Samples for beauty queen farewell speech?
Since February 28, 2009, I have been blessed to wear this
beautiful crown and carry the title of Miss North Carolina
International. Over 150 events, over 500 hours of volunteer work, I
traveled over 12,000 miles across this state and this country to
help raise awareness, promote my platform, make a difference, and
in the process raising almost $1.5 million dollars for
organizations in North Carolina.
This year has been nothing short of amazing. I attended
countless numbers of events, galas, fundraisers, celebrations,
sporting events, and concerts. I made hundreds of speeches, had
lots of fun photo shoots, TV and radio interviews, I signed
thousands of autographs and my jaw will hurt till the Miss NC
International pageant in 2015 from all the pictures I have taken
this year! But since that crowning moment, I have had the time of
my life. I love North Carolina, and I love this country, our
country. Several events this year stick out in my mind that I will
always remember and cherish:Working with the USO-NC, meeting the
courageous men and women of our military who fight for our freedom-
Thank you, I am forever grateful for your service. I was also
grateful to meet so many of these military personal at events all
over, including a special trip to celebrate the 4th of July at
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. I was given a flag that day flown
for me for operation freedom in Afghanistan, by Captain Andrew
Ladd. I sat in his strike eagle fighter jet that day at the base;
words cannot express how proud I am to say I am an American. With
Make A Wish, I was part of a wish for a terminally ill, beautiful
little princess, Lila. For the Special Olympics a team of five,
myself included pulled a 40,000 lbs. airplane for the summer games,
in 18.9 seconds. I have been lucky to share events and work
together with my friend, Miss USA Kristen Dalton, along with Miss
Teen NC USA, Miss NC's OT, and Miss NC MAO. I have had
opportunities abound this year through meeting Jack Hannah, Usher,
American Idol Winner David Cook, John O'Donnell, NBC Today Show
Co-Host Hota Kotb, Neil Bush, Timothy Shriver, Congressman and
House Minority Leader John Boehner, Senator Mitch McConnel, The
Honorable Elaine Chao, and met with our elected officials: Senator
Richard Burr and Congressman Howard Coble, in Washington D.C., to
find out more and help with the Service America Act and National
Volunteer week! During my White House Internship, President Bush
always said, "To whom much is given, much is expected." This call
to service was the passion behind my platform, my volunteer work,
and my year as Miss NC.
I couldn't have done it without my heavenly father. He gives me
the strength and guidance, unconditional love and grace to make it
through every day with my heart in the right place. I wouldn't have
made it without the continual love and support from my family
either. My Mom, my best friend, my assistant, my photographer, my
everything, I would not be the person I am today without you. I
credit every accomplishment to you and Dad. You are the most
beautiful person I know, and I love you more than
anything.Dad-maybe one day we will tell you how much these dresses
cost! I am so much like you Dad, you continue to inspire me to give
back and do great things, as you lead by example. I love you both
so very much, thank you for everything. Kelly- my beautiful sister,
Roll Tide. I am so proud of you, even though you are a few state
away from me, I know you are still my right hand. You are always
there for me, thank you. I love you seeessterr! To the rest of my
family, you are all my biggest fans, you never miss a beat, or a
picture. You all have loved and supported me since day one, and I
wouldn't have made it this far without each and everyone of you. I
love you all so much. To my close friends who stand behind me
through thick and thin, words cannot express how blessed I am to
have you all in my life, thank you for being here. When I traveled
to Chicago to compete at Miss International, I met so many esteemed
young women, changing lives and making a difference. My competition
came to fruition as I was named a top ten finalists and favorite
online contestant award winner. I met so many great new friends
there, I thank them for the wonderful experience and lifelong
relationships we will have together. I had full confidence in
myself throughout the national competition because of my family and
friends. You all helped me get there financially and emotionally,
you all helped me succeed; for that to all of you, I am so
grateful. To the Richardson's and the international pageant family,
you are wonderful, benevolent, fascinating people. Thank you for
holding such a great pageant, your titleholders all are steadfast
in their accomplishments and so lucky to have you as directors.Joy,
my fabulous director of the year- you are so much fun, and so
dedicated. Thank you for helping me make this year all it could be.
I love you Miss thing! Christina, you and your family have left an
indelible mark on my heart. I am so proud of you and all you have
done to raise money and awareness to save children's lives, making
it so that Cora's memory will live in our hearts forever. Love you
sistah! Ladaria, I love you girlfriend, you kept me in check this
year, and always gave me the motivation I needed. You and your
family are always in my thoughts, I love you guys. Continue to
share your beautiful voice with the world; you have such a great
story.Jaime, thank you for everything! Wow, your dresses and your
hospitality always made me feel like a queen. You are the best, I
love you! To the rest of my pageant family, and all our sponsors,
Tim this most certainly includes you, you are all amazing,
wonderful, kind hearted people. My life is so much better with each
of you in it. Thank you for a perfect year! This perfect year
couldn't have been all it was without the help of the organizations
I am honored to say I represented this year. A huge thank you to
all of the organizations, the staff, and of course the volunteers
that helped them and believed in their mission. The Volunteer
Center in Greensboro, Hands on Network, and Points of Light
Foundation; thank you Leigh and Hollie Rose, you both instilled in
me the importance of the purpose of these organizations and why I
love the volunteer world! The USO-NC, John, Michael, Dawn, my
little brother Brinson, Katie, Erin, Sandy, Georgina, Gia; your
work for our troops is an inspiration, I love you guys, we always
have so much fun, thank you for putting me to work and believing in
me. Make A Wish, thank you Don, Cookie, and the Clark Family; you
all have opened my eyes to such a beautiful foundation that puts so
many smiles on children's faces and makes dreams come true, it was
a life changing year working with you all. And reaching 2500 wishes
for this chapter, is an amazing fete, thank you for including me.
Gateway education center, Jill Jenkins, thank you these children
have touched every part of my life; I loved those kids so much. Big
Brothers, Big Sisters, Julie Melton, you are such a dear lady,
thank you for your kinds words and uplifting message. My little,
James, I have learned so much about myself through helping you,
spending time with you and your classmates has been so much fun!
The Autism Society of NC, Kay Walker and Tina, my participation
over the years and this year has been such a blessing, you ladies
are so special to me!FRIENDS for an earlier breast cancer test-
founder and my friend, Martha Kaley and her staff and volunteers,
thank you. Martha- you are one of the most amazing women I have
ever met; I am privileged to know you. Your hard work and
dedication to this cause and what you believe in continues to
inspire me to work for what I believe in, I love you. Thank you to
Victory Junction Gang Camp, American Cancer Society, Boys and Girls
Clubs, Goodwill Industries, Go Red for Women Campaign, The American
Red Cross, the NC Special Olympics-thank you President Keith
Fishburne; Habitat for Humanity, Children Home Society; the NC
National Guard, and Seymour Johnson Airforce Base. Thank you all
for your hard work to change the lives in America. I loved being
able to use my voice and this year as a platform to help your
causes. I believe in all you are doing, and I will continue to help
and support you in every way I can. All of these amazing people and
organizations have taught me the importance of giving back to my
community. We all have the power to make a difference. When I won
last year, I promised myself I would be the best Miss North
Carolina I could be, and I have done just that. So to the next Miss
North Carolina International, this year will be what you make of
it, so I hope you dance- remember to be humbled and to work hard,
you do have the power to make a difference in the lives of others,
serve a cause greater than yourself. I know I reached out to so
many lives, because each of those lives touched my life more than
they could imagine. It would be impossible to thank everyone that
has done so for my reign as Miss North Carolina International.So I
thank the wonderful people of this state, and the thousands and
thousands of people across North Carolina and beyond that I met and
spoke with this year, I have learned so much, I witnessed true
patriotism and generosity and for that I will continue to share my
message and take with me so many life lessons as I open the next
chapter of my life. This year, my family, my old friends and new
friends, and all the hard work has been tantamount to nothing I
have ever accomplished thus far, they all have a special place in
my heart. Every person, every child, every smile, every hug, every
picture, will always remind of this wonderful year. With the
mentality that everyone wins when you volunteer, I will continue my
work and message lifelong. I am excited about the future; I am
determined and dedicated to making an impact and a difference in
this world and in the lives of the American people. I will always
use my voice to help others, continuing to set an example for
younger generations. So, mark my words, this will not be the last
you hear of me, I am not going anywhere. With a move to DC, grad
school, and big plans in store, I believe anything and everything
is possible with perseverance and pragmatism. This has truly been
the time of my life, a year I will always remember fondly, and
cherish all the memories. I love you all, and I cannot thank you
all enough for making my year and dream of being Miss North
Carolina International a reality and a beautiful dance. As I take
my final walk as the reigning titleholder, I will always be Julie
Tesh, Miss North Carolina International 2009.