Sunday, February 27, 2011

Proud to be an Auburn Tiger

Greetings!

This past week has made me even further realize how proud I am to be a part of the Auburn family (if that was even possible!). It started off with my pictures with Aubie. I am truly a lucky girl to have one on one time with such a true Auburn gentleman! I'm more than excited to see how they turn out. The photographic services department on campus was so great to work with, and I'm sure the pictures will be wonderful!

I also had my first appointment with 2 chic, the hair salon in Auburn that serves as a sponsor to the Miss Auburn University Pageant. What a fun place! The ladies at 2 chic did a great job and made for a fun afternoon. I can't wait to go back for another appointment soon- this may become addicting!!

On Thursday I was again reminded of how special Auburn women are during the Miss AU Reunion. Such camaraderie in such a normally competitive atmosphere really is mind blowing. However, these ladies continue to display such positive and uplifting attitudes every time I am around any of them. I am flattered to have been a part of such a special pageant, and I am thankful to have met each and every one of the amazing contestants, my fellow Auburn women.

Next football season is already geared up, and the beginning of majorette season at Auburn is gearing up right along with it! The audition clinic this weekend was a success, and I am more excited than ever for auditions and the A-day game on April 16th. I had the pleasure to meet a great group of girls interested in auditioning for the Auburn majorette line. Auditions will be held April 8 in the Goodwin Music Building, and solo routines are open to the public. Come out and support the Auburn University Marching Band and enjoy a night of entertainment!

Auburn University is passionate about the War on Hunger, as I have mentioned before and will most likely mention many more times! It seems as if it would become a broken record, but every time I witness and am involved in this effort, I am so proud and excited for the difference we are making. This Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Zap Out Hunger Laser Tag Tournament held in the Student Center. All funds raised from entry fees and tshirts went to benefit the World Food Programme. Over 400 people registered for the event, which means WFP will be getting a lot of support from Auburn very soon. More details are to come later about the amount of money that was raised for donation.

Have I mentioned that I am proud to be an Auburn Tiger? The orange and blue pride swelled up in me again Sunday at the women's basketball game. The success of the canned food drive was undeniable, and I was so happy to have been a part of it. So many great fans brought canned goods and did their part to fight domestic hunger. All donations were sent to the East Alabama Food Bank, and I'm sure many needy families in the surrounding area will benefit from everything that was graciously given. The Tigers played a great game despite the loss, and the senior recognition at the conclusion of the game made us all proud to be an Auburn Tiger.

I am looking forward to IHOP National Pancake Day this coming Tuesday, March 1st. Visit your local IHOP for free pancakes and donate to Children's Miracle Network, the national platform of the Miss America organization, while you enjoy your meal! I will be at the IHOP in Auburn Tuesday night, and I hope to see you there!

Another exciting upcoming event is Miss Alabama orientation next weekend. I'm eager to meet the other contestants and begin this amazing chapter in my life! Also, the Miss Alabama Outstanding Teen Pageant is this weekend, and I can't wait to attend Sunday afternoon!

War Eagle & With Love,
Emilee

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Every Girl Deserves to Feel Like A Queen

Greetings!

The past week has been filled with great community and charitable events- and it's been a blast!

Volunteering at campus kitchens last Friday morning got the weekend and following week off to such a great start. While the Auburn United Methodist Church held their weekly food bank that morning, the Campus Kitchens student group and I delivered hot food left over from on campus cafeterias to AUMC and served these hot meals at the food bank. Campus Kitchens organizations are located all over the country at various colleges and universities, and the group here at Auburn is relatively new to campus.

While reducing food waste, CK also alleviates hunger- what a perfect combo! Taking time on Friday mornings to help prepare and distribute these hot meals is amazing. I love serving our community in such a thoroughly kind and sustainable way. I will be working much more closely with CK as the semester and my time at Auburn continues. In my Hunger Studies Capstone course, our goal is to improve CK and its effectiveness as much as we possibly can by gathering more restaurants and cafeterias to donate their left over prepared food and by finding more distribution sites in high need areas. I can't wait to see the culmination of all our work and the impact that we can make!

On Sunday, I attended a Sherri Hill trunk show at Lasting Impressions in Columbus, Georgia. I was blown away by the amazing people at Lasting Impressions, the experience of meeting Sherri Hill, and of course, the gowns!! After some time in the dressing rooms and walking around the shop, I finally settled on a custom Sherri Hill gown. I am so thankful and blessed to be surrounded by such unique experiences and such supportive people. Needless to say, I am beyond excited for my gown to arrive!

It's amazing sometimes where you meet the most interesting people. They can be hidden in such seemingly normal situations, but once you speak with them, you realize how special they are. I experienced this over and over while visiting the Oak Park Nursing Home in Auburn for their Valentine's Day Prom hosted by the Impact student organization.

After some mingling and dancing, I talked with a few truly special people who have so much to teach all of us. From former professors and researchers to a woman who left south Alabama for Washington D.C. to go to college, all the residents at Oak Park touched my heart that night and it was an honor to crown the prom queen and king. And a big "Congrats" to Impact for successfully hosting such a special event!

Every girl deserves to feel like a queen, and I quite literally got to experience this at the University Club's Scholarship Mardi Gras Ball. Being invited to attend was an honor enough, but when I found out I was selected to serve as the Mardi Gras Queen, I could not have been more flattered.

The University Club is a very special and supportive organization that raises and donates funds towards scholarships at Auburn. And they put on a wonderful party! A Celtic dance group (with whom I certainly had to snag a picture with), a live auction, and the presentation of the King, Sheriff Jay Jones, and his court are only a few of the events that the University Club had arranged for all their distinguished guests.

What a fun-filled week!

I'd like to encourage anyone who is interested or who would like to learn more about hunger and fighting it locally to attend the Zap Out Hunger laser tag tournament this coming Saturday, February 26th. Registration is $15 a person, including a tshirt, and all funds go to benefit the UN World Food Programme. There will be plenty of fun events for kids, too! For more information, click here!

Also, this Sunday the 27th, Auburn women's basketball will play Kentucky, and canned food items will be collected for donation. It's a perfect opportunity to support our Tigers and bring a couple canned food items for the food drive held during the game. Just bring your items into the Arena and they will be collected as you enter!

Hoping to see you at the Zap Out Hunger laser tag tournament and the game this weekend!

War Eagle & With Love,
Emilee

Thursday, February 10, 2011

An Exciting New Chapter!

Greetings!
 The overwhelming gratitude and happiness I feel after being crowned Miss Auburn University 2011 has certainly not settled yet! I am incredibly excited to serve and represent Auburn University this coming year in everything that I do from university appearances, meetings, charitable events, the Miss Alabama pageant in June, and everything in between.

The Committee of 19 is a special group at Auburn leading the War on Hunger. Since my minor is Hunger Studies and, consequently, my platform is Domestic Hunger Awareness, I always enjoy attending meetings held by this committee. On Thursday, February 3rd, I attended a meeting planned to organize the Hunger March, which is to be held on April 1st. Participants will march from Auburn to Notasulga Friday and will devote their time Saturday to community service projects around this area. I am excited for this event and for further involvement with this amazing group of students!

I was honored to visit the Auburn University Dance Marathon this past Friday, February 4th after only holding the title of Miss Auburn University 2011 for one week. Participants started dancing at 7 pm Friday night and continued on until 7 am Saturday morning. All proceeds benefited Habitat for Humanity, and over $7,000 was raised, which is really something to dance about! Seeing such dedication for such a great cause is truly inspiring, and I had a blast every moment I was there.

The following Tuesday, February 8th, the University Program Council presented its Songwriting Competition and invited me to serve on the judging panel. After hearing 12 entertaining and moving pieces entirely composed and written by Auburn University students, a winner was selected. Serving as a judge and hearing these unique songs made me appreciate Auburn students and their creativity and originality. Each one of us is crafted beautifully different from another, and we find so much strengths in these differences.

Having so much to look forward to this year and having so many opportunities and outlets to serve is still completely bewildering! I cannot wait to attend as many events as possible and to work towards domestic hunger awareness in the Auburn area.

I am looking forward to the Impact Nursing Home Prom and the University Club Mardi Gras Ball next week, and will give updates and exciting news from these events!

War Eagle & With Love,

 Emilee