Miss Iowa Orientation day!

Happy Monday,

This past Saturday was orientation for Miss Iowa! It was the first time that all of the contestants were together in the same place at the same time. We learned about what our week is going to look like and went to break-out sessions to finalize paperwork, time talent, approve swimsuit and have a mock interview. I had a really great time meeting some of the girls that I didn’t know already! It’s going to be a busy, fun, crazy week!

Miss Iowa is just around the corner. The next several weeks will be super hectic, but I wouldn’t want it any other way! I’m going to attach some photos from orientation!

Have a great week,

Leah

 

Miss Iowa class of 2014

 

With Serica, Miss Muscatine and Nina, Miss Muscatine's Outstanding Teen at orientation!

Some awards, random things and pictures (cause everyone likes pictures)

Greetings!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I got to go stay at a timeshare in Oklahoma with my family! It was the relaxing weekend that I needed. We went golfing, fishing and horseback riding. Now I’m back at school for a few more weeks to finish up the semester! This is the college student’s favorite time of the year. Finals, projects, papers! Haha, just kidding. ;) This spring semester has literally flown right by before my eyes. I feel like I’ve been all over the place! I don’t think I would trade this on-the-go lifestyle though. . . The constant change of pace keeps everything fresh and exciting.

The weekend before last the newspaper and yearbook staff went to San Antonio for the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference and competition. It was my first time attending; it was really neat! Students from colleges across Texas competed against each other in a variety of media-related competitions. I was in TV advertising and PR Crisis Communication. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous at first as the opening words at the competition went something a little like this, “I know you all have been preparing for this all year.” Hahaha. I just did my best with the knowledge I had! I ended up getting 3^rd place in PR Crisis Management. I was surprised and excited. I love how you can carefully use words to diffuse a situation. This really reaffirms my career path which is settling. Our school newspaper won the “Sweepstakes” award for our division, meaning we collectively had the most points from awards different stories and photos received.

We got back to Belton just in time for the Spring Formal! I’ll attach a few pictures at the bottom so you can see how good-looking of a date I landed.

Tomorrow I have my last meeting of the semester with my mentor, and I graduate from the Apprentice Belton program on Thursday. I’m so thankful for this opportunity that the Belton Chamber has given UMHB students. It’s incredible to be able to ask questions and get advice from a public relations professional.

On Friday I’m heading home for Miss Iowa Orientation on Saturday! I am so excited to get to know all of the girls who will be going through the Miss Iowa process this year. I can’t wait to get this semester over with and get back for my final weeks before I leave for Davenport!

Below are some pictures from my last couple of weeks!

Until later,

Leah

 

 

The ladies at our classy Chili's, pre-formal dinner

 

Outside of Tenroc Ranch in Salado.



 

Thumbs up?

 

 

The newspaper group in front of the Alamo.

 

 

My award from TIPA!

 

Seth and I with Raven and King.

 

Just road trippin' on a long weekend.

 

Internships and good opportunities

Happy April!

 

Wow, this year is flying by. Just wanted to fill you all in on what I’ve been up to lately!

The morning after I got back to school from spring break, I flew out to Orlando for my weeklong internship with Z Option. Z Option is a SAP software partner company that provides tools and solutions that integrate into the SAP system to make it more user friendly. If you have no clue what I’m talking about, SAP is an accounting software that businesses use to upload financial data. Some of Z Option’s customers, that I had the opportunity to meet representatives from, are Nike, John Deere, Kraft Foods and Genentech.

I’m not even sure if I can describe this crazy and amazing experience. On Tuesday morning, I found myself in a huge exhibit hall surrounded by businessmen in suits. The first thought that came to my mind was, “where are the women?” I am so confident that I’ve chosen the right issue to promote through my platform. But for some odd reason, despite my age and gender, I felt like I belonged there.

To sum up the week, the three other interns and I worked on the sales and marketing team, ultimately doing public relations. We met with current and potential customers and built positive relationships with them. Thankfully we had a day-long training day so that we were able to answer general questions about the company and its tools. The trade show went on from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and then after that, we went to dinner with customers of the company. They were LONG days, but I learned more in that week about business than I could learn in any class.

Don’t worry, the interns got to go to Disney’s Hollywood Studios when the week culminated! It was a little difficult missing a week of classes, but I’m so thankful to have been selected for this opportunity. I’m actually in the process of writing an article about this for the newspaper, so I’ll be sure to post a link once it gets online!

I’ve been playing catch up this week! Last night I was able to take some time to meet with my mentor, Kyle DeBeer, who is the public relations coordinator for the Belton school district. It’s always great to pick his brain. Today, I attended the Women in Business Forum featuring speaker Madge Meyer. I’d like to talk about some of the things I learned in the near future. Tonight, I’ll be heading to Salado for the American Business Women Association’s local chapter meeting. Can’t wait to spend time with successful and philanthropic businesswomen in Central Texas.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to Iowa for a weekend of shopping and prep with my fabulous Executive Director, Ashley! I'm so excited to be back on Iowa soil.

I’ll post next week to share what I’m learning and experiencing!
 

Below are some photos from my internship!

At Disney!

 

The interns with Trish and Shari on our last day of work



 

Riding the boat to Disneyworld! 

A Belated Recap

Here is a belated recap of my visit to Muscatine!

 

While my college counterparts were laying on the sunny Florida beaches, I spent my weeklong break from school in Iowa. No, no, no… It was a good thing! I was able to spend some time with my family, make some appearances and work on Miss Iowa prep!

For the first couple days, I got to hang out with the kiddos and family that I used to nanny for throughout high school. I’m extremely blessed to have the Gast family’s love and support wherever I am and whatever I’m doing. When I took Gia to tumbling, I saw her do a round-off back handspring back tuck. I really don’t think I’ve ever been so proud. : )

On Thursday, I went to Wilton to have my photographs taken by Ben Shirk. Wow. His studio is absolutely amazing, and I would highly recommend him for any photos that need to be taken. I’m pretty sure he specializes in weddings because there were the most breathtaking photos of those hanging in the entryway.

When my session was over, I went over to the Pearl City Chophouse, a new restaurant to Muscatine, to sign autographs and greet guests. This was so much fun! It’s interesting to see how different people respond to the crown on my head. I love seeing the look on little kids’ faces; I’m pretty sure they think I’m a real princess or something. Hahaha!

Friday morning took me to Davenport for a visit with Ray at Workout with Ray, my fitness sponsor. It is always a pleasure to visit with him. He is so invested in each of his clients, and that’s pretty awesome. Thanks for the new workout ideas, Ray!

I had a unique opportunity that afternoon. I had a meeting with the president of Muscatine Community College, Bob Allbee. We talked quite a bit about common perceptions of community and junior college. I actually went to a junior college for three semesters, so I was able to relate pretty well. We discussed the advantages and acknowledged that everyone has different learning styles that can be catered to through a variety of post-secondary education arenas. What really impressed me was the relationship that MCC has built with the area high schools. More than 15% of MCC students are dual credit students. That’s really good! It’s so important to take advantage of the college classes offered during high school.

That night, I went back to the Pearl City Chophouse for more autographs and pictures. This time, I had a bag of Hershey’s chocolates.

Saturday was so much fun! After my workout in the morning, my mom and I went to Elly’s tea and coffee shop for lunch. I was able to meet Elly and visit for a little bit. What a nice lady! Muscatine is very lucky to have her and her shop.

Afterward, we went next door to the Hall Tree Boutique to shop for an appearance outfit for Miss Iowa week. They had absolutely beautiful clothing and jewelry! It was pretty hard to choose, but I ended up with a really great outfit! : ) Thank you SO much, Kathy! I really appreciate your sponsorship. I had a lot of fun browsing around your store and chatting with you. My mom and I met my brother for dinner in Iowa City before heading to Cedar Rapids to watch the Miss Cedar Valley pageant! Congrats Amanda Manning! It’s always nice and relaxing to watch a pageant from the audience. ;)

On Sunday, I packed up and headed back to Texas to get ready for my week internship in Orlando. More on that later!

 

Back in the Pearl City!

I’m looking forward to a great long weekend in Muscatine! Tomorrow afternoon I’m getting my photos taken for Miss Iowa at Shirk Photography in Wilton. I can’t wait to work with Ben Shirk! He does wonderful work, and it should be a good time.

Both Thursday and Friday evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. I will be at the Pearl City Chophouse, a new restaurant in downtown Muscatine. I get to greet and meet people, sign autographs and hand out balloons. How fun!

On Friday morning I’m meeting with my trainer, Ray, in Davenport. I’m so grateful for his sponsorship and support. Gotta be in tip-top shape for Miss Iowa week! J That afternoon, I’m going to shop at the Hall Tree Boutique, the appearance outfit sponsor, for a new outfit! Then I’ll stop at Elly’s tea and coffee house, the sponsor of my coffee for my YEAR as Miss Pearl City, to caffeinate. Before heading back downtown for the evening, I will be taking a tour of Muscatine Community College.

I get to sleep in on Saturday!! In the afternoon I have a meeting with Legacy Group Consulting, my coaching sponsor. After I take care of business, I get to go watch the Miss Cedar Valley local pageant in Cedar Rapids in the evening.

I’m so happy to be back and able to spend some time in Muscatine! Pictures will follow next week J

So I had a pretty cool weekend.

So I had a really cool weekend.

 

Some newspaper staff and I went to the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference in Fort Worth at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was awesome! I’d love to share what we did and what I learned.

On Thursday evening, we went out to eat with all of the other students and conference faculty. The restaurant, Ol South Pancake House, is a 24-hour tradition in Ft. Worth. In case you’re wondering, I had an omelet. Don’t worry though, Seth got a HUGE plate of chocolate chip pancakes, and I assisted him. ;) After we ate, they separated us into the groups for Friday’s practicum. I got my camera to use (it was a $3,000 camera… I pretty much signed my life away that night) and fell asleep directly upon our return to the Seminary.

My group (the newbies) headed to the Ft. Worth Stockyards the next morning for our assignment. I had never been! In case you’re not familiar with the stockyards, they were a place where cattle drivers headed up the Chisholm trail stopped for rest and supplies. Today it’s a national historic district and tourist destination.

I held on to that camera for dear life and took pictures of lots of cool stuff. We stopped for lunch, which was followed by delicious creamy praline fudge. Yeah, I ate a whole square.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a workshop with the professionals serving as our instructors. We went through the photos we took and received feedback and suggestions. Dr. V. and I were able to select five photos to turn in for the competition! I will add them to the bottom of the blog entry J That evening, the UMHB staff and our advisor went out for Mexican! Ole!

Saturday was a crazy day! We began at 8 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. Throughout the day, different professionals from the industry presented. My two favorites were Greg Thompson, the Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at Chick-fil-A and James Gregg from the San Diego Union Tribune. Each presented different aspects of photojournalism. I was especially attentive to Mr. Thompson because I want to do his job someday (not at Chick-fil-A in particular, but corporate communication).

I’m kind of a foodie, so I can’t leave out all the yummy food they fed us! On Friday night during the “refreshment break”, I ate a delicious lemon bar. I love lemon bars. Chick-fil-A provided Saturday’s lunch, and I refrained from the fried chicken sandwich. Still gotta wear that swimsuit come June! ;) Barbecue was for supper. I skipped the cornbread and had a piece of pie. No regrets.

Don’t worry Ray, I’m back on track today with my healthy eating and workouts! Sometimes, life is too short to say no to a piece of chocolate pie. That’s a good life lesson right there.

These are my favorite quotes from the conference that I think we can all gain from:

“Every great photographer starts off as a lousy photographer.” (Amen)

“There is no solution because there is no problem.”

“If you want to have a fun day, be a fun person.”

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

“Every life has a story.”

“Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you want to, but you can only spend it once.”

I’m looking forward to my ZOption intern training on Friday and flying back to good old Iowa on Saturday!

That’s all for now!

Below are the photos I took at the stockyards! P.S. I didn't take the first one, so photo credit to my boyfriend for that :)

 

February Madness. Isn't that supposed to be March?!

Greetings,

 

What a whirlwind of a February it has been! I’ve temporarily escaped the Midwestern tundra and am back to pursuing my education. However, it hasn’t even peaked above 40 degrees today. And yes, the Texans are having a hard time bearing the nearly freezing temperatures. If you look out the window, you might arrange that it’s sub-zero or something! They’re all bundled up to brave the cold front. Ha! Okay, I’m done picking on the poor Texans.

I’ve been keeping pretty busy here at UMHB. In the last edition of The Bells campus newspaper, I had a book review and a news article published. Yesterday, my story about Holly Tucker, a Baylor student who competed and eventually earned 6th place on The Voice. That was pretty cool. I’ll add some links to my stories at the bottom to this blog if ya’ll are interested!

I’m continuing my PR/Communication internship in the President’s Office here at school. What a neat opportunity it has been! I’ve gotten better acquainted with the leaders of UMHB and have an insider view of the university. I am happy to say that I am even more proud to be a student here. Something cool that I got to work on was Dr. O’Rear’s (the president) speech for the dedication of a new street that runs through campus. That was exciting.

 

My boyfriend spoiled me for Valentine's Day and took me to San Antonio. I might just be the luckiest girl in the world, not sure. If not, at least in the top five! ;) That was my first time visiting the Alamo, which is a huge part of Texas' history. I feel like a true Texan now! We also walked along the Riverwalk and ate a yummy meal at the Gritsmill. So much fun!

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the job fair on campus and learned about a neat, one-week internship opportunity with a software company called ZOption. They were looking for four students to take with them to work with their marketing team at their trade show at Disney World in March. Ultimately, they needed professional people with outstanding communications skills. “Hey, I can do that,” I thought. I made it through the first round of resumes and was among the ten people called upon for an interview. So, the week after my spring break I’m heading to Florida on my first business trip! I can hardly wait! I attribute the communication skills I've gained through competing in pageants to obtaining this position.

Tomorrow, the newspaper staff is leaving for a photojournalism conference in Fort Worth. It’s tough having to miss my Friday classes, but I just love going to different conferences and learning all that I can.

Yesterday I had a productive conference call with Michelle and Jessica of Legacy Group Consulting in regard to my preparation for Miss Iowa. We talked quite a bit about my platform, which I’m very excited about. While a title for it has yet to be decided on, it has to do with awareness of gender roles and equality in the workplace, inspiring women to strive for leadership roles and supporting female entrepreneurs. More on this later.

This morning I booked two flights home in April! I’ll be back the first weekend for a shopping trip with the Miss Muscatine/Pearl City board and the last weekend for Miss Iowa orientation. I can’t wait to be back!

I’m so thankful for these amazing opportunities, and I truly hope to encourage other young people to set lofty goals and confidently attain them. Whether that be as Miss Pearl City, Miss Iowa, Miss America or just Leah.

 

Have a good rest of your week!

 

Leah

 

P.s. Below is a link to my stories. Enjoy!

 

http://thebells.umhb.edu/author/lbunkers/