February 23, 2010: African American Chamber of Commerce--The Rebirth!

I had the distinct pleasure of being on hand for the official "Rebirth" of the Philadelphia African American Chamber of Commerce! On hand for the celebration was the newly appointed chairman of the board Sulaiman Rahman, as well as, the other members of his energetic board. Mayor Nutter even joined the celebration by offering his words of support and encouragement for the mission of the AACC. I was able to meet incredible professionals and was so busy networking that I forgot to take photos :-( Other people were snapping shots so I am sure photos are floating around somewhere--stay tuned!


In His service...

February 13, 2010 (Evening): The Vagina Monologues

The Vagina Monologue is a powerful dialogue about the devastation caused by rape, incest, battery, genital mutilation and sexual slavery. It is a movement that seeks to educate and empower its listeners through creative references to a certain part of the female anatomy....

As I watched each monologue, I began to notice that I was not only entertained, but educated about secret lives and atrocities I had once been unaware of. If ever given the opportunity to attend this show--I highly recommend it!

**Kudos to Jackie Limberakis, Hayley Ryan, Marsha Wesley Coleman, Lauren Viscount, Melissa Bertha, Jennifer Patterson, Debra Collier, Rachel Hoke, Lauren McCourt, Erin Feinstein, Marie DiMattia, Lisa O'Brien, Courtney Hudson, Marysa Mumphrey, Jamie Via and Kerry-Anne Perkins!!**

February 13, 2010 (Day): The Franklin Institute and Women's Heart Health Awareness

The Pennsylvania Mainline Health Partners Joined the awarenss campaign for Women and Heart Disease! Philadelphia's famed Franklin Institute served as the venue for families to meet with health professionals and receive resources on how to live the heart healthiest life possible. Intertwined with all of the professional resources, participants were able to "Go Vogue" for heart health by posing for fun photographs in boas, glasses, hats, wigs and even lights! Courageous women had the opportunity to share their personal battles with Heart diease, ranging from personal survival stories to experiences with loved ones. I was even able to share my personal connection to heart disease, having lost my grandmother to the disease.

The days festivities culminated with my helping to crown the 2010 "Queen of Hearts". The Queen of Hearts is selected from a group of women who have each been impacted by heart disease in one way or another. After crowning the "Queen" I went on a walking tour through a gigantic replica of the human heart--neat-o!!

In His service...

January 29-31, 2010: LadyDiva Conference produced by Shayna Rudd, Miss Black USA 2009!

"The mission of the LadyDiva Corp is to Cultivate, encourage and Empower young women from low- income areas to relentlessly pursue their God-given purpose in oeder the break the cycles of negativity that surrounds them". This goal was exemplified in every aspect of this seminar series! On each of the three days the young ladies and mentors were ministered to by women from all walks of life, each with a powerful testimony of strength and courage. It was imperative that the young ladies felt "safe and comfortable" in this female only environment and no topic was deemed as off-limits. We discussed self-esteem, education, abuse and sisterhood during this incredible GIRL-POWERED event. One of the most poignant parts of the series was the one time in which males were permitted to particpate. It was an all-male panel ranging in ages from 15-70s, that volunteered to give a "man's perspective" in answering questions from the young ladies, many of whom did not have postive male figures in their lives. The end of the second day culminated in the "Pearl Ceremony" during which time mentors placed a string of pearls around each young woman's neck and reminded her to not "cast her pearls among swine" (Matt 7:6) as she continues through her life's journey. At the following Sunday service, the new, transformed young women were presented to the church congregation in a moving display of unity.

This seminar was established to help grow girls into young women of God, but I can comfortably speak for everyone when I say that ALL of our lives were changed and we ALL left stronger women of God!

February 8, 2010: Black History Month Celebration

"Remembering our Legacy and Celebrating Humanity: Stepping Outside of the Box to make a Change" I had the pleasure of being a part of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Black History Month Opening Ceremony! During the program we were greeted by PCOM CEO and President, Matthew Shure, PhD.,(pictured) and representatives from the Office of Student Affairs and the Student National Medical Association (pictured). One SNMA member, David Pierre shared the personal account of his family in Haiti during the devastating earthquake and its aftermath. It was a moving tribute to the strength and courage of our Haitian brothers and sisters, that exemplified the need for continued Haitian support. My keynote address focused on the importance of observing the contributions of African Americans in American and world history. When the foundations were set in 1926 by Dr. Carter Woodson, for what we now recognize as Black History Month, it was out of frustration about the incomplete recounts of Africans in American History. Woodson believe that "We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history." To rephrase it, rather than focusing on a few men significant in the advancement of African Americans we should focus onthe countless Black men and women who had contributed to the advancement of human civilization. Contrary to what is still all too often taught, African history in America did not begin with slavery! Let's accept the charge to educate ourselves and someone else on what it TRULY means to celebrate cultural diversity!

In His service....

February 3, 2010: One Book, One Philadelphia

SUDDEN! Stories: The One Book, One Philadelphia program strives to promote literacy and reading, while unifying the city through literature. The current selection is called The Complete Persepolis, and it is the author's account of coming of age in Iran among polital revolution and social turmoil. The Sudden Stories series discusses the reading selection and guides the participants through the process of creating their own stories--with one huge twist: the entire story can only be 10-15 sentences long! **Phew** The instructor asked us 10 (seemingly unrelated) questions that we had to answer--and the answers were melded together to become our story :-) My "SUDDEN Story" was as follows:

I spent my last vacation in the mountainous town of Neiba near the Dominican Republic/Haitian border. And when I got there, Lynnette told me that she needed me to babysit for her tomorrow afternoon. I was wearing a green and tan halter top, with denim shorts. It was the perfect summer outfit-fun, feminine and breezy. I can vividly recall buying the blouse at Melinda's House of Fashion when I worked there after my Freshmen year at Drexel University. "Are you comfortable watching the twins by yourself?", Lynnette asked me. It is supposed to snow again this weekend. I wonder if he knows what he is doing in the kitchen. I feel like I should offer my assistance with either putting the fire out or being the designated taster. The smoke alarm starts to blare. I open the window, pull the small oscillating fan from the closet and set it up near the window. I take the dish towel and begin the fan the smoke alarm. The smoke alarm stopped.

Are you confused yet? LOL! It needs some tweaking but I think it was a great start! Miriam Kotzin (pictured) was one of my favorite professors at Drexel University and served as a catalyst for my writing development. I was overjoyed that she was able to join us for this event!!

Until next time, let the restoration continue....

January 27, 2010: Do You Control Your Emotions or Do Your Emotions Control You?

The importance Personal Accountability is a strong component of my platform for this year of service. During this particular outreach, I spoke with 7th Graders at Martha Washington Middle School about self esteem, depression, and anger management. The workshop focused on: Undestanding one's emotions, the importance of making wise decisions and taking responsiblity for the consequences of bad decisions. It was interesting to realize that the pressures and rationale of teenagers have not changed much since I was their age (except FB of course!). I truly enjoyed talking with the students and I look forward to returning there in the near future!

Until next time, let the restoration continue....

Let's Play Catch Up! ::Round Three::

January 7, 2010: Happy New Year--Let's Eat Cake! :-)

Working in conjunction with the incredible members of the Student National Medical Association (and its supporters), I hosted a hugely successful red themed Heart Truth Bake Sale! This was our way of welcoming in the new year and reminding/prepping the students and faculty at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for February as National Heart Health Month. We had delicious cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, pies, tarts, torts--did I mention cookies?! As we filled bellies with yummy treats, we filled minds with the Heart Truth! We handed out heart health information and health related facts on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Tip #1: Instead of eating all three cookies you purchased at a bake sale, share them with two friends!

January 16, 2010:

Official Miss Black USA Red Dress Photoshoot and Weekend Extravaganza

The Red Dress Photoshoot was my first "official" pageant sponsored event!! I had an opportunity to meet and hang out with some of the phenomenal young women representing states all over the country. Can you find me? I am the "Lady in Winter White"-LOL :-) During this weekend, we also received critical information on maximizing our year of service and met representatives from the Heart Truth campaign. Some of my other favorite memories include meeting our little Miss Black Princess Taylor Vann Hunt, going out for a night on the town with my new friends, Miss Black Michigan, New Jersey, and Indiana USA, and showing our support for Haitian relief efforts at a fundraising shin-dig at Policy Lounge (See photos below). Somewhere in there we even found time to have a day long Red Dress Photoshoot!-- Whew-- I am exhausted just thinking about it !!! This was an AWESOME weekend that I am grateful to have participated in! I met new people (which is always fun!), stayed in a great hotel, educated myself on the Heart Truth, took gorgeous photos and enjoyed our Nation's capital!! And just think: this was all after I had a huge exam in Forensic Medicine--What a weekend ! :-)

Let's Play Catch Up! ::Round Two::

Dec 2, 2009: Meeting Mayor Michael Nutter!

One of the most exciting components of being a State delegate, is having opportunity to meet people who are actively working towards my platform vision to "Restore the vision for our communities". Some visionaries effect change through policies and other through challenging social views of beauty.

This photo is from the 2009 Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. The Christmas Season , is one of my favorite times of the year, so I was estatic to be on hand for the ceremony. Mayor Michael Nutter (photographed above) has been a true pioneer in "restoring" Philadelphia and I was honored to be in attendance at this annual event!

Dec 22, 2009: Minnie Mouse!!!!!

This was truly one of the highlights of my Year of Service! I had an opportunity to meet Minnie Mouse, Princess Tiana and 30 "Princesses-in- Training"!!! During this collaborative event with Feld Entertainment/Walt Disney/Miss Black Pennsylvania USA/Girls Inc. I spoke with 30 young women ages 8-12 about the importance of education and staying focused to achieve your dreams. As a part of the program, the girls were able to make their own foam tiaras and meet Princess Tiana (the first African-American Disney Princess), myself (a "real-life" princess) and Minnie Mouse (the queen of "Girl power"!). When Minnie walked in I was so excited I thought I was going to pass out and I definitly had to fight the urge to run over and tackle her with a bear hug :-) All in all, it was an incredible experience and I even gave out my first "official" autographs, signing the tiaras the young women had constructed earlier!! **tear**

::Let the restoration begin::

Let's Play Catch Up! ::Round One::

Hello All!


It is time to get everyone caught up on what I have been doing during the past 4 months! Warning: This is going to be a loooooong post, but I promise to update my blog more regularly in the future :-) Let's see....where do I begin..... I guess at the BEGINNING! LOL




October 5, 2009:




































Julie Chavez Rodriguez, an acclaimed activist and granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, traveled to Drexel University to discuss her grandfather's legacy, civic engagement and what college students can do to make an impact intheir local communities. In one word: Inspiring!



October 10, 2009 : Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Day of Service





This was my first service project as Miss Black Pennsylvania USA!!!! I had the pleasure of helping the PCOM family organize its inaugural school-wide day of service! As one of the "day of" coordinators I worked with the faculty and students of Samuel Gompers Elementary and our PCOM students to paint doors, classroom walls, and hallway trim, weed the landscape, plant trees and clear out storage closets. I commend Caitlyn and all of the other PCOM and Gompers students who put their blood (yikes) and sweat into making this project a success!