"Using Your Talents to Serve Others" Platform in Action!

Hello everyone!

I hope you're doing well! I am currently on Spring Break from Wheaton College, where I am a Junior Piano Performance major. It has been great to spend some time at home with my family. I'm also practicing for my upcoming Junior Piano Recital at Wheaton, as well as continuing to represent my Miss Northern Suburbs title and to prepare to compete for Miss Illinois this summer.

One aspect of the Miss America Organization that I love is the opportunity to share about my personal platform "Using Your Talents to Serve Others." I'm so passionate about this message, and my goal is to really live it out in my own life while hoping to inspire others to join me.

“What are you good at? What are you passionate about doing?” I believe everyone has an ability that can be a gift to the world, so I encourage everyone to think about these questions to discover what that is and how they can use it to reach out to people. Rather than measuring “success” in terms of wealth or status, or striving only for personal recognition, I believe true success is achieved when people serve others with their God-given talents and resources. When people embrace this perspective, their actions touch lives in deeply significant ways. My objective is to encourage people to do just that and to model this in my own life in hopes of being an inspiring role model.

Tonight, I am looking forward to performing for the residents of Westminster Village--a local retirement community that I have played at many times over the years. It is always a blessing to reach out to this audience, comprised mostly of elderly people who really appreciate being able to hear beautiful music and talk with visitors. Many people have come up to me with tears in their eyes to thank me for coming and sharing my music with them, which has been really moving for me. I was sad to have recently found out that a woman I met at Westminster several years ago just passed away at the age of 102. I will never forget talking with her after one of my performances and listening to what she had to say. I'm so glad that she led such a long, beautiful life. These types of experiences are enriching, and I think that when people take an initiative to reach out to others in a caring way, they will have similarly rewarding experiences.

And although I may reach out through music, each person has a different story. The beauty of this powerful message is that it is all-inclusive, yet it becomes specific to each person. Some people, like athletes or musicians, have talents that are very visible due to their performance-based nature. But in my mind, being a good listener, giving good advice, or having the ability to comfort are valuable “talents” also. A good cook might help in a soup kitchen. A singer might entertain kids in the hospital. No matter what a person can offer, they have power to make a positive impact. The way to tap into that power is by pursuing dreams but never forgetting to lend a hand to the dreamer beside us, whether they are family, friends, or members of the community.

I will post photos from this event soon!

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

It is so exciting to introduce myself for the first time as Miss Northern Suburbs 2011and to welcome you to the official blog! I was thrilled to be crowned the new titleholder last night on January 15, 2011, in Lake Forest, IL. I have so much anticipation for the year ahead--I will be making numerous appearances and preparing to compete for the job and title of Miss Illinois 2011 this summer, a goal that I have been looking forward to and preparing to pursue since childhood. Although my sister was sick, I'm glad that my parents and past director Rachel Johnson were there to root for me and share in the excitement of the crowning moment.

My new Miss NS family also includes the Teen titleholder Kalina O'Brien, the Pre-Teen titleholder Cassidy Raasch, and the Princesses Alyssa Cox and Sophia Thompson. I'm thankful to have two wonderful directors to work with--Kristen Hadap and Robin Ruchti--who run the Miss Northern Suburbs organization in a very professional and friendly manner. Please visit the website for more information: http://www.missnorthernsuburbs.com/

Also, a huge thank you goes to the former titleholders who said farewell last night. Corina Harwood, Miss Northern Suburbs 2010, was a truly inspiring titleholder who accomplished so much and was also very successful at Miss IL. Corina, I admire your care, courage and positive attitude, and the way that you poured into your Princesses. I can tell how much they look up to you. Thank you for your friendship and support. I'm glad that we'll continue to keep in touch and work together. It was an amazing moment to be crowned by Corina AGAIN last night--she also passed along the Miss Capital City crown to me when I won last year! What a great night! :)

It is so important to me that people understand the amount of great good that is achieved every year through the Miss America Organization--including personal growth and the provision of educational funds for contestants, money and awareness raised for Children's Miracle Network, mentoring relationships and good role models for our Princesses, the positive influence on audiences who hear titleholders speak about valuable messages related to the platforms they are passionate about, and the impact on others that a titleholder has the potential to have as an accomplished, intelligent, and approachable spokesperson, entertainer, advocate, and leader.

Having already held two titles in the Miss Illinois/America system (Miss Shawnee 2009; Miss Capital City 2010 [http://www.2010misscapitalcity.blogspot.com]), I have had amazingly rewarding and rich experiences, and I take this position very seriously. I'm honored to be Miss Northern Suburbs, and as a public figure, I desire to represent and exemplify this organization to the highest degree and to the best of my ability. This blog will be a place where I will share about my journey to Miss IL and appearances, about my platform "Redefining Success: Using Your Talents to Serve Others," and my personal thoughts and photos along the way. I think this will be a fun and successful year, and I'm ready to begin with determination and the motive of continually improving and creating a lasting legacy that will affect the people I come into contact with--even if for a single time--in a positive, inspiring, and memorable way.

Thank you to everyone who helped at the pageant, including the directors, board members, volunteers, performers, emcee Jerry Cebrzynski, guest speaker and Miss N.S. 2009 Sherrie Gearheart, auditors, and judges. Thank you to Matty Jacobsen of Magic Dreams Video Productions for taking the video (for more info or to order a DVD, please call 224-232-9870), and to our sponsor photographer Fedler Studio (800-872-8007), and the Hilton Garden Inn hotel, as well as our additional sponsors who generously provided cash prizes and in-kind scholarships: Lake Forest College, Waukegan Masonic Lodge #78, Gladstone Square Mall, Costco, Target, and Egg Harbor Cafe.

Please check back often for updates and feel free to comment with questions, feedback, or with a request for me to speak/perform/etc. at your event! For notifications, please become a "follower" of my blog. *More photos to come!*

Thank you for reading, and I'm looking forward to what I will post during my year of service.

God Bless,

Natalie Renee' Sherer
Miss Northern Suburbs 2011