Miss Long Island 2011

Goodness....where to begin.  Two weeks ago I had the privilege of competing for the title of Miss Long Island, held in the beautiful Patchogue Theater.  For those who are not familiar with pageantry, I will try to provide a brief summarization on what my day was like.

To start, my morning  (5:45 am) was kind of crazy per usual (as many of my pageant sisters know) due to a missing bathing suit bottom, the realization that I left my favorite pair of competition shoes in North Carolina and because the firm grip I ordered had not yet arrived on time.  But nonetheless, I finished packing my suitcase, blowing out my hair and steaming my dress and was out the door by 8 am to make one last pitstop at Walmart for those last minute items, where in my previous day of shopping, I had managed to forget.  By 8:30am, I was at my father's house to pick up my second favorite pair of competition shoes and to eat breakfast and 30 minutes later was out the door and off to the Patchogue Theater.  For those of you  who have not been to Patchogue Theater, it one of the most beautiful venues on Long Island and is a wonderful place to compete.  After I was all settled in my dressing room, it was off to rehearse the opening number, the evening gown parade and take a tour where our interview would be held.  That's when I got my first butterfly. 

I blinked, and it was 2:30pm and my name was being called for my interview.  My five judges were fierce: Michelle Glittlen, the General Counsel and the COO for Joe Torre's Safe at Home Foundation (and countless other non-profit organizations); Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh, Cornell graduate and President of Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, who had just returned from Haiti where he was providing surgical care to its earthquake victims; Jennifer Farris, a seasoned pageant queen who is a spokesperson for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Bully Police USA; Donnamarie Blaustein, an award winning colorist and hair stylist, who is no stranger to the the runway and last but not least, Todd Shapiro, a public relations guru who's public relations firm, Todd Shapiro and Associates has worked with countless celebrities and both local and national businesses.   My interview flew by.  The judges asked really engaging questions about my future endeavors, my involvement in pageantry and  my platform on broadening the awareness of teen depression. 


The rest of the pageant is all kind of a blur....and then there were two....when they didn't call my name for first-runner up, I almost lost it.  I could see my mom and my boyfriend jump out of their seats when they announced my name as Miss Long Island 2011.  I am sooo excited to representing Long Island and competing in Miss New York USA this November!!  Long Island and New York have always been home-- and I am going to work extremely hard to represent it well and bring the Miss New York USA crown to Long Island. 

I will be posting videos, blogging, photos, and information about community and charity events, my preparation for Miss NY USA 2011 and my time as Miss Long Island!!! Thanks so much for visiting and check back soon!!!

Congrats to all the girls, especially my lil' sister (pageantly-related) Miss Long Island Teen, Kimberely Taff!!

Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel, Miss Long Island 2011 at  http://www.youtube.com/user/misslongisland2011, where I will be posting all my videos. Currently, there are no videos posted - but there will be soon! Promise!!