Listen to actual chat audio on selected questions! |
Lauren Nelson (L) - Erin Brummett (R) |
Erin: Welcome to T2A webchat for November 28th. We’re meeting Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson. She is the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network. The Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals across North America. Ms. Nelson also advocates Internet safety for children. She is a musical theater artist who aspires to perform on Broadway.
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Faizul Islam: Hi everyone. I am from Pakistan. I read about Miss Lauren and I was pleased that she is a social worker and she gives much importance to children. That is very good. My question is from Miss America is that how she developed this idea and from whom she inspired. Please comment. Thank you.
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Lauren: This is the first year that Children's Miracle Network is the platform for Miss America, so every contestant is involved with the Network. It has had a huge impact on my year as Miss America.
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Marcien Fossuo (Cameroon): Ms. Nelson, talk more about how your work with the Children's Miracle Network has impacted your life.
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Lauren: One of my very favorite appearances was the Children's Miracle Network Champs Across America Celebration. A child from each state came to Washington, D.C. and we got to meet the President and site see and spend the rest of the week at Disney World so I loved spending the week with the best kids who have survived serious medical challenges. I met a little girl from Washington (state) who had been very ill at the age of 6 and she went on stage and told us that she had told her parents it could have been much worse. So there's no way this could not have impacted my life. Long after my Miss America reign, this network will always be a part of my life.
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Lauren Nelson pauses for a smile |
Wondwossen, Ethiopia (email): Has what you’ve been doing as Miss America contributed to a greater sense of wellbeing?
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Lauren: I've been able to see so many parts of the country that would not have otherwise been possible. I've been able to meet so many interesting people and have been exposed to so many cultural experiences. It's opened my eyes so much to think a girl from a small town in Oklahoma (Lawton) has been able to hold this title and have this opportunity to impact others.
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Foqrul, Bangladesh (email): Talk about your experience as an advocate for The Children’s Miracle Network
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Lauren: The well being of kids has always been important to me with a mom who is a teacher. But having the opportunity to see special hospitals through the Children's Miracle Network has opened my eyes to the special type of work involved in helping these kids with very acute medical needs.
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Erin: How did you get involved with Miss America? What has surprised you most since winning the title?
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Lauren: I started in the program as a 17 year old by winning Miss Teen Oklahoma in 2004 and had the chance to sing as entertainment in the 2005 Miss America Pageant so then I wanted to do more. So the next year I won Miss Oklahoma and then Miss America. The joy of singing generated my overall interest, starting with Miss Teen Oklahoma.
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Ali (Iran): Ms. Nelson, now you are very famous not only in the U.S. but also in other countries, do you have any new plan for other public services?
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Lauren: After my year as Miss America I plan to continue speaking to the issue of Internet safety and the Children's Miracle Network so that public service will continue.
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Lauren Nelson ponders a question |
Erin: Why did you win the Miss America title? What separated you from the other contestants?
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Lauren: I'm a firm believer in timing and God's plan so I feel it was just meant to be. There are so many elements involved in being Miss America. Many others could be chosen but by God's will I was.
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Erin: What is the most rewarding aspect of being Miss America? What is the most challenging aspect?
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Lauren: Most rewarding is having the opportunity at 21 to impact the people around you and represent something higher and bigger than I ever thought I could. Most challenging is the travel schedule; 20-thousand miles (32187 kilometers) a month so keeping up with what city I'm in and what time zone I'm in is tough and being away from family and friends is probably the hardest part.
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Erin: Your personal platform issue is Internet Safety—Protecting Children Online. Why did you choose this cause?
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Lauren: In short I'm homeless, carless, bedless. I'm a nomad.
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Lauren Nelson (L) - Erin Brummett (R) |
Michael: What advice would you give young people going on the Internet, making sure they are safe on the Internet?
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Lauren: I recommend 3 simple habits 1) don't talk to strangers -- you don't on the street and you don't online 2) don't share personal information on instant messaging, chats, Facebook, etc 3) involve an adult if you feel uncomfortable online, whether it's a family member, an older sibling or a local police officer, before something harmful happens.
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Erin: You did some work with John Walsh the father of a boy who was kidnapped and has never been found and host of a television program aimed at finding fugitives -- to help catch online child predators. What was this experience like? What else have you done to promote awareness of child Internet safety?
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Lauren: I met John Walsh here in (Washington) D. C. and our two offices worked together and came up with a sting operation idea so I went to Long Island, New York and worked with police there and with John Walsh...I chatted with predator as a 14 year old decoy so it was quite eye opening because I had done research but this was real life, learning why predators do what they do and seeing it from the law enforcement side...there was apprehension by me and my parents but it ended up being very rewarding.
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Patrice: Has your year as Miss America influenced your career goals?
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Lauren: Absolutely. I was studying Music Theater with plans to move to New York some day but I'm going to return to Oklahoma and study music education and be a music teacher. There's no place I would rather be.
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Lauren Nelson responds to a visitor's question |
Nancy O'Kane Schrag: Do you foresee the Miss America Pageant selecting a different platform for future Miss Americas to embrace? In the past, each newly crowned Miss America would continue to work for a cause that was near and dear to their heart. Thank you. I am from Kansas and a long time pageant volunteer and scholarship contributor.
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Lauren: The Miss America organization has adopted Children's Miracle Network as their national platform but contestants still have the opportunity to choose their own individual platform. My personal platform is Internet safety.
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Erin: How is Miss America representative of the country as a whole? How do you feel Miss America reflects the ideals of American society?
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Lauren: Miss America has been around for 86 years so it is an established institution in America so with that status in a new era and time it will continue to be that way. But with a certain kind of celebrity you have a chance to do good and with Miss America that will continue.
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Pia: What do you remember most about the entire Miss America pageant experience other than winning the crown and would you do it again?
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Lauren: I would absolutely do it again and suggest other girls do it, for the scholarship money, which has paid for my college. I remember leaving Tulsa, OK on Jan 19th to travel to Las Vegas to compete in the pageant and I remember sitting at the airport and looking around and saying, 'What if I don't come back (to Oklahoma)?'
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Trish: Besides “be yourself” what advice would you share with the 52 women preparing to take your title in January?
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Lauren: I would suggest doing all preparation beforehand and do everything in your power possible to win if that what's you want and then once there, let your preparation take care of itself.
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Nancy O'Kane Schrag: In recent years, reality TV has impacted many of us...and hit the ratings for the Miss America Pageant too. Do you feel the program can stand on its own merit and continue to be a positive force (and scholarship resource) for young women without the Nationally Recognized Network TV exposure? How has the change for the national competition (to Las Vegas) affected the image or quality of the competition? Do you think the program will survive the reality TV cycle?
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Lauren: If you think about it the Miss America pageant is really the longest running reality TV show. I think it will continue to thrive with our new partnership with The Learning Channel network. I think TLC will make sure that Miss America is represented in the best possible way.
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Pia: How do you compare meeting Americans with meeting people from other countries?
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Lauren: I haven't met many people from other countries.
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Lauren Nelson (L) and Erin Brummett (R) address a visitor's question while T2A Intern Tom Van Rooy (B) listens. |
Erin: Talk briefly about the difference between the Miss America program and the Miss Universe program.
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Lauren: Miss America is not-for-profit, scholarship, talent and community service-based organization. Miss Universe is a for-profit.
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Erin: That wraps today’s T2A webchat. Our thanks to Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson and to you for joining us. We hope you can join our chat on Wednesday, December 5th at 1800 hours universal time when we learn about international student exchange from Urs-Rainer von Arx, Vice-President of AFS. AFS is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization. It provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. That’s Wednesday, December 5th at 1800 hours universal time on voanews.com See you then!
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