Meghan Rubadou Visits Section 36!

Section 36 has another visitor! Meg Rubadou is a singer, artist, Red Sox fan, and the current Miss Central Massachusetts. She also recently launched her own personal website. Even with all that going on, she was nice enough to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more. I’m sure you’ll be glad she did.

So, let’s see what happens when Meg Rubadou visits Section 36!

What has been your favorite part of your time as Miss Central Massachusetts?

My favorite part? That’s a tough one. One thing that sets the Miss Central Mass title apart from other Massachusetts titles is that includes the entire heart of the state. Holding a title that’s so far reaching has allowed me to serve a community across several towns as opposed to just one town and that has been a huge blessing. My favorite appearance with this title was Miracle Treat Day. My Business Manager, Cheryl and I toured Central Massachusetts and made stops at 5 different Dairy Queens to thank the managers and staff for their hard work and efforts in raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network. We even stopped at a farmers’ market that just happened to be open that day and I got to feed an alpaca!

You’ve been a short-term missionary in Guatemala. What has that experience been like?

I’ve been doing missions in Guatemala since I was 14 and every time I return to Zacapa, the experience is better. I’ve had the honor of being involved in 2 total village transformations and watching families in the poorest villages in the country come together and rise above to learn, build, and grow has been incredible. I’ve made so many life-long friends both young and old, even despite the language barrier. It is always mind-blowing to see God

orchestrating every single element of those trips so clearly. On my most recent trip, 5 minutes before a baby rescue team of 7 left the Hope of Life International (HOL) campus, at the perfect time, I asked the HOL founder if there was a chance that I could be a part of a baby rescue that day. In 30 seconds, I was on a bus headed to Honduras to rescue a two-month-old boy named Ismael and a 14-day-old little girl named Yoselin who were both extremely malnourished. I will never forget that day.

As a self-proclaimed Disney addict, which Disney character is the most like you?

I like to think I’m a cross between Rapunzel from Tangled and Anna from Frozen; quirky, strong, and always up for an adventure. Both of those characters surprise themselves with their own strengths and I find myself constantly surprising myself with the things that I am capable of accomplishing that I never imagined to be possible.

You recently started your own website. How did meghanrubadou.com come to be?

Initially, I was reading a blog post written by Miss Massachusetts

2016, Alissa Musto. It was titled, 7 Things You Can Do in Under 7 Minutes to Promote Yourself. One of the tips in that blog post was to purchase your own domain name. Owning a website is a great way to showcase what you have to offer the world. Whether I’m blogging about fitness, food, lifestyle, pageants, or art, my hope is that my site will be a hub for people who are interested in trying new things. I also wanted to further my successes with my Creative Cure project. To know what that’s all about, you’ll just have to visit the site and see!

What drew you to your platform “A Creative Cure: Combatting Stress with Art?

I am going to school for Child Life, a career in which creativity and play are requirements. Fun requirements, of course! Since I began volunteering at Boston Children’s Hospital, I have come to understand the value of art in the context of stress relief, specifically within a pediatric hospital setting. During my volunteer shifts when I was in high school, I would sometimes struggle with finding activities for a diverse range of children- boys, girls, younger, older, some who don’t speak English, and some who are experiencing the stress of inpatient care. As I continued my work there, I quickly discovered that regardless of who I was working with, regardless of age, gender, etc., if I entered a room holding paints, brushes, and a wooden birdhouse, there would be nothing but smiles in that room. Art brings people together, it relieves stress and anxiety, and it gives everyone the ability to create something that is uniquely theirs. I created my platform to raise awareness of how art can be used to relieve stress and to encourage people to utilize it in that context.

Is there something you’d like to accomplish before your time as Miss Central Massachusetts ends?

I am hoping to reach my goal of raising $1000 for the Children’s Miracle Network this year. I recently held a fundraiser for CMN that brought me halfway to that goal. This November, I will hopefully be holding one more fundraiser- one that includes visual arts! I don’t want to give too much away, but donating to that fundraiser will make your Christmas shopping a little easier!

Who was/is your favorite Red Sox player growing up? Why?

Truth be told, my family isn’t big on baseball. We’re more of a

football family. But my favorite Red Sox player growing up was Coco Crisp. My 5th grade math teacher was a big Red Sox fan and she had pictures of all the players on the team that year (2008) hanging on a bulletin board in our classroom. I always loved that Coco Crisp shared the name of one of my favorite sugary cereals.

This is the first Red Sox season in a while without David Ortiz. What’s your favorite Ortiz memory?

The Boston bombing took place two years before I started college in Boston. I remember watching the news surrounding the attacks for weeks after they occurred in complete disbelief that it was my city. At that point in my life, my dream was to move to Boston and go to Wheelock College (I’m living it now!) and I was devastated that my dream city was wounded from that attack. Ortiz’s speech at Fenway Park fueled not only the people of Boston, but the people of Massachusetts, with a new hope, a new strength, and a new pride that we hold being from the best city in the world. As Miss Massachusetts 2017, Carly Fisher said at the national teen pageant this year, “in Massachusetts, Boston Strong isn’t just a saying. It’s a way of life.”

How will the Red Sox finish up the 2017 season?

Regardless of how they finish, the iconic team will make our city proud! It would be fabulous to have another excuse to run through the streets of Fenway again (like when the Pats won the Super Bowl) if they take the World Series!

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I agree! That sounds like it would be fun!

As always, I want to give huge thanks to Meg for doing this interview. She did a wonderful job. I also want to thank her for providing the amazing pictures to accompany the interview. I especially like the effort she put into her "I'd Rather be in Section 36" sign!

As Meg continues her time as Miss Central Massachusetts, I encourage you to follow her on the official Facebook page. You should also definitely check out her personal website to catch up on all the great information posted there.

And, how about if we help her reach her goal of $1000 raised for the Children's Miracle Network? I bet we can do that!

Thanks again Meg!