As many of you know a little over a week ago I competed in my last eligible year at Miss Minnesota. Becoming Miss Minnesota has been a dream of mine for the last four years. I have put everything I have emotionally, physically, and financially into making my dream come true. It wouldn’t be true if I said I am not disappointed in once again being second runner up. I decided the best way to move on is to first allow myself to dwell in my own sadness for awhile. My recovery process has consisted of bags upon bags of my favorite candy and chocolate, lots of carbs, and many days spent simply floating in our family pool soaking up tons of vitamin D. I am happy to say I am now ready to move on.
Looking back I can honestly say this has been my best year in pageantry. I found my purpose in life, represented an amazing and energetic city, and showed the world my true self better than I ever have before. I am also proud of my overall performance during pageant week and can honestly say I was myself the entire time. I made new friends, laughed until my stomach hurt, ate tons of great food, and showed off my inner vintage style. I felt I kicked butt in swimsuit, nailed my onstage question, took peoples' breathe away in evening gown, and performed my favorite talent yet (that was my own choreography).
After hearing my name called as second runner up for the fourth year in a row I was crushed. I think the hardest thing was to face my family and loved ones afterwards. They all wanted this for me as badly as I did and I couldn’t help but feel that I had let everyone down. I try to stick with my belief that everything happens for a reason but at times like this it is really hard to see how winning wasn’t meant to be. Right now I am focusing on finding a new life goal in life.
What has helped me move on is remembering that I wasn’t going to compete this year but the reason why I changed my mind was so I could use the title as a tool to educate our state about domestic abuse. I know I can still accomplish this goal without the title and I plan to. During my Miss Minnesota interview I definitely got the vibe that one of the judges in particular did not want to discuss domestic abuse. At first I was upset and a little angry since I spent the last year of my life learning how to take control in an interview, but it was once again eye opening to see how people react to such a heavy topic. This experience has only fueled my fire more to educate everyone about domestic abuse and to destroy the negative stigmas our community has.
As I look back on my four years of pageantry I realize how very blessed I am to have had a successful pageant career. Every local that I have competed for I have won, I have placed top three at Miss MN every year I was there, and I represented our state at the Miss National Sweetheart Pageant and came home with an award. While at the same time of knowing I have been successful I also have this overwhelming feeling of defeat. To me, placing second runner up all four years makes me feel that I never improved even though I know that I have grown huge amounts.
I am incredibly grateful for the amazing support of my family, friends, and pageant team. I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the influence all of you have made on my life. After taking some time away from the real world I am happy to say I am back. I am have been volunteering my weekly shifts at both Tubman and Gillette since getting back from Miss Minnesota. I only have six more months as Miss Minneapolis and I am excited and eager to make the most of every minute.
This isn’t the last of me,
Samantha Phillippi
Your Miss Minneapolis 2013
Looking back I can honestly say this has been my best year in pageantry. I found my purpose in life, represented an amazing and energetic city, and showed the world my true self better than I ever have before. I am also proud of my overall performance during pageant week and can honestly say I was myself the entire time. I made new friends, laughed until my stomach hurt, ate tons of great food, and showed off my inner vintage style. I felt I kicked butt in swimsuit, nailed my onstage question, took peoples' breathe away in evening gown, and performed my favorite talent yet (that was my own choreography).
After hearing my name called as second runner up for the fourth year in a row I was crushed. I think the hardest thing was to face my family and loved ones afterwards. They all wanted this for me as badly as I did and I couldn’t help but feel that I had let everyone down. I try to stick with my belief that everything happens for a reason but at times like this it is really hard to see how winning wasn’t meant to be. Right now I am focusing on finding a new life goal in life.
What has helped me move on is remembering that I wasn’t going to compete this year but the reason why I changed my mind was so I could use the title as a tool to educate our state about domestic abuse. I know I can still accomplish this goal without the title and I plan to. During my Miss Minnesota interview I definitely got the vibe that one of the judges in particular did not want to discuss domestic abuse. At first I was upset and a little angry since I spent the last year of my life learning how to take control in an interview, but it was once again eye opening to see how people react to such a heavy topic. This experience has only fueled my fire more to educate everyone about domestic abuse and to destroy the negative stigmas our community has.
As I look back on my four years of pageantry I realize how very blessed I am to have had a successful pageant career. Every local that I have competed for I have won, I have placed top three at Miss MN every year I was there, and I represented our state at the Miss National Sweetheart Pageant and came home with an award. While at the same time of knowing I have been successful I also have this overwhelming feeling of defeat. To me, placing second runner up all four years makes me feel that I never improved even though I know that I have grown huge amounts.
I am incredibly grateful for the amazing support of my family, friends, and pageant team. I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the influence all of you have made on my life. After taking some time away from the real world I am happy to say I am back. I am have been volunteering my weekly shifts at both Tubman and Gillette since getting back from Miss Minnesota. I only have six more months as Miss Minneapolis and I am excited and eager to make the most of every minute.
This isn’t the last of me,
Samantha Phillippi
Your Miss Minneapolis 2013