As I enter my final WEEK as Miss Massachusetts, 21 young women from around the Commonwealth are busy practicing their talents, hitting the gym, reading up on the news----and preparing to take my job. I've invited each contestant to be a "guest writer" on my blog and contribute a piece that demonstrates her unique personality, interests and experiences. Over the next several weeks, members of the Miss Massachusetts Class of 2017 will be featured in this series as we "Countdown to the Crown". This week's featured contestant is Miss Middleboro, Molly Caron.
My name is Molly Caron, Miss Middleboro 2017. I grew up in a small town, Raynham, MA, and now am experiencing Boston as a graduate of Emerson College, with a degree in Marketing Communications with a double minor in Business and Sports Communication, and new full-time employee of a Public Relations firm in the city. Being a young professional in the City of Boston has been a whirlwind (considering I was hired almost two months prior to graduation from an internship, moved out of my dorm, where I was a Resident Assistant,into an apartment, and then began my full time position (three days’ post-grad). This year has significantly impacted and shaped me as a person, and as I reflect on all the changes that this year has brought me it is exciting to see how far I’ve come. The city of Massachusetts has always been home, but now I can call the best city in the country (home of my favorite sports team, the Boston Red Sox) my new home!
My journey into pageantry isn’t of the norm. I didn’t grow up competing in pageants; I didn’t even put a pair of heels on until I was a junior in high school which is when I first got the idea of competing in pageants. My vocal coach of many years, also a pageant expert, suggested to my mother that I compete in a local teen pageant to showcase my talent of singing. At that time in my life, I had the most important thing in the world to me taken away very suddenly, soccer.
Ever since I could remember I was kicking a soccer ball around; it was my true passion. In October of 2012, my junior year of high school, I was injured with a severe concussion that ended up taking me out of soccer for nine months. I had chronic migraines, my grades were dropping, I couldn’t get my license, I couldn’t see my friends or even some days go to school, but the worst part was that I didn’t have sports; that outlet that I could use to express myself and let my energy out. I was slipping into depression.
My doctor had a discussion with my mom, wondering if I was ever going to get better, and he told her that I needed to find a creative outlet that didn’t involve sports. That’s where pageants came in! I was naturally competitive and enjoyed singing, so it seemed like a natural fit. I won my first pageant, Miss Easton’s Outstanding Teen, and have never looked back.
From there I created my personal platform, You Can Make an imPACT: the importance of concussion awareness and baseline concussion testing. Five years later I still compete in pageants and advocate for my platform. I always explain to people that pageants have provided me with great levels of confidence, interview skills, a constant knowledge of what is happening in the news (which always comes in handy), and so much more. The Miss America Organization has given me so much more than I ever could have expected, and I am thrilled to be competing again for the title of Miss Massachusetts!
Want to meet the other contestants vying for the title of Miss Massachusetts 2017?
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