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!

Carly Fisher Visits Section 36!

Photo by Robby Trottier

Section 36 has another visitor! Carly Fisher is my youngest visitor to date. The current Miss Boston's Outstanding Teen will be competing next month for the title of Miss Massachusetts' Outstanding Teen! She took a break from her preparations to talk with us about her time as Miss Boston's Outstanding Teen, and of course the Red Sox! I'm really glad she did.

So, let's see what happens when Carly Fisher visits Section 36!

What made you choose to compete for Miss Boston’s Outstanding Teen?

I've grown up around the Miss America Organization. My mom used to volunteer with a local pageant and my entire life I idolized the title holders and all that they were able to accomplish. When I had the opportunity to become I title holder myself, I couldn't pass it up.

With appearances and interview requests, how do you make sure your duties as Miss Boston’s Outstanding Teen don’t interfere with your schooling?

Carly (left) and her sister pose with Wally in 2011

Schooling always comes first. I go to a college preparatory catholic high school, so some of my classes can be demanding. Before I commit to an appearance or interview, I make sure it can fit into my busy schedule with school and sports commitments.

I love that your talent is “speed painting.” How did you decide

on that?

I've been sketching and drawing for as long as I can remember, and when I decided that I wanted to compete in the program, I found a way to bring that talent to the stage.  I painted Audrey Hepburn when I won Miss Boston's Outstanding Teen.  I'm painting another famous actress for the state pageant, and I'm really excited about that!

Your platform is The Martin Richard Foundation. What drew you to that choice?

In 8th grade I was at a leadership conference through Project 351 where Bill Richard (Martin's dad) spoke to us about Martin's message of "No More Hurting People. Peace". His message stuck with me,  leading to my involvement with the foundation.  I've run several fundraisers for the foundation, but what I enjoy the most is talking to young students about promoting projects they can do to help spread Martin's message of peace and keep his memory alive.

What lessons from the Miss Boston's Outstanding Teen competition can you bring with you to Miss Massachusetts' Outstanding Teen?

I've definitely learned to keep moving forward. I made a few mistakes on the day of the Miss Boston's Outstanding Teen pageant, but instead of getting nervous or giving up, I kept doing everything to the best of my ability that day. I hope the mistakes decrease at the Miss Massachusetts' Outstanding Teen pageant, but if they do happen, I know how to handle them and persevere.

Who is your favorite current Red Sox player? Why?

Carly in the cage, taking her cuts

Like a lot of people who are fans of the Red Sox, my favorite player had always been David Ortiz. Now that he has retired, I'm going to have to watch this season closely to find my new favorite.

I hear you’re a big fan of 70’s music. The Red Sox tend to play a lot of that genre at Fenway, especially with “Joy to the World” being played after victories. Which 70’s song do you think would be fun to hear at the park?

"September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire should be played at Fenway. It's such a  great song that you can't help but sing along to, and September is always such an exciting time in baseball.

I'm guessing this will be the first season you can remember where David Ortiz isn't on the Red Sox. What's your favorite David Ortiz memory?

Even though the most appropriate language wasn't used, my favorite memory was when Ortiz showed his love and passion for our city after the Boston Marathon bombing during his speech at Fenway.

How do you think the Red Sox will do this season?

Like any loyal Boston Red Sox fans, I think they can win it all this year!

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Hard to argue with that!

As always, I want to give a huge thank you to Carly for taking the time to visit with us. Another big thank you to her for providing so many wonderful pictures to go along with the interview. They definitely made the post much better.

Be sure to keep track of Carly on the official Miss Boston's Outstanding Teen website and social media accounts:  Instagram and Facebook!

Thanks again for the visit Carly, and Good Luck next month!