The Adventure Begins

Evening Gown Competition

 Saturday, January 8th, I competed in the Miss Rome Scholarship Pageant and am excited to say I was crowned the new Miss Rome 2011! I also won preliminary swimsuit and interview awards which both had additional scholarships. In total I was awarded $2,200 and the opportunity to compete at Miss Georgia this June. I would like to congratulate all the wonderful young women I competed with as well as Miss Rome's Outstanding Teen 2011, Amelia Hunt. I met some amazing girls and hope to continue to build on our new friendships.

My wonderfully supportive family after the crowning

I cannot wait for my upcoming year as Miss Rome! The preparations for Miss GA, appearances, and continued work with my platform are all helping me to be more successful in the future. It is my goal to represent the state of Georgia as Miss America one day. I am so thankful for the opportunity to represent the city of Rome and am excited to see what the next year will hold!

Miss Rome's Outstanding Teen, Amelia Hunt (left) and 

Miss Rome, Stephanie Burkholder (right) 

with the Miss Rome Board of Directors.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Miss America Organization, each contestant is required to have her own personal platform which she endorses through her year as a titleholder. My platform is the Boys and Girls Club of America. I have many plans to further my involvement with this wonderful organization while continuing to be a mentor and positive role model for all children.

Also, Children's Miracle Network is the national philanthropy for the Miss America Organization. Throughout my reign I will also be working closely with CMN to raise support for their foundation and volunteering at local hospitals. If you would like to learn more about CMN or the Miss America Organization visit the links posted on my blog.

I feel so blessed to be your current Miss Rome. Miss Georgia here we come!