We had a fabulous work weekend. What an incredible batch of young ladies, committees, and families. I hope that everyone left feeling excited and like they gathered lots of necessary information.

Here is an essay I wrote for this year's competitors about the many roles a state titleholder plays:

A common question posed by students across this state is "Do you always wear the crown?" Sometimes I reply saying "Yes, always. They superglue it to your head when you win and it never comes off. I wash my hair around it, sleep with it on. I forget it's there and hit my head on the roof of my car when I get in and out. But it never ever moves." They may believe it for a while, depending on the quality of my delivery. But they usually figure out, that this is not true.

The ladies in here today who are contestants for this year's pageant know that this is not true from experience. They know it is not true because throughout their years as titleholders, they wear many different hats so to speak, not just a crown. In other words, being Miss North Carolina is more than being a typical beauty queen with a sparkly piece of jewelry sitting on her head. As Miss North Carolina, I have learned what a juggling act it can be to manage all of the different roles expected of me.

I have spent much of my year in the role of teacher. Traveling extensively across the state, I have dedicated the majority of my days as Miss NC in schools, reading aloud to children. At times I felt less like a teacher and more like the voice of the book on tape you might be listening to in your car. I also spent hours in the role of motivational speaker, encouraging middle and high school students to engage in healthy decision-making.

In order to get to all of these schools, I have been a chauffer (for myself!) and an excellent gas station attendant. You may not realize this, but I have also been a bookstore owner this year. I don't have to pay rent for my store, it's in my trunk. And I don't make much of a profit, the books are free. I have found great joy in delivering loads of books at a school because it means that my little car gets better gas mileage on the way home.

Sometimes I feel like a press secretary because, at the end of every school presentation I take questions, some of which you would never be able to prepare. The questions keep coming, some inane and some intelligent. "Do you live in a castle?" "Are you rich?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" These prompt me to go into role of comedienne, answering as creatively as possible. "I do have a boyfriend. He thinks he is Mr. NC. Should I get him a Burger King crown to make him feel special?" What I love are getting questions about book suggestions and hearing about student favorites. This is because I am also a lobbyist, a reading lobbyist. It is ultimately my job to convince as many people as possible that reading is important.

In an odd twist of events, I am not only lobbyist but also a politician. I think there may be a conflict of interest there...I am a politician because I consistently feel as if I am on the campaign trail. Making first impressions, kissing babies, shaking hands. Representing a set of values that others will use to judge me with.

I can't seem to leave the public eye. You see, I am also a B-list actress. Didn't you see my reality television show? It was called Reality Check and was featured on TLC for four entire weeks. I know all of America is anxiously awaiting the release of the boxed DVD set of the season, coming soon to a Target near you. On my off days from being an actress, I dabble in a little bit of modeling. Besides working the runway during the Miss America pageant, there are print opportunities out there too. There are plenty of photographers in North Carolina who have sponsored my modeling career, and it seems that their pictures pop up in some of the most prestigious magazines and newspapers across the state, and even nation. One of my portfolio shots made it into the Miss America program book! Forget the fact that every state titleholder had her very own page; this is still quite a feat!

Of course, articles and bios are always expected to go along with these pictures. That is why I am also a journalist. Luckily I studied this particular area in college. I spend time blogging, writing speeches, and sending write-ups on my various Miss NC activities to media outlets. My life is also like that of a journalist because I meet a tremendous number of people, which means asking a ton of questions. I am constantly interviewing others. And being interviewed, I play both sides you see. Being intereviewed is the spokesperson side of me. I represent the Miss NC organization; I represent literacy; and I represent me. Whether speaking with a newspaper, magazine, radio show, or television news program, I am acting as a spokesperson. That means I have to be poised a ready with a quick comeback for anything they may pose.

I have to be quick in other ways, too. Quick wit is one thing, but quick-footed is quite another. I am a pro-athlete. My event? Swimsuit competition. It's an extreme sport. They are looking to include it in the 2012 Olympics. But by then I hope to be retired. There are times when I logged two-a-days. That's about 3 hours of gym time within 24 hours. Most of it light cardio and Bootcamp classes. But my favorite activity to keep my arms in shape would definitely have to be flinging the first flounder into a frying pan at the Seafood festival.

Now, when attending such festivals, sometimes I am expected to fill in as a food critic. They give me lots of chances to taste test a variety of foods such as yams and pecans, but I don't have much artistic license when giving my feedback. There is no way that Miss NC could give anything but a glowing review to those who host her and feed her! Just to add to the confusion, I am also a rock star at these festivals (and many other places). Let's just say, my signature has taken on a frenetic quality that is mine and mine alone.

Being a famous "rock star" is nice, but I am more than that. I am also royalty. I have ridden in a horse-drawn carriage like Cinderella (please overlook the fact that this was at Farmer's Day Festival), I have cruised through the Caribbean aboard my very own ship that boasts all the amenities such as an entertainment facility and a buffet (please overlook the fact that I shared the ship with hundreds of others, including queens from such faraway lands as Colorado and Maine), I have been adorned with custom-made jewelry to complete my evening gowns of choice (and there is nothing to overlook there). If that doesn't make you feel like royalty, I don't know what will.

But you have to come off that high-horsedrawn carriage at some point and realize that there is work to be done. Especially since I am my own secretary and emails abound along with that Miss America paperwork due three weeks into the job. Luckily I do have a business manager who lifts a significant load off the clerical work. I love you Beth Knox! And along that vein, I have a promotional agent, too. I love you Mom! They both freed up my time so that I can be that hands-on kind of manager I aspired to be. I like having that interaction with other people (I mean, that is what I boast about in my cover letter). In order to do that, I have to spend less time in the virtual world of my computer, and more on the road visiting others. And in order to visit others, I have to get there without at hitch. That’s why I became a certified GPS associate. I can get myself anywhere across the state. I have a hundred percent success rate. Only one minor glitch occurred on the way to Perquimmons County, but I am convinced that it was user error.

Once I received my certification, I had more room in my life to listen to NPR. That investment of time moved me closer to reaching my goal of being a nationally-renowned political commentator. A talking head, so to speak. I had my first on-camera consultation in front of a panel of 6 people in Las Vegas. I think they liked me. They called me back to share more with America a couple of days later. 19 million people watched as I gave my own opinion on political topics.

Just as I can GPS and NPR simultaneously, I can multi-task in other arenas as well. This is not so much a job, as a gift. A gift that many women seem to posses! I can eat, put on a crown, apply lipstick, talk on the phone, read a map, and drive all at the same time. Yes, this may be my downfall. I am a menace.

Although I have a businesswoman's mentality (focused, organized, always on my Blackberry), lately I have found the artist in me. I have danced since age 7, but less for art then for the regimented routine of it all. Now I have taken up an art that will actually pay quite handsomely in the future. I am a scrapbooker by trade. My creations hold memories that are so precious to me and I look forward to sharing with the children that I hope to someday have. What a reward that will be. The secret to being a good scrapbooker is having an experience to document and share. And I certainly have that thanks to the incredible blessing of being Miss North Carolina. I plan to return to my former job as an 18th grader, as I explain to my students statewide, but I have another title that I hold proudly and forever. Someone once explained to me that no matter how many Miss NC's follow in my footsteps, no matter how far removed I am from my experience, I will always and forever be "Miss NC 2007". Now that's a job I will always remember.

Best wishes to the Miss NC class of 2008!