florida 2006), Myself, Sierra Minott (Miss Florida 2008 and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2005) and Dana Dalton Judge (Miss Florida 1990)

The next morning, all 53 of the Miss America contestants were ecstatic to go to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom for a fun-filled day of filming and enjoying the park. As soon as we arrived, we were taken to the lawn in front of Cinderella's Castle to be interviewed. I was apart of the selected interviews as well as the general interviews. Although we all felt extremely hot, we were so wrapped up in the excitement of being in Disney. What a fantastic experience!

Group #1! We were filmed riding the Teacups and then Space Moutain after our interviews.

Me and Claire (New York) on our way to Disney!

Being interviewed

Later that evening, we attended a Miss America fundraiser held at the incredible Segiel estate in Orlando. We arrived in style on a red carpet that was rolled out for us before we entered! We then took a group photo on the staircase of the Seigel home before visiting all of the delicious food vendors that had an array of treats to choose from. We had a great time dancing the night away and meeting all of the guests that attended also. Thank you to David and Jacquline Seigel for hosting such an amazing party and making each of us feel like celebrities!

Kelsi (Louisiana), Myself, and Emoly (Oklahoma)

Does anyone notice anything different? :)

Kelsi (Louisiana), Myself and Katie (Virginia)

Mary-Katherine and I before we left.

On Saturday, the 53 Miss America Contestants attended an orientation in the morning for very important information regarding the competition in Vegas. It was a very helpful meeting as we listened to the insight that Caressa had for each of us regarding the job of Miss America.

After our orientation, I had lunch with the Miss Colorado directors, Suzi and Wayne Doland along with Melaina Shipwash, Miss Colorado. Melaina and I have already become such GREAT friends- I can't wait to see her and many of the other contestants I had the pleasure of meeting in Las Vegas. We bonded so much this weekend.

Before the MAOT finals, all 53 of us attended an autograph session that was held at the Linda Chapin Theater, the venue for the MAOT Pageant. I was so happy to meet so many fans of the pageant from all over the country!

Congratulations to our new Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Lacey Russ from Oklahoma! We are so excited to have her as our nation's representative. MaryKatherine recieved the Non-Finalist Talent Award as well as the Photogenic Award! Way to go MK! :)

As I reflected on the past week, I have seen firsthand the amazing friendships that this program creates for not only the contestants but the directors, families and fans from across the nation. We are Miss America strong! :) Enjoy more photos below!

Until next time,

Jaclyn Raulerson

Miss Florida 2010

At the autograph signing!

The "Wolf Pack". Ashley (Texas), Stephanie (D.C.), Melaina (Colorado) and myself.

My beautiful Melaina!

Kelsi (Louisiana), myself, Melaina (Colorado) and Stephanie (D.C.)

Greetings from Florida!

2010-08-20T23:16:00.038-04:00

As my journey continues, I feel more blessed every single day to be Miss Florida. I am constantly keeping busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am so thankful for each appearance and opportunity that I have been given. :)

On Sunday, August 8th, I had the pleasure of visiting the West Palm Apparel Mart with Mary and Miss Anne Marie Griffin of Anne Marie's boutique (Homestead, FL). I was a special guest at the Joseph Ribkoff booth for the day and picked out a few fall selections as part of my wardrobe this year. Thank you to the representatives who were kind enough to guide me through the collections. I absolutely LOVE the pieces, especially because Joseph Ribkoff is the official designer for Miss America! Thank you also to Scala, Alberto Malaki and Christine Alexander for your generosity. Below is a photo of me at the Joseph Ribkoff booth in a fabulous winter piece!

On Tuesday, August 1o, I was invited to the 2nd annual Inspire Awards Luncheon with the Largo/Mid-Pinellas Chamber of Commerce at the Greektown Grill restaurant. While I was there, I was introduced to many members of the chamber and the Women in Business Council. I spoke about my platform, Stop Bullying Now and CMN as well as my crowning moment as Miss Florida and the journey to Miss America. I was so appreciative of the support from everyone there and was delighted to be in the presence of such inspiring individuals and to honor them for their contributions to the community. Congratulations to all of the Inspire Award winners. Photo from the luncheon below.

The next day, I traveled to Orlando to meet with Carry O'Neal and David Lang of Regalia Magnificent Apparel to choose my cocktail attire for the week of Miss America's Outstanding Teen! Thank you both so much for always making me feel like family and truly magnificent :)

The next day, I traveled to St.Petersburg for the City Council meeting. I received my proclamation from the City of St.Petersburg declaring August 12th, 2010 Children's Miracle Network Day in St.Petersburg, Florida. Thank you to Mayor Bill Foster and the rest of the Council members for allowing me to promote CMN and raise awareness for such an incredible cause that continues to benefit over 13 million children across the nation each year. It was truly a pleasure to speak to the council and also visit with the staff of city hall. Thank you also to Robert Danielson for assisting me through the day :)

Immediately following my visit to St.Petersburg, I drove to Orlando for Alumni Night at my sorority Delta Delta Delta at the University of Central Florida. It was such an incredible feeling to be reunited with my sisters and our prestigious alumni chapter. Each year before sorority recruitment, our alumni visit with our collegiate chapter to offer words of wisdom and encouragement before the week begins. I was able to speak to the girls about staying positive and having faith in the principles that our chapter was founded upon. They were so prepared and very much looking forward to welcoming the TriDelta Pledge Class of 2010. Congratulations to my wonderful sisters! You all have worked so hard and will do a fantastic job :) Below is a photo with my two little sisters, Katie and Chera, and a photo with my "Greek family #22". I love you all.

That Sunday, I was thrilled to be apart of Stacy Schiefflin's YBF Cosmetics show on Home Shopping Network! Stacy is on the Miss America's Outstanding Teen Board of Directors and a fabulous business woman who has had much success with her incredible make-up. We did three LIVE shows, 8am, 4pm and 9pm, that day beginning with a 5:30am call time. The models and I had such a great day doing make-up demonstrations on the air and applying and experimenting with the products. Thank you Stacy for allowing me to be a part of an exciting and fun-filled day at HSN! Below are photos on-set, with our make-up assistant and the other models!

With Stacey Schiefflin of YBF Cosmetics

YBF Models and Girlfriends!

I just loved the rhinestone YBF sign! Check out the bling!

On Wednesday, August 18th, I attended the Hillsborough County Commission meeting in Tampa, Florida along with my father Mayor Dan Raulerson of Plant City, Florida. Before meeting with the rest of the Commission, I visited Commissioner Rose Ferlita in her office to discuss my platform, Stop Bullying Now! and partnering with the BullyBusters program in Hillsborough County. We are so thrilled to be collaborating in an effort to stop bullying for good in our schools. Thank you, Commissioner Ferlita for this incredible partnership, I can't wait to begin working together!

After my meeting with Commissioner Ferlita, I was presented with a Proclamation honoring my accomplishments and contributions to my platform and the state as Miss Florida 2010. I was overwhelmed with the amount of appreciation and support from everyone, what an amazing feeling. Thank you to the Hillsborough County Commission for such a wonderful honor! I promise to make you proud. Photos from the meeting are posted below.

On Thursday, August 19th, I attended the annual University of Central Florida Football Season Kickoff Luncheon held in the beautiful UCF Arena. I was so excited to be introduced with Miss America 2004, Erika Dunlap who is also a UCF Knight! I had the pleasure of meeting a few of the football coaches, players, alumni and contributors to the athletic department. I was also reunited with our mascot, Knightro who is always wonderful to see keeping the UCF spirit alive! The members of the UCF Student Government were also in attendance and were so kind to congratulate me on my Miss Florida achievements, they are wonderful examples for our university. President Hitt and Coach O'Leary were fantastic speakers and got everyone extremely pumped for the 2010 football season. Thank you to Veronica Levisay for chaperoning me and being my Camaro co-pilot for the day :) Photos posted below!

With a few of the football players

They put me on the jumbo-tron!

Yum! Cheeseburgers and hot dogs, perfect football food! :)

Me, Mrs.Nicholson and Erika Dunlap, Miss America 2004

With our mascot, Knightro!

Hello Everyone!

2010-08-08T00:22:00.024-04:00

I absolutely love every moment serving as Miss Florida 2010. I can't believe that it has already been almost an entire month since my crowning! I still find myself waking up in the morning and wanting to pinch myself, it is really a dream come true to have this opportunity. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of so many individuals who have been willing to sponsor, support, and offer me their words of wisdom. It feels so incredible to have so much love and encouragement from so many people behind me as I embark on the greatest journey of my entire life.

After returning home from the Miss Kentucky Pageant, I traveled to Mary's home in Miami to tackle my Miss America paperwork. I am truly blessed to have Mary's guidance, she is one in a million and we work incredibly well as a team :)

While I was in Miami, Mary and I drove to Homestead, Florida to visit Ann Marie of Ann Marie's Bridal Boutique. We had such a fun time selecting my wardrobe for my year as Miss Florida and spending time catching up with each other. Thank you to Ann Marie for the unbelievable amount of support and generosity you have shown me.

The next week, I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to have my Miss America official head shots taken by the beautiful Kristy Belcher of Kristy Belcher Photography, along with the amazingly talented Joel Green for hair and makeup. I had a BLAST working with both of them. We shared so many laughs during the day and the shoot flew by so fast! I can't wait to share the head shot that we have chosen with everyone :)

As soon as I returned home from Nashville, I drove to Boca Raton, Florida for an appearance with the Florida Funeral Directors Association during their annual convention. The convention was held at the BEAUTIFUL Boca Raton Resort and Convention Center. I was honored to have the privilege of cutting the ribbon for the trade show and welcoming visitors from all over the state. I had the opportunity to speak about my platform, Stop Bullying Now! and the Miss America Organization throughout the show. I discussed my personal bullying experiences with many parents that were in attendance, and also their children's current bullying hardships within their schools. It was very empowering to be among such caring individuals who shared the same passion for prevention and education of bullying, as I do. The night was extremely enjoyable and I was pleasantly surprised how lively of a bunch the directors were. (That was the on-going joke throughout the show) :)

The next day, I was so excited to be sailing on a beautiful yacht traveling from Boca Raton to Ft. Lauderdale and back with the Funeral Directors Association members and their families. What a perfect day it was to sail! I enjoyed every moment of the trip and talking with so many interesting people. Thank you to Mr. Lew Hall for allowing me to have such a wonderful time with your organization, it was fantastic! During my appearance, I also had the pleasure of meeting Shelby Hall (Mr. Hall's granddaughter) who is a fabulous cheerleader and very intelligent young lady. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other and taking lots of silly pictures together! I have a feeling she will be on the Miss Florida stage one day :)

After departing from Boca Raton, I returned to Miami to put the final touches on my Miss America paperwork with Mary. On Tuesday, Mary and I had dinner at Houston's with Lissette Gonzalez, Miss Florida 1998, who is also the morning and noon Weather Anchor for CBS4 in Miami. Lissette is such an inspiration to me and I enjoyed hearing all about her year as Miss Florida and Miss America experience.

Two days ago, I made an appearance at Stingray Chevrolet in Plant City, Florida who is also the official automobile sponsor of Miss Florida for 2010! They have generously provided me with a GORGEOUS 2011 CAMARO for the year. Thank you to Steve Hurley, owner of Stingray Chevrolet, for making this possible. I will officially be "riding in style" during my reign :) Stingray held a test driving event the same time I picked up my vehicle, and I was so excited to greet the guests that attended and also the live band that played during the evening.

Until next time,

Jaclyn Raulerson

Miss Florida 2010

Miss Kentucky 2010

2010-07-18T19:54:00.013-04:00

Hello again!

This weekend I had the honor of attending the 75th Miss Kentucky Pageant in Lexington, Kentucky. I flew to Lexington on Friday morning and was greeted by the beautiful Mary Sullivan and Robert Pinson, who is a Miss Kentucky Board Member. We then headed to the University of Kentucky auditorium where the pageant was being held, and I had the opportunity to speak to the contestants and wish them luck during their rehearsals. They were all so beautiful, kind and very welcoming to me, I felt like part of the family! After visiting rehearsal, Mary, Robert and I had lunch at an adorable cafe called A La Lucie where I tried fried green tomatoes for the very first time and loved them (and so does Mary!).

After lunch, Mary and I returned to the Lexington Hyatt and to get ready for the evenings events. I had the privilege of having dinner with our current Miss America, Caressa Cameron along with her traveling companion Julie, Robert and other members of the Miss Kentucky board. After dinner, we were escorted to the pageant and I enjoyed it very much! Erika Dunlap, Heather French Henry and Chera-lyn Kennedy were the emcees for the evening and were absolutely hysterical and so enjoyable to watch. The contestants all shined greatly and I was honored to be introduced on stage with Miss Vermont, Caroline Bright, along with many former Miss Kentucky's. What a wonderful evening, and I still had a whole day left to enjoy Lexington!

The next day, I attended an autograph session held at the pageant boutique Miss Priss in downtown Lexington. Caressa Cameron, Erika Dunlap, Mallory Ervin (Miss KY 2009), Heather French Henry, Chera-lyn Kennedy (former Miss KY), Caroline Bright (Miss VT) and many other former Miss Kentucky's were in attendance and it was amazing to be in the presence of such inspiring and beautiful women.

That evening, Robert, myself and Caroline (Miss VT) went to dinner with Edward and Susan Peterson. Edward is on the Miss America board and we all had a fantastic time discussing our involvement with the Miss America Organization, and the great things that we see possibly happening over the next year as well. Thank you to Robert Pinson for taking all of us to the beautiful Merrick Inn for a fabulous dinner. After, we headed to the Miss Kentucky finals, where I was introduced on stage once more with other former Miss Kentucky's along with Caroline, Miss Vermont and Nicole Jordan Miss Tennessee. Congrats to all of the beautiful ladies who competed, you were all wonderful!

Afterwards, I attended the gala which was held at the Hyatt. I met so many wonderful and supportive pageant fans as well as my idol, Allison DeMarcus! She was beautiful and such a genuine person, it was a pleasure to meet her! :)

Returning home to Florida was quite the adventure! Mary and I left for the airport around 5am, only to find that the power was out at the Lexington airport, which slowed things down incredibly. We ended up missing our 6am flight because they overbooked us, so we waited for our separate flights. I left to connect to Atlanta, where I also missed my flight and waited for the earliest one to Orlando. When I finally arrived in Orlando, my luggage was missing and had to wait two additional hours to retrieve it. However, I lucked out since Mary had her luggage delivered to her home that evening because they also misplaced hers! What a day, but we both felt so fortunate to have such a great weekend and in those situations, humor is key :)

I have posted a few photos from the pageant, enjoy!

Love,
Jaclyn

Miss Florida 2010

Media Week!

2010-07-15T10:31:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone!

During this first week as Miss Florida, I have been traveling to television stations, radio stations and have spoken with several newspapers that are covering the results of last week's pageant. I had an on camera interview with News Channel 8 Tampa and have visited Connect 10 in Tampa, FOX 35 in Orlando, Magic 107.7 in Orlando and have had interviews with the Tampa Tribune and the Orlando Sentinel, all within the first four days of my journey! There will be more interviews and articles to come, when I find out more information I will post it on here!

What I have realized is that this title has already opened doors for me and that this year will truly be life-changing. Thank you to all of the former Miss Florida's who have reached out to me and given me words of wisdom. I appreciate your guidance more than you know. I also wanted to thank (and didn't in my last post) my Miss Largo Board of Directors. Lynn, Heather, Patty, Christina, and Katie - thank you so much for the LOVE and support that you were constantly giving to me, especially the weeks leading up to Miss Florida. You are all so very special to me and people that I consider part of my family. I love you all so very much!

This weekend, I will be traveling to Lexington, Kentucky to attend Friday night preliminaries and Saturday finals of the 75th Miss Kentucky Pageant! I absolutely cannot wait to meet the Miss Kentucky Board of Directors and the newly crowned Miss Kentucky. I am so excited to have the opportunity to watch (in the audience this time!) :)

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Jaclyn

Miss Florida 2010

2010-07-15T09:59:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!

I am so thrilled to be starting my first blog as Miss Florida 2010! This has already been such an incredible experience within just the first week of holding the title. I feel so proud and honored to represent my home state and the Miss Florida Organization.

I would like to thank every single person who was involved in the production and preparation of Miss Florida Week this year. Thank you to Wayne Gentry and the production crew, Shea Sullivan, all of the wonderful hostesses (our mothers for the week!) and all of our fantastic sponsors for assisting the pageant in every possible way. A HUGE thank you to Mary Sullivan and the Miss Florida Board for making the pageant possible and treating all of the contestants like royalty throughout the week. I know that I speak for all of the contestants when I say that last week was a life changing experience and we all can't thank you enough for putting countless hours into making us grow as competitors and now T.V. stars!

I can't put into words how blessed I feel to hold the position of Miss Florida 2010. It is truly a dream come true and I could not have done it without the love and support of my family, sponsors and mentors. The night I was crowned was very surreal and I felt like I was on cloud nine the entire evening. However, when I woke up Sunday morning, I knew that there was work to do. I understand what the job of Miss Florida entails and I promise that I will promote the state of Florida, our citizens, and the Miss Florida Organization to the best of my ability throughout the year. I am ready for a whirlwind of experiences, challenges and growth. Thank you again to everyone who has continued to support and assist me.

Looking forward to a FABULOUS year :)

Jaclyn
Miss Florida 2010