Emma Gibney Visits Section 36!

Steve Smith Photography

Section 36 had another visitor! Emma Gibney is passionate about suicide prevention, a talented speaker, and the current Miss Worcester County's Outstanding Teen. I was so excited that she wanted to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more.

So, let's see what happens when Emma Gibney visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Worcester County’s Outstanding Teen crown?

How did I celebrate winning the MWCOT crown? That's a really good question. I'm actually still quite in shock from my win. I have only started in the Miss America Organization about 7 months ago but the first thing I did to celebrate this amazing accomplishment was go out to dinner with my family after. It was kind of crazy to actually go to a restaurant and get stares and wonder why everyone was looking at me remembering that I had a crown on my head but I kept it on the whole time. 

Do you have a specific goal you’d like to accomplish during your time as MWCOT?

A goal that I would love to be able to accomplish during my time as MWCOT would be to bring awareness to my Social Impact Initiative. By going into as many schools as possible and promoting "Suicide Prevention: Erasing the Stigma". I would love to show other teenagers like myself the importance of taking care of your mental health and all the reasons to stay!

What has been the biggest surprise about your time as MWCOT?

So although I’ve only been MWCOT for a very short amount of time there have already been some surprises on the way by having the amazing opportunity of being able to go out into the community and be hands on with the community and its members. It's shown me that there are many things to be done with my social impact and many other things. It has opened my eyes to all that I can do for the time that I have this title.

How did you select your social impact initiative, “Suicide Prevention: Erasing the Stigma”?

I selected my Social Impact Initiative entitled "Suicide Prevention: Erasing the Stigma” becuase of my close relation to the topic. Sadly a few years ago I lost my cousin to suicide, and being on the other end of that news and being the family member and feeling; and knowing that something like this could be prevented with the right knowledge and the right education on the topic of mental health and its importance to take care of your mind is vital and thats why I chose this topic because knowing that even if my SII can help just one person feel less alone then my job as a titleholder has been fulfilled. 

What do you enjoy most about performing your talent on stage?

Something that I enjoy most about performing my talent is actually something that comes after I perform it. My favorite part is the amount of people that come up to me after and express to me how much they needed my poem or how it deeply connected to them and how it was in some ways inspiring. Because that is why I get up on the stage and face my fears, in hope that I can connect with the audience. 

How would you complete the sentence, “I get great satisfaction when ___”?

I would finish the sentence "I get great satisfaction when.... I help others". Volunteerism and community service are both two really vital aspects in the MAO and so helping someone not only is helping them and the community but it makes me feel good about myself and the things that I am doing.

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

If I could be a Disney character for a whole week I would choose to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Not only do I believe that I deeply connect with her personally, we both share a love for reading and gaining as much knowledge as possible. In addition, I would like to say a kind heart, but I feel like she represents everything the organization and a Miss America's Outstanding Teen or Miss America should be. She is kind, smart, witty and extremely independent.  

If you had an extra ticket to see a WooSox game, who would you take with you? Why?

If I had an extra ticket to a WooSox game I would take my dad. My dad loves everything sports and even though he doesn't know much about tennis, the sport that I play, you will see him at every single one of my matches without fail, and always trying to give pointers. He's my best friend and that's why I believe that I would take him.

Is there a feature or activity at a baseball game that you’d especially like to experience?

Steve Smith Photography

An activity or feature that I would love to experience would be throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game. I have always seen other people doing it on TV and I think that it would be such a cool thing to experience. 

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Agreed, that would be an amazing experience!

As usual, I want to thank Emma for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to go with the interview.

I also want to wish Emma luck when she competes for Miss Massachusetts' Outstanding Teen! It would be fantastic to have the another Section 36 Forever wear that crown.

I'm sure you'd like to follow along with Emma during her journey as MWCOT. You should be sure to check out her title's Instagram account. It's a great way to keep track of everything she has going on.

Thanks again Emma, and good luck!