I Am More
One of the
most touching moments during Miss Idaho week was a conversation I had with Miss
Capital City, Kristin Tatilian. It was the very last day of competition; all of
us girls had been living together all week. We were eating lunch, and I pulled
out my pump to give myself some insulin. Kristin asked what I was doing, so I
explained. She asked if I always wore my pump, because she had never noticed
before. I was shocked she hadn’t seen it, because, of course, I had been
wearing it visibly all week. “When I see you,” she responded, “I just see
Sierra. I have honestly never noticed any machine. Your beauty and personality
shines way too brightly for anything to get in its way”. Even though I didn’t mind if people noticed
my insulin pump last week, because I wanted to spread my message, it really
touched me that Kristin would say something like that.
You all
know me as the beauty queen with diabetes. Your support has been so
overwhelmingly amazing these past 6 days, and I have developed an entirely new
appreciation for this disease, because it has brought me a whole community of
friends. I think it is wonderful that we all of have something in common that
has brought us together, but I have had one comment pop up on social media this
week that stuck out to me:
I want you
all to know that, as much as I am enjoying hearing about how much I have
touched your lives, diabetes does not define me. Your diabetes, or whatever
your struggle or disability is, does not define you either. I am also not just
“a pageant girl”, or anything close to a supermodel. I am a completely average,
normal girl, who likes to sing, and thought that entering the Miss America
Organization might give me opportunities to serve my community, while inspiring
me to stay healthy and improve my public speaking skills.
So, I’ve decided to write a blog to tell you who I am: what
I love, what I enjoy doing, what and who inspires me, my passions, and how I
want to make a difference with my life and be remembered.
Like Dixie said, I like to powerlift and do CrossFit! I love
working out. I also love running, biking, skiing, and snowboarding. I played
basketball, was on an all-star cheer team in high school (Planet Cheer), and
was also on a ballroom dance team.
Some basic, but silly, facts that all my best friends know
about me are:
- · I love anything and everything Wonder Woman
- · My favorite animal is a jellyfish
- · My favorite colors are lavender and pink
- · I love grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate cheesecake
- · My favorite Disney characters are Eeyore and Belle
- · My #mcm is Kevin Malone from the Office (and I also love One Direction and Nick Jonas)
- · My #wcw…oh where do I even start! I love Nicole Johnson (duh!), Ellen DeGeneres, Sheryl Sandberg, and Eleanor Roosevelt! I also look up to my Miss Idaho sisters! Especially the ones I have gotten to know well: Laura Hampikian, Kaitlyn Anderson, Katie Strobel, Dani Beckstrom, Malia Arnell and Carolyn Pace. You guys exemplify everything this organization stands for, and I know there is AT LEAST one future Miss Idaho on that list!
- · I have two little sisters, Hailey (18) and Sydney (15). I have two puppies, and a Flemmish giant bunny (if you haven’t seen one, Google it)!
- · My room could win an award for being the messiest in the world.
- I collect clocks from wherever I travel to, and set them to the time zones they are from! I also collect pins and buttons!
One of my greatest passions is traveling. In 2014 alone, I
have been to 12 different countries and 9 states. On January 2nd, I
left for a three month backpacking trip through Europe, and visited a bunch of
places. My favorites were London, Swtizerland (I skied in the alps!), and
Paris. I saw a Backstreet Boys concert in Spain (yes, they are still rockin’
it), and I also went all over Italy and Germany, as well as Austria, Sweden,
Denmark, Scotland, and Ireland! It was an amazing trip to say the least. You
can read more about it in a past Miss Idaho blog post that I submitted when I
was a local titleholder here!
I also went on a short term mission trip to Cambodia last
summer, and lived in Ecuador for a year when I was 14! In Ecuador, my dad
volunteered as a doctor in a mission clinic in a small village called
Guadalupe! My sisters and I went to school, and helped in the clinic in our
spare time.
I would like to be a CEO and/or own my own company “when I
grow up”. I am not sure what kind of company, but I am very passionate about
business. I feel that, with the gifts and talents I have been given, it is the
best way for me to make the greatest possible impact on my community. Two
companies I admire a lot are Chick-fil-A and Southwest Airlines because of
their dedication to their employees and customers. I hope to learn from their
examples to implement their ability to show compassion and care in my own
company!
At some point, I would like to live in Ecuador again, or any
developing country. Since I am not studying to be a doctor, I instead plan on
serving the people there by helping them set up their own businesses and
teaching them business skills.
At some point, I promise I will tell you about my platform
Possibilities for Disabilities, but that will be its own blog post!
I hope this will help you see me for more than just my
disease. Now that I’ve shared who I am with you, this week I want to get to know
YOU! Post your pictures, still with the hashtag #showmeyourpump, but this time,
tell me something about you! Whether it is something you just found out you had
in common with me (aside from our disease), something that makes you unique, or
something you are passionate about, I want to hear about it! Ready, GO!
All my love,
Sierra
P.S. If you haven’t already, follow me:
Facebook: Miss Idaho Organization
Instagram: @sierra_anne_nicole and @missidorg
Twitter: @sierra_anne93 and @missidahoorg
AND, now you can write to me and send me stuff too! I love
snail mail :D Hope to hear from you!
Sierra Sandison
P.O. Box 6159
Twin Falls, ID 83303
Defeating Diabetes
I have so many things going on that I want to share with
you, and I have all year to blog for you guys, so I will get to everything.
It’s such a hard decision to even know where to start though! Since diabetes is
what has really brought in the most social media attention, I decided I am
going to tell you a little bit about my story and my message to you all!
In February 2012, my world was flipped upside down by my
diabetes diagnosis. For a while, I pretended that I didn’t have diabetes,
hoping it would go away. That led to crazy blood sugars, of course, and a very
sick, grumpy, and discouraged Sierra.
In the summer, my friend asked me to compete at Miss Magic
Valley (our local pageant in Twin Falls, Idaho—the winner goes to Miss Idaho
the following summer). To compete, I needed a platform and I chose diabetes. I
was a very different, less confident girl then. I didn’t know what I wanted to
do with my platform, or how to make it happen. Needless to say, I did not win
Miss Magic Valley 2012, and that was totally okay! Life went on, and I met new
friends and learned a lot! In addition, I decided that if nothing else, I was
going to take the best care of my diabetes as possible to show others that it
was possible.
A couple months later, I competed in another pageant, and
WON! However, I competed at Miss Idaho last summer and didn’t make top 11 (out
of 18 girls). I came home, competed for Miss Magic Valley 2013, won, and have
spent the last year promoting my platform, fundraising for Children’s Miracle
Network, and trying to grow as an individual.
My platform is now Possibilities for Disabilities. My sister
and I put on sports camps for people with developmental disabilities. I found
that the reason my diabetes platform was so powerful was not because of the
disease itself, but because of my message: we all have obstacles, but we need
to know that we can overcome them, as well as use them to empower ourselves and
make an impact on those around us. The kids I work with at my camps are champs,
and this message relates to them, as well as diabetics and every other person
on the planet! I will talk more about my official platform in a future blog
post!
At Miss Idaho 2014, as most of you know, I made the decision
to wear my pump on stage while competing. That decision took me two long years
to make. When I first started competing, I was using injections rather than a
pump. I didn’t want people to see a weird-tubey-machine-thing attached to me
all the time, and could not wrap my head around having a medical device on my
body for the rest of my life.
Then, I heard about Nicole Johnson: Miss America 1999. She
wore her pump while competing at Miss America. My whole perspective changed.
The media often tells us this lie: if your appearance
deviates in any way from cover girls, movie stars, super models, etc., it is a
flaw and something is wrong with you. Well, guess what? Miss America 1999 has
an insulin pump, and it doesn’t make her any less beautiful. In fact, in my
mind, it enhances her beauty! So, a year after I was diagnosed, I got a pump.
It helped me get even better control of my diabetes, and made my life SO much
easier. Working up the confidence to compete with it was an entirely different
journey, but this summer at Miss Idaho 2014, I finally did it.
As I nervously walked out of the dressing room the first
night of competition, the first person I saw said, “What’s that? Is that an
insulin pump?”. My stomach flipped
upside down. “I shouldn’t have worn this,” I thought, “everyone is going to be
confused and wonder what I am wearing”.
But, the inquisitor happened to be McCall Salinas, the current Miss
Idaho’s Outstanding Preteen. She shared with me that she had diabetes as well,
but didn’t want a pump because of similar reasons I had had. Through out the
night, she stood backstage cheering me on. We bonded over diabetes and
pageants, and by the end of the night, she told her mom she was ready to get a
pump. It brought me to tears. The thought that I could be one person’s “Nicole
Johnson” meant more to me than I can ever put into words. Now, with the title
of Miss Idaho, I have had a million new opportunities to spread the word about
diabetes and overcoming obstacles! I am overwhelmed with hearing how many lives
have been touched by me simply wearing my pump on stage. It means so much to
me, and I hope I can touch many more during my year as Miss Idaho.
All my love,
Sierra Sandison
Miss Idaho 2014
Facebook: Miss Idaho Organization
Instagram: @missidorg @sierra_anne_nicole
Twitter: @sierra_anne93 @missidahoorg
Hashtags: #missidaho2014 #showmeyourpump
Read Around The World
Last month Miss Canyon County, Megan Wilson, was able to be a part of read around the world. "I was asked to represent the Polynesian Islands at Monroe Elementary’s Read Around The World event in Boise where students were able to experience different countries’ cultures through food and entertainment.
My favorite part of this appearance was seeing
the kids voluntarily take part in activities of all the represented countries. And my best memory was seeing everyone’s hand go up
when I asked for volunteers to come learn Tahitian dancing."
Possibilities for Disabilities: Tennis Camp 2014
Miss Magic Valley’s platform is Possibilities for Disabilities. She holds sports camps for people with developmental disabilities in order to help them build confidence, develop their talents, gain a sense of accomplishment, and form relationships with their peers.
Possibilities for Disabilities has had two basketball camps, a soccer camp, and just held their first tennis camp! The way Possibilities camps usually work is the kids and coaches (student athletes that volunteer to help with the camp) are excused from classes from the day, and spend the time learning the basic skills of the sport, as well as playing fun team building and group games through out the day. At the end of the school day, a closing ceremony is held, recognizing each of the participants for the accomplishments they have made that day. The kids return at 6 o’clock that evening, at which time they are split into teams and play a game. Parents, peers and the community come to watch and cheer them on! It is always heartwarming, and a total blast!
"Tennis camp worked a little differently. We decided not to have an evening game, but spent an awesome afternoon learning the basics of tennis and having fun while we were at it! At the beginning of the day, we split into teams and the kids came up with colors, names, mascots and team cheers. My team was the Orange Fire Squirrels, and we were up against the Green Hot Pockets! We had a few games through out the day, such as relay races and creative version of tag, where the teams got to get into their team spirit and play against each other.
My favorite part of my platform is seeing friendships form. When we first started Possibilities, it was completely about giving these kids the opportunity to participate in activities they may not otherwise get the chance to, helping them gain confidence, find something they like to do, give them something to work hard at, etc. What we didn’t expect was how the culture of the high school would be transformed.
One of the challenges these kids face is that their having a disability can become their identity. No one wants to, or should be, defined by one aspect of themselves. Every single one of them has passions; hobbies; a favorite color, movie, or animal; a unique sense of humor; goals, dreams, etc. Unfortunately, more often than not, the only thing their peers may see or know about them is their disability. On top of that, their peers may be uncomfortable with the obvious difference that exists between them, and not know how to break the ice between them to learn about what they have in common.
When Possibilities started, we realized it created a fun and inclusive environment that brought the students with disabilities together with their peers. We all got to see their personalities emerge and get to know them for who they truly are. Rather than being separated and distant from other students, the kids with disabilities are now more integrated socially in the school and the community, and that makes all the work that goes into my platform so, so worth it!”
Possibilities for Disabilities has had two basketball camps, a soccer camp, and just held their first tennis camp! The way Possibilities camps usually work is the kids and coaches (student athletes that volunteer to help with the camp) are excused from classes from the day, and spend the time learning the basic skills of the sport, as well as playing fun team building and group games through out the day. At the end of the school day, a closing ceremony is held, recognizing each of the participants for the accomplishments they have made that day. The kids return at 6 o’clock that evening, at which time they are split into teams and play a game. Parents, peers and the community come to watch and cheer them on! It is always heartwarming, and a total blast!
"Tennis camp worked a little differently. We decided not to have an evening game, but spent an awesome afternoon learning the basics of tennis and having fun while we were at it! At the beginning of the day, we split into teams and the kids came up with colors, names, mascots and team cheers. My team was the Orange Fire Squirrels, and we were up against the Green Hot Pockets! We had a few games through out the day, such as relay races and creative version of tag, where the teams got to get into their team spirit and play against each other.
My favorite part of my platform is seeing friendships form. When we first started Possibilities, it was completely about giving these kids the opportunity to participate in activities they may not otherwise get the chance to, helping them gain confidence, find something they like to do, give them something to work hard at, etc. What we didn’t expect was how the culture of the high school would be transformed.
One of the challenges these kids face is that their having a disability can become their identity. No one wants to, or should be, defined by one aspect of themselves. Every single one of them has passions; hobbies; a favorite color, movie, or animal; a unique sense of humor; goals, dreams, etc. Unfortunately, more often than not, the only thing their peers may see or know about them is their disability. On top of that, their peers may be uncomfortable with the obvious difference that exists between them, and not know how to break the ice between them to learn about what they have in common.
When Possibilities started, we realized it created a fun and inclusive environment that brought the students with disabilities together with their peers. We all got to see their personalities emerge and get to know them for who they truly are. Rather than being separated and distant from other students, the kids with disabilities are now more integrated socially in the school and the community, and that makes all the work that goes into my platform so, so worth it!”
People's Choice 2014
Want to help your favorite contestant make the top 11 for Miss Idaho? You can vote on Facebook and on the blog. The People's Choice winner will not only make top 11 but she will be able to pick her contestant number for finals night.
For more details on Facebook voting click here.
For more details on blog voting click here.