Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Phoenix with 2 of my pageant sisters, Amy Diaz; Miss Earth United States 2009 and Denise Garrido; Miss Earth Canada 2008!We had a blast! I hardly know where to begin!
I'll start from the beginning:
After flying into Phoenix on Tuesday night we traveled to the Mesa Regal Resort where we were staying for the trip. It was an early wake up call on Wednesday morning; we had a FULL day of events ahead of us!!
Wednesday morning began with a trip to Copper Canyon Elementary School where we sat in on a Kindergarten and First Grade Class. We got to read a book about saving the Earth to them and had the chance to talk about recycling, reusing, and reducing. It was so nice to be able to interact with the children, and it was especially impressive to see how much knowledge they had already attainted about being eco friendly at SUCH a young age. It was heart warming and really gives me hope for the future of our planet!
Then we were off for some sightseeing in Phoenix. I loved being able to see the beautiful mountains! The view was absolutely beautiful!
Finally the main event was Wedesday night! Amy, Denise, and Myself were all special guests at an event called "Hands across the Border." Denise, being Miss Earth Canada was the emcee along with Captain Frank, and Amy and myself had the chance to speak on stage about the pageant and about our journey. The vision of the event was as follows: "Citizens of the US and Canada coming together as neighbors to celebrate our similiarities and our differences in a way that is fun, respectful, and above all, aimed at strengthening our current relationship while preparing for a strong positive future." The event was held as Mesa Regal Resort, where we were staying. I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet all of the residents and be part of such a great event. The event was also a fundraiser for the Sandra Day O' Connor marching band to travel to Calgary in Canada. We all raised $1,000!!!! The school's band teacher is actually Mrs. Arizona, Melanie Britton who was also in attendance on Wednesday night. It was so nice that everyone came together to help out her amazing band students.
Overall, it was such an amazing experience! I want to say Thank You to Southwest Airlines for flying us out to Phoenix. I want to thank Mesa Regal Resort for setting us up in such a beautiful place to stay. I want to thank the directors of "Hands Across the Border" for inviting us, and I want to thank my director, Evan Skow, for showing us around and giving us a great experience!
Bye Phoenix! I hope to see you again!
With Love,
Jolie Noelle Schamber
Miss Teen Earth United States
