Amelia Herring Visits Section 36

Section 36 has a new visitor! Amelia Herring is a mentoring advocate, a talented singer, and the current Miss Souhegan

Valley. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more.

So let's see what happens when Amelia Herring visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Souhegan Valley crown? 

My best friend, who is currently Miss Strafford County 2020, and I have a tradition that after every pageant, we go out to eat at a popular diner here in New Hampshire called The Red Arrow. It just so happened that the venue for Miss Souhegan Valley was located right next door to a Red Arrow location, so myself, my best friend, and two of our other close friends all went out to eat a late night breakfast to celebrate. It was exactly the way I wanted to celebrate too--surrounded by the amazing young women that are made up of this program, and who I am fortunate enough to call not just friends, but sisters.

What did you learn about yourself at the Miss Souhegan Valley competition that will help you at Miss New Hampshire? 

I think that the most important thing that I learned about myself at this particular competition is to not overthink things. Miss Souhegan Valley was my 39th competition in seven years, so I was constantly used to thinking through every single detail about the day and worrying about different parts of competition that could possibly be hindering my success. On the day of Miss Souhegan Valley though, I just tried my best to let things happen and go with the flow of the day, and I overall think that made me have a better competition, a better attitude and outlook on the day, and it is definitely the type of attitude I want to take to Miss New Hampshire--not stressing about every little detail, but just remembering how fortunate I am to be there and taking everything as it comes.

What part of the upcoming Miss New Hampshire competition are you most nervous about? 

I'd have to say that I am most nervous about is the talent

competition--the young women who compete in this organization are truly incredibly talented, so competing against that many of them at once is quite nerve-wracking! However, that is where I plan to most utilize my strategy of just doing my best and not stressing, but just letting things happen as they do.

How did you select your social impact initiative: Building Up Tomorrow's Leaders Through Mentoring? 

I selected my social impact initiative because I have been so positively affected by the many mentors that I have been fortunate to have in my life. My mentors have encouraged me, uplifted me, prayed for me, cheered with me, cried with me, and have been there every step of the way through the highs and the lows. During my year, I hope to highlight the many incredible organizations both in New Hampshire and around the country that offer these experiences to our young people, as well as to just talk to people about what it means to be a mentor and how that can overall improve the leadership skills of our young people.

As a talented singer, what is your favorite type of song to sing? 

Oh, this is a tough one! I'd have to say that my favorite type of song to sing is probably musical theatre. However, I do consider myself a pretty strong Disney karaoke contender as well--and I have recently been gaining an appreciation for jazz music and music that has been influenced by jazz.

If you could be a Disney character for a week, which would you choose? Why? 

This is another tough one, because I LOVE Disney. I would probably say Rapunzel--she is one of my absolute favorite characters; she's creative, adventurous, caring, kind, and eventually finds the courage to stand up for what she believes in, even if it means risking everything she's ever known. I think she would be a good person to channel.

Who is your favorite Red Sox player? Why? 

Though he no longer plays for the Red Sox, I've got to say

Jarrod Saltalamacchia. When I was younger, I used to always hear his name on TV and thought it was just the coolest thing. Now he plays for the Detroit Tigers, which interestingly enough, used to have their spring training right down the road from where I went to college!

Is there a feature or activity at a Red Sox game you would especially like to experience? 

Though it's actually a complete travesty, I've never been to a Red Sox game in person! I just went to my first MLB game this past year at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida and it was very cool, but I think that the whole experience of going to a stadium as iconic as Fenway and seeing my home team play would just overall be an amazing experience to take in--plus, I'd love to see The Green Monster in person, of course!

What were you doing when the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series? 

I'm actually fairly positive I was working that night--I used to be a manager at a clothing store and often times worked the night shift, but I definitely remember checking the score throughout the night so that I could stay posted!

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Hope she was able to catch as much as possible!

As always, I want to thank Amelia for doing this interview, and for sending along so many great pictures. They really make the post a lot more interesting to read.

As Amelia continues her time as Miss Souhegan Valley, I encourage you to follow her on her official Instagram account. It’s an easy to see what she’s up to during her time with the crown.

I also want to wish Amelia luck when she competes for the Miss New Hampshire crown. We've been on quite a run of former visitors winning that crown, and it would be amazing to have another former visitor take home that title!

Thanks again Amelia, and good luck!