This past Friday, I had the pleasure of welcoming Wapello alumnus Gary Carlson, Iowa's representative for District 91, to my school to educate the junior high student body on politics, voting, and the mechanics of the American government. He spoke to the students about his political journey and his role as a state legislator. I also helped lead an interactive question-answer session during his presentation, which served as a great learning opportunity for the students. I am very thankful that Mr. Carlson was able to take time out of his very busy schedule to come visit my school and help educate the voters of tomorrow! #MuscatineOT #MAOTeen #educatingthevotersoftomorrow

Competition Season

So far this year I have competed in 4 Dance competitions. For those of you who don't know, I dance at Cheryl's School of Dance in Burlington, Iowa. I take tap, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, pointe, and acrobats. For competition I compete in Lyrical, Senior Tap, and Production. I also have a tap solo, which I have done very well with. At my first competition I received an invitation to nationals, a Platinum, and 6th overall. At my second competition I got a Platinum, 1st overall, and Best Choreography. Competition  number three gave me an Ovation Platinum, 4th overall, and the "Fancy Feet" judges choice award. This past weekend I competed in Davenport. I was awarded with a Double Platinum, 5th overall, and the "Showstopper" judges choice award.  I am thankful for my teachers, Miss Sommer and Miss Vickie. If it weren't for those two wonderful women I wouldn't be where I am today. Without their time and effort they put into my dance routines, I would never be as good as I am now. Also, my sister, who helps me prepare and is the best cheerleader. My dance family, who are always there to cheer me on!! But most of all, I am thankful for my mom who helps me get ready and puts toget her all my costume. She is my number one supporter in everything I do and I don't know what I would do without her!! I have one more dance competition before the season is over, but just wait, I'll be there next year too!

Lydia Fisher
Miss Muscatine's Outstanding Teen 2017

Alot to Catch Up On

I know that I haven't posted a blog for a long time, but I hope to recap you all on my year of service. Since I have been crowned I have felt a whirl wind of emotions! I am so happy to be able to represent the Muscatine community, but I am also very involved with school work, dance, and extra curricular activities. I have put in more than 75 volunteer hours since I have been crowned. I have also joined FFA, FCCLA, club softball, club volleyball, competition dance, and the Wapello track team. I have promoted my platform, "Educating the Voters of Tomorrow" at my school by bringing two state representatives to talk to my peers about the political process. I have also conducted surveys at my school and presented the data to my school board. I have also been busy visiting my local care center, volunteering with Special Olympics in Muscatine, and much, much more. In these next few posts I will talk more specifically about everything I have done, as I count down the Days to Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen.


                                                                                                 Lydia

Hello Everyone! :)

Hello, Friends!

I'm not too sure how blogging works exactly, so you will have to bear with me for this first post! For those reading this who I have not personally met, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lydia Fisher, and I was crowned Miss Muscatine's Outstanding Teen about 3 weeks ago. I am so excited to represent service, scholarship, style, and success (the pillars of the Miss America Organization) on behalf of the amazing Muscatine community! A little background information about me. I am 14 years old and I am from Wapello, Iowa, just 25 miles south of Muscatine. I actually have strong personal connections to Muscatine, as I have two aunts that live there, and my mom has been an employee of Bandag Inc. for over 30 years. It is so great that I can represent and serve a community that is so close to home for me!

I am in the 8th grade at Wapello Junior High. I have an older sister, Lorin, who is in her third year of pharmacy school at the University of Iowa. Even though we are 8 years apart and look NOTHING alike, we are so close and share many of the same interests. I have competed in pageants through the Miss America Organization since I have been 6 years old, and I held the titles of Li'l Miss Iowa 2010 and Junior Miss Iowa 2014. Now that I am in the Outstanding Teen division, it has been a big leap from the Miss Iowa Youth Program, but so far my pageant journey as a Teen has gone great! :) Outside of pageants I am also a competitive dancer. I take ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical classes, but tap is probably my favorite form of dance. I also play club volleyball and softball, and I am on my school's volleyball, basketball, track, and softball teams. I also enjoy being a leader in my junior high's student senate. I am definitely a busy person!!

Since I was crowned 3 weeks ago, I have been super busy with all of my extracurricular activities, and I'm already starting to prepare for the Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen Competition, which will be the last Saturday in June. I am particularly working on further developing my platform, "Educating the Voters of Tomorrow". I became really involved in following the presidential election of 2016 from the angles of both political parties. I asked my family lots of questions about how the election process worked, and I really learned a lot. I tried to have discussions with some of my classmates about current events surrounding the election, but I quickly learned that many peers lacked basic knowledge/understanding of politics and the mechanics of American government. Unfortunately, at my school, government isn't taught until the senior year, and I feel that waiting to learn about it then will not allow us to have a strong background and enthusiasm for politics when we become old enough to vote. I also feel that I do not know too much about how government works at the state level, so I really wanted to have the opportunity to learn more about it.

There are two alumni from Wapello that were elected into the Iowa legislature for this session, Representatives David Kerr and Gary Carlson. Gary Carlson is actually the Iowa House Representative for the Muscatine community. I personally reached out to them, congratulating them on their wins, and invited them to come visit my school to educate students about their roles as state legislators. We are currently working out times for them to come visit, so I think this will be a great learning opportunity!

I am also working on a research project with my social studies teacher to learn the baseline knowledge of Wapello students in regards to American government and politics. I created a survey and gave it to my peers. I am currently in the process of organizing my results. I hope to present this information to my school board and advocate to introduce government and politics education earlier in our school's curriculum. I also would like to reach out to other schools in my area and possibly present my data to the Area Education Agency. It has been a lot of work so far, but I think I my results may be able to make a big difference!

I'm also in the works for preparing for the other phases of competition as well. Soon I will be starting a new dance solo for competition. Hopefully I will have a successful competition season.

Wow, it's past my bedtime! If you have any questions for me, don't hesitate to shoot me a message on Facebook. Until next time everyone!

~Lydia Fisher, Miss Muscatine's Outstanding Teen, 2017

So Long Farwell...

Well, where do I begin? What a year it has been for me being your Miss Muscatine’s Outstanding Teen 2016!
I was able to accomplish so much in just one year of being crowned Miss Muscatine’s Outstanding Teen. I met several Presidential candidates, I spoke and volunteered at many Alzheimer’s Association events, I performed my passion--baton twirling, I competed at Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen, I met many new people, and I made memories and friendships to last me a lifetime. But this memorable year would not have been possible without the help of some really amazing people.
First off, I’d like to thank my awesome directors, Ashley Brown and Kindra Plett. To Ashley, thank you for keeping me on track and for always giving me the best inspirational talks! To Kindra, thank you for your amazing hair, makeup and fashion advice! I would still be clueless on how to curl my hair if it weren’t for you! Thank you to Michelle and Jessica for prepping me in every aspect for Miss Iowa week. From paperwork to interview prep, you both always went the extra mile to make sure I was ready. To Ray Porter, even though you are over a thousand miles away in Georgia, you still made it a goal for you to help me overcome my performance anxiety. I can now perform in front of large crowds and not have a panic attack, thank you so much! My amazing sister queens: Kaylee, Jessica, and Julia, this year would not have been the same without you three. I am so blessed to have grown closer to each of you and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of you! Thank you to all the Muscatine Scholarship sponsors, without your generous support, I would not be standing here today! Thank you especially to Le Chic Prom and Pageant Boutique for providing me with my dream dress, Michale Crumly with Mississippi Pearl Photography for my beautiful headshots, Salon Halo for making my hair look fantabulous, and many more!
But most importantly, I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me in everything I do. Mom, thank you for constantly schlepping me all over God’s green acres for appearances and volunteering events. You sacrifice so much to make sure I can chase every dream I can. Thank you for always making sure I look perfect, for making me take lots of pictures, and for always loving me (even though I can be a piece of work sometimes). To Papi, Grandma and Gabi, thank you all for being my biggest cheerleaders. I know I can always count on you guys to make me feel the most confident on and off the stage. I love you all.
    To the next girl who will be crowned Miss Muscatine’s Outstanding Teen, you will have a blast this year! As cheesy as it may sound, your year will go by quickly, so enjoy and soak up every moment you encounter and take advantage of every opportunity presented to you!
Even though my time of being Miss Muscatine’s Outstanding Teen has come to an end, I am so excited for the next adventure I will take on. As they say, dreams don’t work unless you do. I plan to continue working with my platform, Remember Me: Attacking Alzheimer’s Disease. I also hope to embark on another journey and dream within the Miss America Organization. Not only has this excellent organization taught me skills to utilize in everyday life, but it has helped me discover who I am and how I plan to grow as a woman. But for now...

Signing off for the last time,
Your Miss Muscatine Outstanding 2016,
Sophia Aguirre

Busy Bee!

Holy moley! Time sure flies by when you're having fun! Miss Iowa is quickly approaching, and I couldn't be more thrilled! Although there is only just days until finals night, there is still a lot to do!
I was recently honored to receive my volunteer proclamation that was signed by Governor Branstad to recognize the importance of Iowa Volunteer Week! It is such an honor to know that this proclamation was acknowledged, read, and signed by the governor of our great state!

My Volunteer Proclamation for the State of Iowa

I am also super excited to say that I have some great plans for my platform this month! On Tuesday May 10, I will be performing a baton routine at the halftime of the Alzheimer's Association's Blondes VS. Brunettes RivALZ Game! I absolutely enjoy being able to the two things I love so much- baton twirling and fighting Alzheimer's! On May 23, I will be volunteering at the Alzheimer's Association's "Round to Remember" golf outing! I will also be speaking at this event and describing how my life has been affected by a loved one living with Alzheimer's disease.

Last year's "Round to Remember" Golf Outing

I will try to keep you all updated as Miss Iowa approaches. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Sophia Aguirre

Miss Muscatine's Outstanding Teen 2016

A Learning Experience

Hello, everyone! I have had one busy weekend! I kicked my weekend off by dancing it out at my high school's Mini Dance Marathon! Over $2,000 were raised for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital!

Dance Marathon with the squad

Judging at Special Olympics

Not only did I get a great workout in by dancing for a great cause, but I also had the opportunity to judge at the Mid-Winter Tournament of the Special Olympics! I was able to judge the cheerleading and dance portions of the competition, and I was given the opportunity to hand out awards at the end of the day!

I took many things away from volunteering at the Special Olympics. The first thing that I took away was, nothing is impossible. One of my all-time favorite quotes by Audrey Hepburn states, "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!" As I judged many of these kids and adults at Special Olympics, I saw the drive and determination they had in their hearts. I can guarantee you, anyone who possesses these characteristics can succeed in anything they set their mind to! The second thing I took away from this experience was, be grateful for what you receive. While I was handing out awards, there wasn't a single participant that wasn't overjoyed and grateful by their placement. There was one participant that hugged me and began to cry because she was overwhelmed with so much happiness. There were groups that didn't receive first place, but they were still so excited of what they accomplished. I recall one coach telling her team, "Win or lose, your hard work always pays off!"


Personally, I think that other sports teams should go to watch events at the Special Olympics. So much can be taken away and learned from these kids. For me, it was very humbling to see how grateful each and every participant was! Placement didn't matter to these individuals. The fact that they worked hard was more than enough for them. It makes me realize that it's not always about winning. In fact, it has never been about winning! It has always been about doing your very best and realizing that your best is what truly makes you a winner.

 I can't wait to keep you all updated on the rest of my experiences throughout this year! Thank you!

Sincerely,

Sophia Aguirre

Miss Muscatine's Outstanding Teen 2016