Miracle Pancake Day

They're calling it Pancake Pandemonium. Some call it ManCakes Day. Either way...it's a great day for breakfast! Today I was out flipping flap jacks to help raise money for Children's Miracle Network at IHOP's Miracle Pancake Day.

On Miracle Pancake Day, IHOP offers a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes to every guest in order to raise awareness for Children's Miracle Network. In return, guests leave a donation to help support their local hospital. This year we broke records as the buttermilk warmth in bellies across America translated to warmth of heart and lots of donations.

It was a heck of a morning at the Long Island IHOP where I was helping out. These gorgeous stacks of golden cakes were flying out of the kitchen. I had the opportunity to talk with guests and share stories from my many visits to CMN Hospitals.

One of my new friends was thrilled to hear about the hospital and, after a good chat of laughs and jokes, excitedly donated and put up one of those iconic yellow bellows upon which he can leave his name. Later in the day I turned around and the word "Miss" caught my eye (a word I've become attuned to, as it is rarely used outside pageant culture.) Look what he wrote!!

I've never had anything but a wonderful time raising support for Children's Miracle Network.

Thank you to the staff and many guests at Hauppauge IHOP today for letting me be part of the festivities and share my stories of the wonderful work CMN does for children across New York!!

Erasing the 'R' Word

On behalf of me, my family, and my brother...thank you to Norwich Academy for this incredible campaign. If this had been around years ago, maybe my bother wouldn't have been bullied to the level of pain he now knows. I really can't say enough about this. Everyone has differences. Everyone wants to connect and feel respected.

Cosgrove Middle School

My last stop in my Rochester trip was at Cosgrove Middle School in Spencerport, NY , where I spoke with students about bullying and standing up for their peers.

Cosgrove was a special visit to me, because earlier this year the Spencerport High School experienced the loss of a student. I found out about it when my sister called me to say that a girl my nephew rode the bus home with did not return to school the next day. He was shaken up, as were all of his peers. While there is no evidence to prove bullying as the cause, the murmors on twitter suggested that it certainly played a major role in this young lady's life. It is interesting to watch students come to grips with the delicate nature of life and how quickly it can be destroyed. I was eager to speak to this crowd, as I knew they were eager to gain understanding of what had happened to their community.

We spoke about how everyone is responsible when it comes to bullying. Lack of action is almost as bad as participation. For instance, one thing I have seen quite a bit of lately is "hate accounts" on twitter; students are creating profiles with names like @wehatesoandso or @soandsoshoulddie. They proceed to tweet anonymous hurtful messages about this individual for everyone to see and - worst of all - share with their peers. If this, or something similar, is happening in your school and you do not alert a teacher or adult, you are failing your entire community. Each day that these accounts exist is causing not just pain to the victim, but building fear among other students who wonder, "Will I be the next one they make an account about?" Why are students not stopping these sooner? It's all fun and games until you wake up to find your name in the so-and-so spot. It could be you tomorrow. If we all learn to stand up together, we will teach ourselves as communities to not even attempt to engage in such acts. We have to think ahead and not just about the laugh at hand.

Of course, the students heard me loud and clear. They understood that the future of their generation is no one's responsibility but their own. So proud to have received so many emails from this group about their interest in helping make their world better.

This handsome guy? This is my other nephew! Didn't realize until after I booked the school that he was there!

A special thanks to the staff at Cosgrove. The pricipal explained to each group of students that schools do not hand out Facebook accounts, so they cannot be the ones responsible every time there is a problem. Students must learn responsible use and a sense of ownership over what they are doing online. Luckily, Cosgrove is eager to assist students in this growth. Glad to know there's yet another school on the forefront of digital education.

Gabby shaves her head...

A young woman went bald today. She made the choice to do it, and the choice was driven by a huge heart.

Gabby shaved her head today to raise money for cancer. Her 18 inches of flowing brown locks were snipped away as her whole school watched, and she raised over $2,000 from her community. Since losing a classmate to cancer in 2nd grade Gabby has made many donations to Locks For Love. She finally decided to take it all the way to the scalp.

I had the privilege of meeting Gabby before my community panel tonight. Her personality is to die for! As she walked with me down the halls every student gave her a hug and shouted her name. Hair or no hair, they loved her all the same. Now THAT is a true inner light.

Sending love to Gabby, and to all young women who make the choice to do something bigger than just compete to fit in!

Interviewed by "We Are the Solution"

Alana, Janine and Bria from Edward Thomas Middle School interviewed me as part of their We Are the Solution project. We talked about Project Empower, why I got into anti-bullying, why I decided to become Miss New York, how I feel about getting stereotyped as a beauty queen and what makes me feel beautiful. These girls are awesome, so impressed with the website and entire project!! Sign their pledge!!

Greenwood Middle School

Great afternoon at Greenwood Middle School! We talked about bullying but more importantly...well, just watch. Note the moonwalk halfway through.

WROC Battling Bullies

Stopped in at WROC to say hello and share my thoughts on their Battling Bullies segment, a new special that all year will feature stories about local efforts in the fight against bullying. I jumped on a few of their later segments as well.

Thanks WROC and Matt for having me! So important to share the positive stories!!

York Central School

Great afternoon at York Central School talking about bullying and taking control of your own life!

This afternoon I focused on how life is a story and we are our own autobiographer. There are no such things as bullies, because bullying is a choice. When you bully someone you are putting pen to paper in the story of your life and writing "this is the choice I am making." We all have the power to write a better choice. That goes for almost anything. Great example: I don't roll out of bed looking photo ready (believe me.) I get up early every day to get my hair, outfit and makeup in check before going out into the world. Big reason for that is knowing how much I don't want someone to say "ew, that's Miss New York?" I write my own cure to my daily fear, and it's well worth the half hour of sleep I lose. I did the same thing in college. I always dressed nice for class because I liked the way people - particularly professors - treated me when I did. So each morning when I put my pen to the paper and start the story of my day, I take ownership of the fact that I have the power to write much of my story. Girls, it's amazing what happens when you write in a pair of heels. Fellas, unbelievable what happens when you write in a blazer for your day. Often when we are tempted to blame the world for our problems, I think it is important to look back and see what we had control over. Learn from your writings just as you do in school. Draft tomorrow's chapter just as a good author would; whether that means setting the alarm early or starting to work on your grades so you can get into a better school and ultimately get a better job so you can support your family down the road. Think of the chapters you could write!

To me, Miss America is the woman who maximizes every line of her life's story. We all don't need crowns to do that. Also, no one is going to write your story for you. Don't let anyone judge your story, and don't blame anyone for aspects of your story where you had control of the pen. If you bully someone, you made that choice. Next time write a better line.

Rochester STEM High School

Thank you to students at Rochester STEM High School for an incredible conversation today about bullying, leadership and self improvement (check out the video footage!)

After an assembly I had a chance to have an intimate chat with several students. Many asked me where I got the courage to live life the way I do; how I can get up and speak, why I could live alone so early...At one point I looked at them, realizing most were sophomores, and reminded them that it had been my choice to go to college at 16. No one handed me that opportunity, I had to both find and earn it. I looked at them and asked how many would be ready to start college in the fall. Met with shy stares, I asked them why. Why aren't you ready for something big? If the standard was to go at 16, would you have been ready because it was expected of you? Are you coasting on someone else's preset guidelines for standardized success rather than working to discover and provide yourself with the opportunities that fit and maximize you? What if you are ready, but you haven't pushed yourself to find out? No one can see the depths of our power except for us, and thus no one else can be responsible if they are not reached. The deepest parts of the ocean are the darkest but also hold the most powerful tides.Though I have no idea why I found that drive so early in life, I reminded them that there was nothing stopping them from doing the same. Getting into college took three steps: apply, get accepted, decide to go. Most people don't take the first till someone tells them.

Don't wait for cues. Life is a constant search for your own Mariana Trench. That's why we have to stop bullying; no one should stand in the way of you and your search for greatness.

Allen Creek Becomes a New York School of Character

I was back in my home town today to celebrate Allen Creek School being named a New York School of Character. I was a surprise guest at today's celebration as students and staff celebrated being one of three schools honored this year for excellence in character education curriculum.They were selected by The Academy of Character Education at the Sage College and are now eligible to earn national recognition (check out the video!)

So proud of Allen Creek!! Everyone was screaming with joy and waving their school flags high. Songs rang out, including one about respecting friends which the students wrote themselves. Students shared short essays about what character meant to them as their peers politely listened with smiles.

Much of Allen Creek's work focuses on bullying. The walls were covered in student-made posters about patience, respect and an open mind. More impressive was that as my young tour guides spoke about each poster it was clear that - rather than language they had been fed to a point of an autopilot regurgitation - these were words and ideas that they were passionate about sharing. They eagerly told me about courage, support and tolerance with clear connection to the importance of every quality they explained. I was given a moment to thank the students for making my job that much easier. Indeed, I stood in a room of tiny Miss and Mister Americas; little leaders who were successfully making their world better by recognizing their role as individuals within it and the importance of a positive world.

After the party I couldn't help but stick around and see everyone off to their bus. Right down to my very last new friend.

Congratulations to Allen Creek students and staff for being such an exceptional community for one another!! A special congrats to Mr. Biondi, the Principal AND my former theater teacher from kindergarten. Yes, you heard me. This man remembers me from when I played "the princess who never laughs" but kept cracking up during the show. He made me fall in love with theater. No...he made me fall in love with sharing myself. Mr. Biondi danced and sang with his students throughout today's celebration and his energy is beyond contagious. He makes everyone unafraid to join in his free-flow of expression. He taught me to open up and trust that what I had to share was good enough. He is doing that every day with these young minds and for that I am so grateful.

All About Bullies Big and Small wins the Grammy!

So happy about All About Bullies Big And Small winning the Grammy for Best Children's Album!!! Thank you to all the artists who contributed their talents to what has become such a vital creative resource to children today. Through music, they can learn to navigate the world of bullying and growing up. Congratulations to everyone involved with this album and thank you for what you've given us!

Had so much fun this summer taking part in the flash mob to "Jump Rope" off this album, and we've been rooting for it ever since. So glad to see this incredible album receiving honors.

All proceeds from this album go to PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. This album is such a wonderful gift not only for a young loved one, but for the millions of people facing bullies every day.

CONGRATS!!!

Project Empower Regional Non-Profit Competition!

Today was the first-ever Project Empower Student Non-Profit Regional Competition! Twelve teams of middle school students from across the New York City area presented their own non-profit initiatives at today's finals for the chance to win a one year partnership with Project Empower. The event was held in Manhattan and I had the honor of hosting.

Over 1,200 students participated in our local competitions this fall. Middle schools throughout NYC tasked students with identifying a need in their community, authoring an essay on what they see as a strong solution, and then implementing their plan within the community over the course of four weeks. We had university students serve as coaches for the teams and young professionals from multiple industries helped judge the final results at each school. The 64 students joining us today were the top projects from each school.

Project Empower is the non-profit that I and a group of young friends launched this fall. It aims to develop students for life beyond the classroom, increasing their awareness of opportunities and develop professional and personal skills through hands-on learning. It is what I wrote my Quality of Life application about for Miss America, earning me a spot as one of the eight finalists. This is a program built by and for young leaders that launched just four months ago. It took our blood, sweat, tears, vacation days, hours of lost sleep and more to make this happen...but we believe that students deserve more than to be taught how to pass tests.

We assembled a panel of global leaders to help judge today's competition. Our judges included our own Ashley Zambito (Project Empower, Executive Director of OUTREACH), Tobias Levkovich (Citigroup, Chief Equity Strategist), John Brown (UBS, Group Managing Director), John Collura (UBS, Chief Operating Officer), Anthony Filosa (Rosenberg Fotuna & Laitman LLP, Corporate Attorney) Keith Miller (Citigroup, Global Head of Quantitative Research), Jenny Delany (UBS, Senior Emerging Market Strategist), and Alan Fields (After School All Stars New York, Executive Director).

UBS Wealth Management kindly donated their Executive Board Room for today's event. We made sure to treat the students like stars and provide them the same experience that a corporate sales executive would receive when visiting for a presentation. Many of the schools did the same, providing students with fresh uniforms or even suits to help them feel their best for the big event. Our coaches taught them about presentation skills, using media and working as a team to present their work.

Here's a little bit about the teams we met today:

Nickles for a Cause raised money by collecting and recycling used cans and used that money to purchase toys and supplies for local children's shelters and day cares. The Peace Makersdeveloped a campaign to end animal cruelty in their neighborhood. They hand drew posters of adoptable pets in local shelters and distributed them to community members. Pick It Up was an environmental awareness project that engaged local students in community clean-up efforts after school. Peacemakers fought bullying by creating a school-wide pledge, holding a poster competition and organized visits from notable public speakers to their school to discuss forgiveness and peace. Santa's Helpers collected hundreds of toys and hand delivered them to children in local hospitals, organizing collections and visits by themselves. Community Outreach Program was an project to create after school activities that keep students from getting involved in gangs. Their programs ranged from sports teams to dance classes. Life Savers raised awareness and funds for Susan G Komen to help fight breast cancer by selling hand-made pink ribbon chocolate candies to their peers. Women's Prison Associationcollected toys for children with incarcerated mothers. Helping Heroes collected supplies to send to soldiers overseas, packaging them in shoe boxes and raising funds to ship them directly to the camp where a local community member was serving.

We heard fundraising ideas that ranged from community recycling for change to selling dress-down days at their school. Each team utilized their peers, teachers, parents, community members...they each became part of their community's social fabric.

The winning team was an 8th grade group, Helping Heroes! They have won a one year partnership with Project Empower where they will receive a specialized team to support them in growing and developing, as well as use of all our resources as an organization. Helping Heroes students collected toiletry supplies and built care packages out of shoe boxes. They shipped over 40 packages to a military unit overseas where a local soldier was currently stationed. Helping Heroes demonstrated excellence in resourcefulness, creativity, fundraising, scale, presentation and passion. They documented their work and the video left the room in tears.

Now don't get me wrong...we are not taking over for them; they will be our boss and we will provide every inch of support, knowledge and advice we have as they navigate their project to its maximum impact over the course of a year. If they want a professional branding team, we will get them a meeting with ours. If they want a press release, we'll get our PR rep on it. If they want to ask a global bank for funding, we'll get the meeting. While the outward goal is to create a self-sufficient model that can be passed on to their community and remain for years to come, our internal goal is to teach these students confidence and expose them to professional opportunities that will push them to grow. By the end of this year these students will feel as comfortable in a corporate board room as they do in their own living room. We will provide them with nothing but our utmost respect and support. They are our peers.

So, congratulations to every single student from today's competition! I am in awe of your creativity, fearlessness and energy. Your communities have benefitted, and will continue to do so as you keep growing your initiatives. I hope you now see the ease with which you can impact your neighborhood. You are helping us prove just how powerful young people can be. Age is not the factor that determines someones ability to impact the world around them. Power comes from passion. We aim to help students discover and ignite their passion.

These students have joined our ranks. We are young leaders passionate about our world. We are Project Empower.

"Click, Comment, Create Change" Tour Part II

After my morning at St. Francis I hopped a train to the Bronx where I joined Senator Klein to visit schools and discuss our cyberbullying bill. Speaking with students at three schools, we discussed how students will play a unique role in this legislation through the New York Cyberbully Census.

Our major focus was on how young people need to get involved in order to create change with cyberbullying. Adults who did not grow up with digital communication do not have the experience nor understanding of this issue the way young people do. I spoke with a criminal justice class of seniors and explained why young voices are key in pushing this legislation. It used to be that parents put the computer or TV in the living room so they could monitor what their children were exposed to. Today, with nearly half of elementary school students toting cell phones, kids have access to any media content at any time. When reality show casts treat each other like dirt but call each other friends, how is a child supposed to know that such behavior is not normal? Where are they finding positive behavioral models? Today's young adults are the ones who understand digital media, and therefore the strongest soldiers in this war.

St. Francis of Asissi

Thank you to my new friends at St. Francis of Assisi for two great seminars on anti-bullying and leadership, and for a chance to stop by classrooms to chat!

In both conversations I was asked why telling an adult about a bullying situation is different from tattling on someone. Easy! You tattle when you want to get someone INTO trouble, you tell when you want to get someone OUT of trouble. We discussed how telling an adult helps everyone involved. The person being targeted gets protection and support, and the person doing the bullying gets help in stopping their behavior before it become any more harmful. Often, this will also give them a chance to discuss their feelings and fix the real problem at hand.

It was a message even the little ones could agree upon.

Miss Fulton County

This weekend I joined the Miss Fulton County Scholarship Organization for the selection of its fortieth annual titleholder. The contest, held in Gloversville, NY, provided nearly $10,000 in scholarship opportunity and was viewed by a sold-out crowd of community supporters.

I spent the rehearsal day as well as morning interviews with the contestants. You know how people always ask if pageant girls are catty? Well, behold the most perfect answer to said question:

First, having been on the road for over a week, I had run out of clothes and had nothing to wear! I had mentioned this at rehearsal and when I arrived backstage for the show I found dozens of dresses in my dressing room. My confusion melted into a warm glow as I realized what had happened; contestants and the current Miss Fulton County, Kieren Sheridan, had brought me options from their own closets. After a few safety pins and some finagling, the incredible dressing room crew helped me work out a custom wardrobe entirely sponsored by the ladies! This silent act of sisterhood was topped when in the middle of the show, as girls rushed into their talent costumes, one contestant's talent dress tore open at the zipper. The entire back was split and she was minutes away from performing. Within five minutes someone had put her in one of their extra dresses and she was onstage like a rock star. And therein lies stunning proof of the caliber of women involved in this organization.

After a beautiful show the results finally came. And the winner is...

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Miss Fulton County 2012...Colleen Gagne!!!!

Colleen will be joining us this summer for the opportunity to take over my role, and will spend the coming year serving her local community as an ambassador for the organization. Congratulations and all the best to Colleen in her year ahead!

Congratulations and thank you to all the women of this weekend's pageant. You made my visit incredible! Thank you also to the Miss Fulton County Organization and all of its volunteers for the support you give to these young ladies! I had an absolute blast!

Meet Colleen and all our 2012 Local Titleholders.

Meeting with Senator Ritchie

For my last official stop in Watertown, I sat down with State Senator Patty Ritchie to answer questions about bullying. Citizens throughout Watertown sent in their questions to Senator Ritchie's Facebook page related to bullying, victimization, the role of parents and more.

My responses were transcribed, you can read my answers here! Forgive the grammar; I talk fast and can only imagine how difficult it was for someone to transcribe my words over speaker phone.

I have to congratulate her for keeping you voters involved in her work. It is so important that lawmakers listen to the will of the people. Her social media presence is incredibly impressive, particularly in the way she uses it almost daily to get the community's feedback. The meeting had an exciting end: after our conversation, Senator Ritchie said she will be putting her support behind our cyberbullying bill! Thank you to the Senator for taking the time to meet with me and for becoming part of our efforts! As a woman with strong understanding of the positive power of digital media, I am glad to have her on board to help protect against its negative uses. It was such a pleasure and honor to meet her!

Case Middle School

Thank you to students at Case Middle School for a great conversation today about bullying!

This visit had a particularly special moment: I had talked to students about the many things I am doing to help this issue, particularly my work with Senator Klein on the cyberbullying laws. After the presentation I was greeting students and signing quick autographs when a young lady walked up to me. I turned to her and was struck right away by the way she was looking at me. She had my full attention. After introducing herself she calmy said, "I want to thank you. I was friends with Jamey." Without thinking I threw my arms around her. "You don't have to be doing this, but it means so much that someone is doing something," she said, tears welling in her eyes. I started to cry. She told me she was afraid everyone had forgotten. I assured her that there are people giving everything they have to make sure that never is the case. We hugged again and I gave her my information. It took a minute before I even realized there were other students in the room. My entire year of work just proved its worth in those moments. That she was comforted by my efforts made every minute worthwhile. I only pray that I can accomplish even more in the coming months in order to give this young woman, and every individual effected by the lethal nature of bullying, the assurance that the one they lost will never be forgotten.

My sister beats her bully.

I've shared the story of how my sister lost a college degree in its last semester because of a professor who bullied her for her dyslexia. The emotional damage of that man has haunted her for years. I can never forget how sick to my stomach I was when I heard that she had actually chosen to drop the major because of him. All she needed was one class, but even that was too much to take. He had broken her. For the past years we have been helping her put together the pieces again.

Today, she has triumphed. I am proud to report that she is now halfway through her masters degree in directing at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Today she made her directorial debut at The Globe Theater, directing King Lear. My family is in London and has reported that it was brilliant. I am not surprised, for she is incapable of anything less. While I will never get over not being able to be there, I am so thrilled and proud of her.

Virginia never let her disability stop her. Now, she has chosen not let this one man's ignorance stand in her way any longer. There is no day I could face that would amount to even half of what my sister handles from her disability every minute. Every time I face a challenge and feel afraid, I think of her and know that I can be strong just like she has been. She is my inspiration, my source of strength and motivation.

That picture? That's Virginia on the left and myself on the right. She happens to also be a gifted artist. These are huge charcoal on canvas works she did for my mother this year.

The moral of my sister's story is one we all must remember: the bully does not have to win.

I love you Gina, just as so many do. You have always been my Miss America. Brava.

Reading to Children at Benchmark

Up early, today I read stories to students at Benchmark Family Services in Watertown, NY. I sat down with little ones, ages 18 months to preschool, for a chance to meet and share some reading time. Benchmark is an Early Learning Center in Watertown that offers preschool, early intervention services, daycare and pediatric therapy.

Programs like this are special to me. First, I know how important they are to the families of children living with disabilities. More importantly, I know how important it is to integrate these students together. My brother never had a problem with his differences until he got separated from his "normal" peers, thus making him able to classify himself as "abnormal." He didn't like feeling different or that he was not worthy of other students' time. Also, growing up alongside a brother and sister with disabilities gave me a unique perspective, allowing me to see them as no more different than anyone else. At that at the end of the day they were still just kids. Sometimes you just had to listen harder or have patience. It's often hard to watch my peers - those who did not grow up around disabilities - try to figure out how to interact with someone who has differences. Benchmark is enabling all children to interact better, helping the community's future become stronger.

Thanks to all my new friends for sharing stories with me! A huge thank you to the staff at Benchmark for what you are bringing to the community.

My Return to Clarkson University

Today was a journey back to where it all began. Where my 16 year old self waved goodbye to my parents and hello to adulthood. I returned to my freshman stomping grounds at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY.

Clarkson was the springboard for the life I have lead. The Clarkson School, a program that accepts students early out of high school and is neither a prep school nor starter program, accepted me during my sophomore year of high school. I submitted my grades, took the SAT's and did my interview. When they said yes I dropped out of high school and became a full fledged freshman. I didn't even have my night license.

I wanted something more. I was ready to be independent, to grow...so why not move on to college? Granted, this was no easy task. Clarkson in one of the top engineering schools in the country and thus no academic walk in the park. My work ethic exploded that year, not only because of classes but also because of the job I landed as assistant to the Head of Media Relations. Every day was a challenge, but I absolutely loved the push I was getting.

As my little brother, who is a Junior at Clarkson (he also went early out of his third year of high school,) drove me onto the campus I instantly wished I had come here before Miss America. A smile crept onto my face and didn't leave the entire time. I discovered the world here...Clarkson University is my Disneyland. I will think of it every time I sing my talent song. Clarkson's motto is Defy Convention. I strive to live by that every day.

So great to see my friends in the Media Dept, and a huge thank you to President Tony Collins for welcoming me back! Oh, and I might call you about the MBA thing...