Almost a month later...

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." -Philippians 2: 3-5

Has it really almost been four weeks? According to the calendar, yes. According to my level of excitement, not at all. One would think after four weeks have passed, the excitement of being Miss Georgia would settle down. Fortunately, this is not the case for me. I am still enjoying every minute, and am just as thankful tonight as I was on the Saturday night I became Miss Georgia 2012!

I have been busy, very busy. Anyone would tell you that I am an extreme "go-getter," and once I am given a bigger platform in life, I run full speed with it. With this post, I want to update everyone on the places I have gone, bring some clarity to my platform, give you some insight into what I will be doing this year and my preparation plans for Miss America. 

In the past four weeks I have driven 1,600 miles, gone through four or five full gas tanks (my KIA has a 17 gallon tank!), sent more e-mails than I can count, and the list goes on. Right after I won, I was able to attend a really interesting and insightful meeting at Turner Broadcasting, thanks to Kellie Appel from the Capital City board.  The seminar was titled Media Literacy: Unraveling the Power of Portrayal. Jennifer Pozner (Media critic, author, founder/executive director of Women in Media & News) was the keynote speaker.  It was fascinating and gave me much to consider as I represent our state.  I also had a fun afternoon tea at the St. Regis hotel in Atlanta with Amy and Erin Haney, Kellie Appel, and my mom. The event promoted the American Heart Association, so it was neat to be there and witness how they changed their menus to support such a great organization; I of course wore a red dress as well! I then had a board meeting in Columbus the week after Miss Georgia, before which I went to Bonefish Grill with my Miss Georgia Princess, Tori, Ella, and Anna Claire. Ella is a five year old girl who has Leukemia (whom I met through Tori), and Anna Claire is Ella’s nine year old sister. Bonefish Grill was a sponsor for all the Miss Georgia contestants during the week, so when I went there with my crown and banner on, they graciously gave me a free meal. It was such a nice surprise!! A few days later, I made a visit to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and spent some special time with Christopher, a little boy who has a brain tumor.  These past four weeks have been a lot about planning, and my schedule has already filled up for August. I am excited to be going to the Miss Warner Robins pageant on Saturday, then to Dairy Queen in Columbus next Thursday for Miracle Treat Day, a nationwide promotion to benefit the children being treated at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.  All of my newly-crowned Miss America sisters will be participating in their states as well.  I can’t wait to meet them all when we spend a week together in August at the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant in Orlando.

For those who do not know, my platform is the Sibling Support Project, a national program that strives “to increase the peer support and information opportunities for brothers and sisters of people with special needs and to increase parents' and providers' understanding of sibling issues.”  In just the past three months, the organization and its work have been featured in the New York Times; CNN; and NPR. The Sibling Support Project is important to me because the youngest of my older brothers suffers from a few different disabilities. Robin, 21 years old, is deaf and has cerebral palsy, brain damage, epilepsy, and OCD. We have always been extremely close growing up, and our relationship only strengthened when I moved back home from Houston, Texas. It was not only challenging living on my own at age 15, it was difficult living without Robin. He has unknowingly taught me lessons no one ever could have: unconditional love, patience, resilience, and the importance of laughter and humor. We often say in the Jordan house, "sometimes all you have is laughter to get you through!"

All of that aside, I have truly seen the need and want for sibling support. I am forever thankful that acceptance of special needs people has improved, and I want to help their siblings as well. Many people may not realize this, but the siblings will be the disabled person's lifelong friend, due to chronological aging... not the parents. We are the ones who often worry about how our disabled brother or sister will receive care and fit into our lives over the decades ahead. I have really valued my partnership with the Sibling Support Project, and I am so thrilled to expand my work with the organization. This past month I have already been in close contact with the head of the Georgia Sibling Support Project, and we are planning some great things: more ways to integrate my platform with the Miss America Organization, as well as with Children's Miracle Network. More details to come in a few weeks!! For now though, I will say I have been busy writing proposals, creating distribution lists, and making sure I stay on top of everything. I think you all will really like the opportunities that are becoming available. :-)

With the Children's Miracle Network, I am already so immersed in the organization, I am grateful to be able to do even more. My career path is to become a Pediatric Oncology Nurse Practitioner. This dream was quickly solidified when I met precious little Tori. (journeywithtori.blogspot.com) Instead of continuing on as a weekly college volunteer, I will now visit the hospitals throughout the state (including my regular visits to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta) as Miss Georgia. It was such a thrilling experience when I went two weeks ago. The children always appreciate and enjoy any "young" person who comes to play with them, but if you have a crown on and a sash that says "Miss Georgia," that excitement doubles! I have a visit planned to Columbus Regional Hospital next week, and another CHOA visit in the weeks following. My goal before Miss America is to visit all CMN hospitals in Georgia... preferably more than once. ;-)

Miss America preparation has begun... and I LOVE it. We have been discussing wardrobe, talent music and choreography, interview preparation, staying fit, paperwork, etc. It has already been fun discussing these things, and I look forward to seeing what we all decide. Luckily we have some time but I feel great participating in the process.

There are some great opportunities that have come about since I got this job. Some include going to schools around Georgia to speak with students who have a special needs sibling; working closely and collaborating with the director of the Sibling Support Project (even more so than I did before!); planning fundraisers for my platform and CMNH; and visiting CMNH quite often.  Now, I have a very unexpected, but extremely exciting opportunity. I have been invited by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) here in Atlanta to become involved with their Developmental Disabilities Branch. When I have my first visit in August, we will discuss the CDC’s work on developmental disabilities, both in Georgia and across the United States; meet trailblazers in the field of developmental disabilities; and go on a tour of the CDC. I could not be more thrilled about this significant new partnership to help raise awareness of developmental disabilities and the needs of children and families in Georgia.

The other thing I wanted to address in this blog was "me." I am somewhat new to pageants, and I feel that many people do not really know me. Because of this, here are some fun facts (some random, some serious):

- I love writing, obviously.

- I have amazing parents, two older brothers (21 and 23 years old), and two dogs.

- I am the only girl in my family (other than my mom, grandma, and aunt. No girl cousins!)

- I never thought I would compete in pageants, but am so thankful I was lead to do so.

- I did not have typical college plans because my ballet career was moving so quickly. However, God had different plans! After two major surgeries on my ankles, and three other injuries to my feet, I made a difficult and life-changing decision to step off the ballet route and pursue my childhood dream of becoming a nurse. Because we had not been saving for college, I attended Georgia Perimeter College for two years to save money. I was accepted and registered to begin my junior year at Georgia State University the week after Miss Georgia, but now that will be deferred for a year! I am SO thankful for the scholarship money I have won... that has lifted a heavy burden off both my shoulders and my parents’ shoulders. Thanks be to God!

- I drink a gallon of water or more a day, not joking.

- I am a "sugarholic."

- I believe my strengths are my compassion for others, responsibility, and the ability to connect with many different people. I love talking with others and building relationships... hints to why interview is my favorite part of competition!

- My weaknesses include a sense of perfectionism and insecurities that I struggled with as a teenager in the "ballet world."

- My lucky number is 379... actually, they are 3, 7, and 9, but for convenience, I just combined them :-)

- I will never leave the house without a pair of earrings on.

- While I love dressing up, fixing my hair, and doing my makeup, I like just as much to wear sweats, no makeup, and a ball cap.

- I am such a clean and organized person anywhere outside of my own bedroom at home. Even in my bedroom in Houston, I was a "clean freak," but in my bedroom in Georgia, that seems to change!

- I love football, and am getting into the whole baseball thing (go Braves!)

- I am fluent in sign language.

That’s the update for now! My next post will be all about my wonderful and generous sponsors that I have been blessed with this year.

-Love in Christ,

Leighton Jordan