MISS WASHINGTON

A delightful article, published in the Washington State University News on October 14th, explains who Reina Almon was growing up and how those experiences shaped her into becoming Miss Washington 2013...

          "As a shy, young girl Reina Almon dreamed of becoming an artist, animal trainer, singer or dancer. The worlds of beauty pageants or environmental advocacy weren’t remotely on her radar.
Community service, however, was front and center in 4th-9th grades when she was actively involved in 4-H, which is a service of Washington State University Extension.
           “Visiting nursing homes, the humane society, volunteering at horse shows and doing food drives gave me a lot of different perspectives on what I could do in the community,” said the 22-year-old Yakima native. “My experience in 4-H prepared me for my job as Miss Washington..."

Reina has certainly 'blossomed' into a gorgeous and confident young woman.  Her personal blog called "Reigna's Reign" has everything from "green" sustainability tips, to thrift store shopping ideas, to ways to re-wear your homecoming dress and glue rhinestone your own shoes!  Completely comprehensive and easy to follow, we highly recommend checking out Reina's Blog Here... :)

We know lots of people are super proud of this former 4-H'er turned sustainability advocate... And we think one of the biggest lessons here is how many paths there are to pageantry.  You never know what experiences you create for yourself as a pre-teen that may help shape you into the things you achieve in your early 20's and beyond!  So, even if you're "not ready" to do pageants just yet --- That's fine!  Go DO SOMETHING and stick with it long enough to see yourself mature and grow.  Then, you'll be more than able to take those skills and successfully use them in the pageant world. :)  Congrats Reina - You are certainly an example worthy of following :)

Now - who do we think has what it takes to be the next Miss Washington???

Junkies Say Here's Who to Watch:

Janae Calaway - WA OT '12
Megan Leibold - Top 10 '13
Catherine Watters - 4th RU '13, competed in '12, excellent twirler
Kimball Gainor - inline skater, competed in '12
Hayley Nicholson - strong talent, Miss Congeniality '13
Kailee Dunn - competed in '12 and '13
Alicia Cooper - Top 10 '13
Angelica Casimiro - graduated college at 20
Ramya Ramanathan - Junkie Dark Horse

GOOD LUCK LADIES!!!  JUNKIES LOVE WASHINGTON!!! :)

MAJ