It's been four days since Ball State student Nicole Rash was crowned Miss Indiana yet it's only just starting to sink in. Rash talked to The Daily News about her experiences in pageants, her hopes for the next year and what comes next.
Q: What do you like about competing in pageants?
"I just love the community involvement that they have. Obviously the scholarships help tremendously. Last year I received a bunch of scholarships through Ball State and the Miss Indiana organization to help pay for my education. But really being involved with the community - I have a platform in language arts barriers - I get to interact with Hispanic and Spanish-speaking people and helping them and seeing their lives be changed."
Q: Do you view Miss Indiana as a way to make a difference?
"It's a good vehicle to use - a good way of getting in there and getting the contacts you need. Having a face and name that's more well-known, rather than just coming off the street - it definitely helps."
Q: What was teaching English as a second language in Chile like?
"I went to Bolivia in 2003 right after high school and I stayed there for a year as an exchange student. Then I came back and went to Ball State for a semester but since I was so fluent in Spanish they actually sent me to Chile and I taught English there. That's an experience in of itself. Knowing something and having to teach are two completely different things. I had always been interested in languages and other cultures but I had never really thought about teaching or helping others learn it as well. So that was definitely a point where I realized it was something I could do to help others."
Q: How do you prepare to compete in Miss America?
"A lot of the preparations are involving just the different activities I do as Miss Indiana. I do community services and a lot of public appearances and public speaking. I also have interview coaches, a personal trainer - just a lot of things I have to keep up on. I have to keep up on current events, read the newspapers and just really stay involved at the same time. It's pretty hectic and I'm not going to lie it's stressful. It's fun while I'm doing it too. They try to make it fun and I'm really enjoying it. The more you put into it the more you're going to get out of it."
Q: How has your experience in pageants helped in other areas of life?
"I noticed that whenever I go into a job interview I'm much more prepared, much less nervous - I really think that benefits me in a way that will benefit me for the rest of my life. Being able to pick up on questions and have an answer and an opinion about things is really helpful."
Q: What did you enjoy most about the Miss Indiana pageant?
"The thing I enjoyed the most is this year Miss America has adopted the Children's Miracle Network as a platform and Miss America is an ambassador for that platform. Riley's Children's Hospital is the only Children's Miracle Network hospital in Indiana and I will be able to go there - I'm a Spanish-language interpreter in my hometown - so I'm going to be able to go there and use those services as well, and speak with the children and their families and get to know them. We did that during the Miss Indiana pageant and that was my favorite part. I loved being able to get involved that way."
Q: Has it taken a while to sink in?
"It definitely took a while. At first it didn't really seem real. But then I got home and community members had called and left messages. I got really busy then it started to get real. It took a few days to really sink in."
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