Until next time,
Samantha Phillippi
Samantha Phillippi |
|
Last night I had the awesome opportunity to model with the beautiful Elizabeth Scipioni and Miss Minnesota, Rebecca Yeh, at the Radisson Blu for Travel One’s business reception. There were people attending from all around the world. I got to model a chic white BCBG jumpsuit (that I fell in love with) and an edgy outfit with a splash of color all wrapped up in a leather jacket. It was an honor to once again represent the Miss Minnesota Organization and I had a marvelous evening visiting with people I hadn’t seen in a while. Until next time, Samantha Phillippi
0 Comments
For the past four months I have been a member on the American Cancer Society Young Professional Finding a CURE Committee. We meet to create and plan events that bring young professionals together at entertaining and classy events where we raise money and awareness for ACS. Last Night was the Casablanca Ball. We have been planning for months to make the ball a fun but still affective event and I think we were very successful. We had everything from live music to a photo booth, both a silent and live auction, and the most delicious food ever! My boyfriend and I attended this event with my good friend Madison (who is the person who got me involved with this organization) and some of her close friends. We had a night to remember and met many great people. American Cancer Society also had a great night raising $39,664! Until next time, Samantha Phillippi Since giving up my title as Miss Minneapolis and officially aging out of the Miss America system many people have asked me what’s it like to finally have time to relax. Truth is nothing has changed. The woman I was as a title holder is the woman that I am every day. I still volunteer weekly for Gillette and Tubman because I want to, not because it looked good on my Miss MN resume. The Miss Minnesota Organization truly shaped me into the woman I am today and I am proud of that!
Until next time, Samantha Phillippi Wow, I am just amazed at how quickly the time has flown by! It feels like just yesterday I was announced as the new Miss Minneapolis 2013; I was ecstatic to be able to represent such an energetic and prestigious city, and now in just a matter of minutes a new successor will be announced and her life will change forever. Minneapolis is, in my opinion, one of the best cities to represent because not only are you a representative but you are also a local celebrity.
Not only has the last year of my life flown by but I feel like my whole Miss America experience has gone by in a flash. If four years ago you would have told me I was going to be 2nd runner up to Miss Minnesota four years in a row I never would have believed you. This has been the most unexpected and wonderful journey I have ever taken. I am certain that the last four years I have spent in the Miss America system has shaped me into the woman I am today; and I feel that especially in this last year as Miss Minneapolis I have truly discovered myself. This past year I have focused all of my efforts in the domestic abuse community. From creating partnerships and putting on events with The Dwelling Place and NO MORE to weekly volunteering as a community advocate and working the crisis lines at Tubman. I am grateful for the many opportunities I was given to share my message with large groups of people. I was also given the opportunity to perform in an art movement as the dancer in ‘Raise Your Voice’ and helped organize the first ever Anna’s Hope fundraiser where we raised over $5,000. Getting emails from high school students only helped motivate me more in my fight of ending domestic abuse. I continued my work with Gillette and I am still a weekly volunteer, for over 2 years now. My experiences would not have been as significant if it weren’t for all the people that touched my life and motivated me to be the best I can be; and well, this wouldn’t be a farewell without thanking the people who have made these last few years ones I will never forget. So, here we go… I’m never one to save the best for last so first I would like to start by thanking the BEST parents in the world, MINE! It’s funny to look back to the weeks leading up to my first pageant four years ago when I had no idea what to expect. I remember calling mom and her thinking I was a joking, but once realizing I wasn’t kidding you both have always supported me even when we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Mom, thank you for all of your paper work help and for being my chaperone at events. Dad, thank you for all of the ‘behind the scenes’ work you do to keep my life running smoothly and for helping me financially prepare for my pageant needs; I promise one day that I will pay it all back. You both mean the world to me and my most successful moment of this whole Miss America experience was hearing you both tell me how proud you are of me. I love you both with all of my heart! To my little sister, Ali, thank you for letting me and my pageant stuff take the spotlight in our family- the next four years can be all about you! Thank you for having the courage to let me share your story. I admire the extreme amount of strength you possess that is often over looked and I am proud to call you my sister. Aubri, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, and the rest of my family, thank you for being the most supportive and loudest cheering section at all of the pageants I have competed in. Your support has kept me motivated at times that I felt defeated and your love has given me the strength to feel like I can accomplish anything. I can never thank you enough for coming to cheer me on at pageants no matter how expensive or far away. I seriously do not know how I got so blessed to have all of you in my life but I am grateful every day. To my friends who have had make back through thick and thin. Especially Mary, Caitlyn, Natalie, Liz and the whole Scipioni family, thank you all for your help preparing me for Miss Minnesota and for being there for me through all of it. Adam, I met you at high Miss Minnesota prep time and you couldn’t have been more supportive and patient, thank you for that. I’m lucky to have each of you in my life and I truly treasure our friendships. My Miss Minnesota roommate, Maren Goff, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to share my last Miss Minnesota experience with. You are one of the smartest, funniest, and kindest women I know; which may have kept us up late at night talking but I loved every minute! Congratulations on your new title and I can’t wait to come cheer you on at Miss Minnesota. I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank a few of my personal sponsors- Cheri Kennedy of The Image Group, you are not only my coach but also my friend. Thank you for everything you have done for me from mock interviews to teaching me the right way to do my make up; you are wonderful and I am so glad I have had the chance to work with you over the years. Thank you Salon Ave for your generous sponsorship to our pageant and to Amy for being the best hair stylist around; you have made me a lifelong Salon Ave costumer. Thank you to Alli at American Laser Skincare in Maple Grove for permanently removing all my unwanted hair before Miss Minnesota, and to Oak Tan for giving me a beautiful glow before hitting the pageant stage. Michele at Larkin Dance Studio thank you for your choreography over the years. It’s awesome to work with the best of the best and that’s what all of you are- Thank you. To my Miss St. Paul sister queen, Courtney, I can’t believe our time is up already! I am grateful to have had the chance to get to know you over the years. I loved how we would never plan on going to the same events but I we always managed to see each other, we must be meant to be together. I truly admire how much you stayed true to being yourself this whole reign and I can’t wait to see what is in store for you next, but know whatever it is I will always support you. Lastly, I would like to thank my pageant family that I have formed over the past four years. My Mankato directors, Shelly and Paul, thank you for taking this clueless college student and helping her find her way in becoming a confident and successful woman. To my Coon Rapids family for always supporting me, even after giving up my Miss Coon Rapids title; this truly is a family I will be a part of forever. To the directors of Miss Minnesota Pageant, thank you for making us feel like celebrities and for putting on a pageant that we are all proud to be a part of. Last but certainly not least, a huge thank you to my Miss Minneapolis directors, Ashley and Jodi. Thank you for helping me find my true style and for letting me be an individual. You two are the sweetest and most supportive people I know and I feel like I have learned so much from you both that I will apply often in life. I have had the time of my life through this system. I will always remember when I got to serve Blizzards on Miracle Treat Day at Gillette with the CEO of Dairy Queen, and the time I jumped into the icy waters with my pageant sisters at the Polar Plunge. I will never forget representing our state at the Miss National Sweetheart Pageant in 2011 and taking home the Producers Award (a first award recipient for our state), or being a Quality of Life Finalist this past year at Miss Minnesota. I have had many successes over the years and we can always joke about how consistent I am to have placed second runner up every year at Miss Minnesota. Once again thank you all for ending this Miss America dream of mine with class, style, and grace. This has been an adventure I will never forget! As I end this chapter of my life I look forward to seeing what the future brings. Forever your Miss Minneapolis 2013, Samantha Phillippi Last night I attended the KS95 Largest “Clouds” Choir at Mall of America with my family. I don’t even know where to begin a blog about this event. I am still on a high from all of the emotion that was brought out from attending this event. There were over 5,000 people who came together to create the largest choir singing Zach Sobiech’s song, Clouds. Zach was a boy who was diagnosed with the rare bone cancer called osteosarcoma. During his last months his mom asked him to write letters saying goodbye to his family and friends. Zach chose to write his song Clouds as his good bye letter because he felt if the song got stuck in people’s heads then he would stay in their thoughts. Since his passing last May Clouds has received over 8.8 million hits on YouTube and landed at the No. 1 spot on the iTunes single chart. Ryan and Shannon from KS95 for Kids organized this Clouds choir to honor Zach’s memory. This was one of the most moving events I have ever been to and I am so glad that I went, and that I went with my loved ones. Until next time, Samantha Phillippi
It is that time of year again, one of my favorite fundraising events, the KS95 for Kids Radiothon! I love this event so much because it raises money for one of my favorite organizations and because it is a chance for our community to hear the inspiring stories of children who have faced the worst health situations imaginable. Some of those kids have gone through more than most of us ever will and thankfully there are hospitals like Gillette Children’s to help them in their fight.
Like last year, I got up at the crack of dawn to make sure I had a chance to volunteer at this event since I work weekdays. I was faced with a challenge at 5am since my car was frozen shut with such a thick layer of ice I couldn’t scrape it off; but nothing was going to keep me from this event I have been looking forward to so I ended up driving the family minivan. This year KS95 for Kids raised $773,049 for Gillette Children’s Hospital and Children’s Cancer Research. I love KS95 for Kids and all the good it does for the amazing children and families I see weekly at Gillette. Until next time, Samantha Phillippi Last night my mom and I attended the Miss Minnesota USA Pageant. Last night was the final night of the pageant so we watched the Top 15 Teens and the Top 15 Misses compete in swimsuit and evening gown, and then the Top 5 Teens and Misses compete in on-stage question. The USA is system is different from the America system in that they do not have the talent portion.
This was our second year attending the Miss MN USA Pageant and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces. Congratulations to Catherine Stanley on being crowned Miss Teen MN USA and to Haley O’Brien on being crowned Miss MN USA. I am excited to see what both do with their years and to watch Haley compete on live TV next year at the Miss USA Pageant. Until next time, Samantha Phillippi Last weekend I attended the Miss Coon Rapids Pageant. A year ago I had the honor of crowning Miss Coon Rapids 2013, Emily Kallis, and Miss Coon Rapids Outstanding Teen, Kathryn Kueppers. This year I attended to support my Miss Coon Rapids sister to be and Coon Rapids family. Congratulations to Brianna Smith on being crowned Miss Coon Rapids Outstanding Teen 2014 and to our new Miss Coon Rapids, Kayla Brown. A huge shout out to my Coon Rapids Junior Royalty sister, Leah Mau, on her great performance in the teen pageant; you looked beautiful and I am so proud of you!
Until next time, Samantha Phillippi This past Saturday was the Miss Mankato Pageant. For those of you who do not know, this is where my pageant career started just four years ago. Since giving up my title I planned on attending every Miss Mankato Pageant from then on. Last year I drove all the way down there with my mom and grandma and I ended up becoming very ill and wasn't able to go to the pageant. This year I started getting car sick on our way down, must be the product of getting old and aging out of the Miss America system, but nothing was going to stop me from attending the pageant! I am so glad I fought through not feeling well so I was able to see all of my friends from the Mankato community and to see my new Miss Mankato sister be crowned. Congratulation Katie Borneke on being crowned Miss Mankato 2014! She is a prime example that hard work, determination, and persistence pay off and help you accomplish your dreams. Welcome to the family Katie- I am very excited to see what you accomplish during your next year as Miss Mankato.
Until next time, Samantha Phillippi After spending my entire Saturday with my best friend, Mary Petersen, for a bridesmaid dress shopping/ first time at the winery day we were done early enough to attend the Miss Southern Valley Pageant. This was the first pageant I have attended since Miss Minnesota; there is this special feeling when you're watching a pageant live and I'm so glad we were able to attend and cheer the contestants on. Congratulations to Julia Schliesing on her 1st runner up placement and to Savannah Cole on being crowned Miss Southern Valley 2014. I had such a great time I am greatly looking forward to the Miss Mankato Pageant that is coming up. After all that is were my pageant life started and I am eager to see who will become my new Miss Mankato sister!! Until next time, Samantha Phillippi |