April is nationally recognized as Youth Savings Month, and financial institutions all across the country jumped on board with promoting financial literacy! I had a great opportunity to visit Oxford Elementary and speak to a precious group of first graders about the principals of wants vs needs, saving/spending/giving, and helped them brainstorm ways that they can make money to begin saving on their own. I loved the students that I met, and I also had a blast with teachers that I met when I was going in to the school!

This school visit was extra special because it was the class of one of the sweetest and most impressive kids that I know! I first met Avery, my Honors College Advisor’s daughter, when I competed in a prelim in the fall. We hit it off and quickly became pals! A couple of weeks later, she got a kitten, and she decided to name it after me! This might be the coolest thing that has ever happened to me!!! Blair the Cat is so precious, and I am so honored that Avery saw me as a strong enough of a role model to remember me through her kitty for many years to come!

I am so grateful that the Miss America Organization gives me the opportunities to connect with youth, serve as a strong example to them, and share a message that is so important to me with students across the state. I am so thankful!