confidence, I am teaching students how to stand in front of a room and use their voice. And just as I learned through showing cattle, agriculture education is about so much more than the competition itself. It is about learning to accept both success and disappointment and using both to become better. Those lessons became especially important during my year as Miss Wisconsin USA. When I became Miss Wisconsin USA, I knew I wanted my year to look different. I didn't want to leave my agricultural identity at the door. I wanted to bring it with me. My platform, 1 to 100, was built around a simple but powerful idea: farmers represent roughly 1-percent of the population, yet they help feed 100-percent of us. That message became my mission throughout the year. I wanted to use the visibility of the crown to help people understand the story behind their food and remind them that agriculture belongs to everyone. Through speaking engagements, classroom visits, and social media, I worked to make agricultural education accessible to people who may not have grown up on a farm. My Ag Fact Friday series became one of the many ways I could do that. I could take something as simple as a Wisconsin commodity or agricultural statistic and
turn it into a conversation with someone who may have never thought about where that product came from. Because sometimes advocacy doesn't have to be complicated. Then came the moment I had been working toward: representing Wisconsin at Miss USA. Walking into Miss USA was surreal. I was surrounded by women from across the country who had accomplished incredible things and represented causes they were passionate about. Every contestant had a story. I had mine. And my story was agriculture. I walked onto that national stage as an agriculture teacher, an FFA advisor, a farm girl, and someone who had spent years showing cattle. I didn't see those identities as separate from being a pageant contestant. They were exactly what made me who I was. There were moments during the Miss USA experience when I found myself thinking back to showing livestock. That same feeling of anticipation. That same realization that months of preparation had led to a few important moments. That same desire to represent something bigger than myself. Of course, the Miss USA stage was different. Instead of standing ringside with my family, I was surrounded by contestants, cameras, judges, and a national audience. There is a certain vulnerability that comes
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with showing livestock. You spend hours preparing an animal, and then you walk into a ring where your work is visible to everyone. Pageantry can feel much the same way. You prepare your interview answers. You practice your walk. You rehearse your introduction. You spend countless hours preparing for a few minutes when the spotlight is on you. But no amount of preparation can eliminate the nerves. At some point, you have to trust the work you've put in. That is something showing cattle taught me long ago. At Miss USA, I finally understood that feeling from the other side. My family, friends, students, agricultural community,
and supporters had all invested in me. I wasn't walking onto that stage alone. I was carrying all of them with me. I wasn't there simply to wear a sash that said Wisconsin. I was there to represent my state, my family, my students, my agricultural community, and every person who helped me get there. Perhaps the most meaningful part of this journey has been realizing that the crown gave me a microphone… but agriculture gave me something worth saying. The title created opportunities to walk into rooms I may not have otherwise entered. It allowed me to speak with people who may have never
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