Current Edition Summer 2012 May 21, 2013

Miss Vermont 2010, Caroline Bright, Epsilon Kappa/St. Lawrence U, left, and Miss Kentucky 2011, Ann-Blair Thornton, Chi Theta/Western Kentucky U.

Chi Omegas Flourish

Caroline Bright, Miss Vermont 2010, Epsilon Kappa/St. Lawrence U

Friendship Flourishes, Thanks to Miss America Competitions

Competing at Miss America takes work. Serious dedication and willpower go into the preparations for state titleholders as they prepare to compete for the Holy Grail of Pageantry.

Ann-Blair became Miss Kentucky 2011 after years of hard work in the gym, preparing for the swimsuit competition; at the piano, rehearsing Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Minor; and in her community, supporting her platform of Alzheimer’s Awareness and Research. She has worked earnestly, acted sincerely, and has been discouraged never as she competed in more than 12 local and state pageants in pursuit of her goal of achieving the job and title of Miss America.

I met Ann-Blair in August 2007. We were both in Orlando competing for the title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen. She was representing Kentucky and I, Vermont. I was nervous about the summer heat and upset because I couldn’t use hot rollers or hair spray. But most of all I was dreading meeting the other contestants, especially the Southern girls. I expected them to be very different from me, a pale, geeky girl from a tiny town in rural Vermont, and that the coming 10 days would be lonely and awkward.

Little did I know I was about to be proven wrong by a girl who would become not just a best friend, but someday, my Sister.

What I noticed first about Ann-Blair Thornton was her put-together outfits, gorgeous gowns, and charming twang. So I was caught off guard when I discovered her hilariously quirky sense of humor, her strong and informed political opinions, and her intellectual prowess. I knew then that I’d found a kindred spirit.

When Ann-Blair was called into the Top 10 on the final night of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition, I was so excited for her that there was no room for me to be disappointed because I wasn’t a finalist. She ended up in the Top 5 that evening, and I was so very proud of my new friend.

About a year later, in the fall of 2008, I went through recruitment at St. Lawrence U, a week after Ann-Blair received her bid from Chi Theta Chapter at Western Kentucky U. One of my favorite Bid Day memories is jumping up and down and screaming into the phone “Chi Omega Yours Forever!!!” to my friend and soon-to-be Sister.

Over the years, I’ve watched as Ann-Blair has lived The Symphony of Chi Omega and my admiration for my sweet friend has only grown.

While at Western Kentucky U, Ann-Blair served as Chi Theta’s recruitment chair, leading her Sisters through what we all know to be one of the hardest and most wonderful times of the year. Her unwavering support for her chapter and for the many Chi Omegas she has supported on the Miss America and Miss Kentucky stages demonstrate her loyalty under any and all circumstances to our Fraternity.

But what I love most about our Sister, Ann-Blair, is not just what she demonstrates on stage or in her chapter’s house, it’s the countless ways in which she has placed character before appearances, lived above snobbery, and chosen to be lovable rather than popular. She is the Sister who flew thousands of miles to support me when I needed her most, the friend I can text about election results, and the young woman who stood up for gender equality minutes before being crowned Miss Kentucky.

It is an honor to say that my Sister is Miss Kentucky 2011, but it is the privilege of a lifetime to be able to say that Ann-Blair Thornton is my friend.
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