Top Ten at Miss Maryland!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I was blessed to place in the Top Ten at Miss Maryland this year! Also, I won the Academic Award which will greatly assist me in my pursuit of a Masters at Hopkins.

Here I go!

Hi Friends and Family! It is the first day of Miss Maryland week! I'm about to head out the door and drive out to Hagerstown. Just wanted to say farewell and to ask you to please pray for me! Think of me this week and ask that God's will be done. Also, please come to the pageant. Any of the nights of competition would be awesome, and really help me!
Thanks!
Rachel

The Travels of Miss Appalachia

Great week! Obviously I am working very hard to prepare for Miss MD. My hours are booked! Wanted to at least update you on a few fun events this past week.

Thursday night, I made an appearance at The Lodge in Catonsville. I was invited by Greg Morgan who is running for Baltimore County Council in November. I enjoyed being introduced to the local community, meeting lots of people, and getting everyone to dance the Cupid Shuffle! What's a party without dancing??

Saturday night, I drove to Dover to attend the Miss Delaware pageant at Dover Downs. Beautiful venue and great pageant! I called the top 5 in order! I am so proud of Kayla Martell and was honored to see her win the crown. I loved sitting at Chris Saltamacchio's table with some of my lovely pageant friends. If you want to watch a pageant, watch it with Chris. I just can't describe it, but it was unforgettable haha! My favorite moment was when Heather Lehman, Miss DE '09, sang her give up song "Legacy". Absolutely perfect choice and a song that speaks to my heart.

Yesterday, I enjoyed the day in Cumberland at Heritage Days festival. It was a beautiful day and I spent a lot of time chatting with the people of Western MD. Thanks to Teresa, my wonderful director, who has been so supportive during my preparations for Miss MD. I also bumped into Maddie Bohrer and wish her luck at the Miss MD Outstanding Teen pageant. I was especially happy to see Jim Rutledge again who is running for the State Senate seat. We've met before and I even caught a quick picture with him :)

Time to tackle my busy day, God bless!

Love,
Rach

The Final Days....

Hello!
Thank you so much for following my journey to Miss Maryland. I have truly enjoyed sharing with you my experiences and travels. We are less than two weeks away from the trip to Hagerstown and I am so excited!!!

I don't have much time, but wanted to let you know a few exciting things this past weekend. On Saturday, I spent the morning at Chas Salon in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Baltimore. They have offered to be my hair and make-up sponsor for Miss Maryland and we are really enjoying a fun friendship! The ladies at Chas gave me a whimsical updo and very high fashion make-up for a photo shoot. That afternoon, the weather held off long enough for my photo shoot with Holly G Boutique in Mount Washington. They just received their summer line and asked me to model a few of their pieces for the local Baltimore advertisements. Keep your eye out for their facebook page and website for the photos!

I am pleased to announce that Holly G will be my clothing sponsor for my Miss Maryland week appearances. Their clothes are fabulous and I am so excited to wear them!

On Sunday, I happily performed at the Miracles Happen Talent Show hosted by Victory and Faith Mohammed. These ladies put on a wonderful show and it was a great opportunity for people of all ages to show off their talents! After the show, I stopped by the Chas Salon Open House. Chas invited over 500 of the Baltimore elite to his grand opening party (catered by Ruth Chris Steakhouse!!!). What a great day and was able to meet lots of people including Dean Kane, one of Miss Maryland's sponsors. After the party was over, I was given a complimentary tour of the $2.7 million penthouse! Just my style. haha

Thanks all, and sorry I'm in such a rush. SO BUSY!!!

Love,
Rachel

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

I hope everyone enjoyed time with family and friends over the holiday break. I was fortunate enough to attend approximately 7 graduation parties over the past week!! The lovely seniors at Mount de Sales Academy have graduated and are now moving off to college. My prayers go with them!

Thank you to everyone who supported me through buying ads for the Miss Maryland program booklet! What a huge accomplishment and I am so very grateful.

Monday was an incredible day! One of my sponsors for Miss Maryland, Camelot Bridal and Special Occasion located in Havre de Grace, lent me a beautiful gown resembling the American flag. I was honored to wear it in the Westminster Memorial Day Parade. Carroll County is so patriotic! What a fun crowd!!! Everyone was crazy about the dress and I really enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people. Thank you to Bethany from Camelot Bridal for making the day so special! Please support her business and check out her website at www.camelotbridals.com

It has been a great weekend serving with Happy Helpers for the homeless. Saturday, I spent the afternoon making sandwiches for the homeless of Baltimore city. Sunday, we went downtown to Catholic Charities headquarters and fed over 300 homeless men, women, and children. This evening, I had a lot of fun serving at the National Stand for Children Day located on Fort Meade base. Families were invited to bring their children to the party with lots of crafts, snacks, face painting, and balloon art. I made lots of little friends who could not pronounce 'Appalachia' at all! Haha. Thanks to Bobbi Coffman for organizing this very important outreach program.

The week ahead...BUSY! We are less than 20 days away from Miss Maryland week! Please keep me in your prayers as I prepare for the competition. Love to all!

Rachel
Miss Appalachia 2010

Fashion get a hold on me, don't you wanna see these clothes on me!

Heyyy!
If anyone attended the Miss Maryland pageant last year, you will remember the Lady Gaga song 'Fashion' that accompanied our opening number dance. Great memories!

What a fabulous week, I'm really enjoying this warmer weather. Finally had an opportunity to drive with the top down on my Chrysler Sebring convertible (Michael Scott's car of choice!). Monday night, I had the pleasure to meet Miss Florida 2009, Rachael Todd. She was in town visiting Brooke, Miss MD '09, and we enjoyed an evening in Canton. I LOVED Rachael, so funny and smart! I remember loving her talent at Miss America (Irish step dancing to Riverdance) and her beautiful red hair is fabulous. I truly appreciate her platform work with raising awareness of homelessness in the state of Florida.

Throughout the week, I have been busy selling advertisements for the Miss MD program book. You still have time to place an ad, email if you are interested! harkinsharp@hotmail.com

On Friday night, I enjoyed attending Victory and Faith Mohammed's fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network. My friends and I played mini-golf and a part of the proceeds directly benefit CMN. Great job, ladies!

Saturday was an early morning, but a lot of fun! I was asked to model for the 'Fashion Hound' runway show at the Mount Washington Mill. I wore styles from Holly G Boutique that were so cute!!!! The show was outdoors and very unusual because we were actually walking dogs down the runway! Local pet owners came to the show with their canine friends all decked out in polo sweaters and other accessories. The modeling was a bit difficult because of the dogs' lack of cooperation, but it was so fun! Proceeds from the event benefited a local animal rescue shelter. Check out the boutique at http://www.hollyg.com/index.html and please support this wonderful local business. Pictures from the show should be on the website soon.

Sunday afternoon, I had a chance to stop by the Avenue in White Marsh where Brooke Poklemba was the Mistress of Ceremonies for Family Fun Day. She sang on stage and had a great day with the guests. Great job, Brooke!

Pictures are online from the fashion show! Go to http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/store.aspx?p=39404 and click on Mount de Sales Academy. The password is mds and you can view all of the fabulous photos!!!

As of now, I still need you to support my Ad Campaign! Donations as little as $25 will greatly help me achieve my goals. Contact me if you are interested!

Thanks and God bless

Love,
Rach

I need your help!

Hello!
I am happy to report that over 350 people attended the Project Redesign Fashion Show and we raised over $1,000 for the Children's Miracle Network. What a fabulous success!

This past week, I had a bit of a break from pageant training. I traveled to Paramus, New Jersey to conduct an accreditation observation of Paramus Catholic High School for the Middle States Association of Accreditation! A team of four other educators and I spent the week observing teachers and meeting with administrators, counselors, coaches, secretaries and pretty much everyone that makes a school run. I'm pleased to say that they passed the test and I truly learned a lot from this experience. I will be bringing back lots of ideas to the Mount de Sales community.

Then, I drove straight from New Jersey to Ocean City, MD! I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend at the beach, some sun and fun!

Now I need your help! The deadline is swiftly arriving for selling advertisements for the Miss Maryland program booklet. Buying an ad in the program booklet will not only advertise your business, but also give me more exposure to the judges. Even if you are not a business owner, you can buy an ad wishing me good luck in the competition! All ads would be in black and white and include a photo of me with whatever text you desire. I can help with the design! Ad sales run from $25 - $300 depending on the size and every little bit helps!! Please e-mail me if you are interested in supporting me in this way!

Thanks friends!

Rachel
harkinsharp@hotmail.com

Calling all Fashionistas!!!

Hello beautiful people!

I just have to say that Saturday night was so exhilarating! I have to talk about the fashion show first because it is still making me smile :) The Project Redesign Fashion show was a huge success thanks to all of our fans, models, princesses, parents, sponsors, etc. I can't tell you how many people we have to thank. But most importantly, the 36 teenage models who graced the runway were FABULOUS! Everyone had the jitters backstage before the show and after we said a prayer, I donned my 'Preakness' gold and black wide-brimmed hat and the girls went wild!!!! We all loosened up and there were no more fears. I said 'Let's do this girls!' and we completely blew away the audience. All the way from the 1940's to today, we saw jumpsuits, leg warmers, pearls, scrunchies and so much more! The highlight had to have been the princess scene when we invited 30 little girls up on the stage to walk the runway with our models. While the teens modeled gowns from the Red Carpet Pageant and Prom store, the princesses strutted their stuff wearing tiaras and dainty gloves given to them by the fashionistas. What a sight! The girls were SO CUTE!!!! I can't describe to you how many 'OOOOOs' and 'AHHHHs' we heard that night. And to top it off, Brooke Poklemba, Miss Maryland 2009 sang an awesome Carrie Underwood song during the scene and rocked the house. Even Brooke's outfit was vintage! Check out all of the pictures on my website www.projectredesign.net or catch some on Facebook.

Once we count all the numbers, I will be happy to report to you how much money we raised for the Children's Miracle Network. Having filled all of the seats and spilling over into the bleachers, I must say we reached our goal!

It is just incredible to me to realize how many girls have been impacted through the Miss Maryland Organization and my work with Project Redesign. All of the models, princesses, and every girl in the audience that night, heard the real and powerful message that beauty comes from the heart. Beauty is God-given to EVERY woman and we must accept that gift and cherish it! I told some of my friends after the show that all of the hard work, the blood, sweat, and tears, and just everything is all worth it when you see those girls faces on the runway. They were shining with joy!!! They 'get it'! When you think of all of the negative images and pressures teens face today, it is such a relief and a privilege to share with these girls an innocent and pure truth. I am so grateful to God for making last night absolutely perfect.

In addition to the best night of the year (hehe), I was busy with many other things in preparation for Miss Maryland this past week. I finished my orientation at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center to begin my volunteer work there. I can't wait to meet the children and tell them about the fashion show! I also had the chance to do a radio interview with Tracey Tiernan from 95.1 Shine FM station. She was our lovely Mistress of Ceremonies for the fashion show and we enjoyed a great chat on the air about Project Redesign. And then today I was honored to play the harp for the Mother's Day Brunch at the Intercontinental HarborCourt Hotel in downtown Baltimore. I have played there many times and it is literally my favorite hotel next to the Hotel Del on Coronado Island in San Diego (ever seen the movie 'Some Like it Hot'?). Just imagine a gorgeous wooden winding staircase that overlooks the Inner Harbor. Amazing!

Lastly if you missed the fashion show, you can buy a DVD within the next few weeks. I will post info about it soon! Thanks and good night :)

Love,
Rach

Link to radio interview

Listen to my radio interview!http://www.cumberlandsmagic.com/includes/blog/index.php?action=blog&blog_id=3

Miss Maryland Orientation

Hey Hey!
We are under the 2 month mark! Miss Maryland is so close! Very busy again this week. With grad classes almost over, I've been spending a lot of time writing papers and preparing for presentations. In the midst of all of this, I had a little visit with the staff at the Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital and met the governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley. I got a hot tip that he would be appearing at one of my favorite Catonsville restaurants: Chef Paulino's. Chef P is a great sponsor for the Project Redesign Fashion Show and I slipped over there after work. Had a chance to meet the Governor after his speech and talk to him about the Miss Maryland competition. He was very happy to meet me and of course we got a quick picture! Check out facebook tomorrow to see it.

Friday evening, I had so much fun at a Gala fundraiser for the Gabriel Network. I was cordially invited by Andy Harris' wife. Andy Harris is running for a Congressional seat in the November election. Their daughter will be a student at Mount de Sales next year and it was wonderful to spend time with their family. Between all of the swing dancing, I got to meet a few other local politicians and business owners. They offered to pick me up on their way to the 'Get Motivated' conference on Tuesday at the 1st Mariner Arena...Sarah Palin and Michael Phelps will be there! We'll see if I can fit it in my schedule. :)

Of course, Saturday was Miss Maryland Orientation!!!! So much fun!!!! I had a great time meeting all of the contestants for both the Miss and Teen titles. We had lunch at Burger King and I had a blast meeting lots of little kids, maybe future Miss Maryland princesses?!? After lunch, we finished up our orientation with a dress fitting with Red Carpet. Great seeing Trish again from the shop. She will also be lending us some gowns for the Project Redesign Fashion Show on Saturday. Can't wait to go pick them out tomorrow!!

Anyone feel like it was kind of hot today?!? I sure did. I played the harp at a bridal show at Mountain Branch Golf Course in the sweltering heat. PHEW! It certainly was beautiful though and everyone loved my music. Met lots of future brides and business owners. Great day ending with a trunk show in Bethesda. Loved seeing Robin from La Casa Hermosa and talking fashion! My favorite topic :)

Lastly, THE FASHION SHOW IS ON SATURDAY!!!!! PLEASE COME! It's going to be amazing and the girls are so excited. Lots of titleholders will be in attendance and it will truly be a great representation of what the Miss Maryland program is all about. Project Redesign teaches young girls that they are truly beautiful from the inside out and the fashion show gives them a chance to display that new-found confidence. Come cheer for them! There will be lots of vendors, good food, entertainment, and excitement. Dress to impress! E-mail me to reserve tickets in advance for $8. Half of the proceeds go to the Children's Miracle Network.

See you soon!

Rachel
harkinsharp@hotmail.com

Happy Helpers, Radio spot, and walking the Appalachian trail

Hello friends!
I had an incredible week! I'm sitting in my room listening to the thunderstorm while reflecting on all my adventures. Last Monday, I met with Happy Helpers for the Homeless at the Chuck-e-Cheese in Glen Burnie. We brought over 20 homeless children there for a day of fun! What an eye opening experience to see these kids playing games they never normally get to experience. Many of them said that their parents didn't even know that they were there and weren't sure when they would see them next. Happy Helpers serves the homeless of Baltimore city every weekend by providing them with food, clothes, toiletries, and other basic needs. This organization has been in existence for 18 years and was begun by an 11-year-old girl named Amber Coffman. Amber also competed in MAO pageants at one point in her life and is now working for a non-profit in the state of California. Her mother, Bobbi, continues to run Happy Helpers here in Baltimore. What an incredible organization!! I spent the day with Aaliyah, my buddy, and we played skeeball, car races, and so much more. She even forced me to climb up in the maze with her and go down the kiddie slide which was waaaaaay too small for my 5'10 height. Hilarious! I took lots of pictures which you can see on my facebook page.
I think the most touching moment was when I met a homeless family of three generations. The grandmother and her teenage daughter are suffering from drug addictions while they are caring for the teenage girl's newborn baby. Some of the Happy Helper volunteers asked me to share my crown with the little baby and take some pictures. Well, grandma wanted a picture too! I told her she looked just like Miss America and she gave me a HUGE toothy grin. My heart melted inside. It was so touching to see how my crown can bring joy to others.

Again on Saturday morning, I met with a group of teenagers at Happy Helpers headquarters where we made sandwiches and sorted clothes for the homeless. Happy Helpers makes over 600 sandwiches every Saturday which are then distributed to the homeless in Glen Burnie and Baltimore city. We traveled down to Glen Burnie and met with a group of homeless men looking for some food. I got to meet Ron who looked at me and said you must be in beauty pageants (I didn't even have my crown on). We had a great conversation and I'm looking forward to seeing him again in the future. I was impressed that these men look out for each other. One of the 'regulars' was missing so the guys took a bagged lunch to give to him later. I was very humbled by this experience and hope and pray that these men find true strength in the service given by Happy Helpers. We also collected any orders they had for a specific type of soap or razor such as Dove or Gilette. I thought this was a beautiful way to give honor and dignity to these men and show them that they are worthy of love and respect. I am so grateful for my time spent with Happy Helpers! And the greatest part was to see young teenagers actively involved in community service and be given a chance to impact another person's life.

Saturday evening, I attended the Miss Potomac/Free State and Sweeps pageant at Morgan State University. Congrats to the six new titleholders! Our Miss MD 2010 class is complete and we are ready for June!!! Next week, we will all be together at orientation and I'm really looking forward to spending time with the girls.

Today was quite the busy day! My mom and I took a field trip to Western Maryland to see my beautiful region as Miss Appalachia. While exploring downtown Cumberland, I popped into a few restaurants and businesses to meet the local townspeople and introduce myself. Wouldn't you know that I found the mayor, Lee Fiedler, in a coffee shop! He was enjoying a morning cup of coffee with his wife and invited me to sit and chat. We had a lovely time talking about the revitalization of the city of Cumberland, the Catholic school system, and even my possibly playing the harp at their weekend festivals. After making lots of new friends, I drove to the Allegany Radio Station, Magic 100.5, for an interview. One of the on-air personalities, Amanda, gave me a tour of the studio and conducted my interview. I had the chance to talk about the Miss Maryland Organization and my platform of 'Inspiring Youth to Serve'. The radio spot will air this week as a featured item of the 'Influential Women of Western Maryland' segment. Also, it will be posted online which I will get the link to you as soon as possible. I can't wait to hear it myself!

The day doesn't end there! I spent a lot of time visiting businesses in the Western Maryland region, but my favorite had to be the Rocky Gap resort. WOW! Anyone looking for a vacation?? Go to this resort! It's gorgeous. Golfing, boating, swimming, hiking, a beach, and pretty much everything you want in a vacation. My final stop was at the Appalachian trail. I first visited the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters to introduce myself and learn more about the trail. We got a map and headed out to hike. What a beautiful part of Maryland and I'm so glad I experienced it. Got a little nervous when it started raining, but I got to see a lot of the trail and surrounding areas. Amazing.

That's about it and I'm exhausted! Busy week up ahead especially with the fashion show fast approaching! Don't forget to reserve your tickets early. Email me at harkinsharp@hotmail.com

Good night!

I met Miss America!!!! and a few other appearances as well

Heyyyy everybody!
What a busy week! Obviously the highlight was meeting Caressa Cameron at DSW in Bethesda! After work, I drove a car load of Mount de Sales girls to meet Miss America! We were so excited and had so much fun doing our hair and makeup in the school bathroom. Haha! We got there a bit early so got to spend some time shoe shopping, DSW is amazing. No wonder Miss America always looks fabulous. We were some of the first in line and even got to scream and cheer as Caressa walked into the store. I had so much fun meeting all of the people attending the event. Lots of little princesses and Miss America fans, even a lady who lives in the Appalachian region and was so excited to meet me! Miss America's bodyguards were very intimidating until I started joking around with them and made them laugh. They said they would be happy to join my posse. When I met Caressa, I gave her a big hug and told her how proud I was to see her win her crown LIVE in Vegas. She told me she would be attending the Miss Virginia pageant on the same night so would not be at Miss Maryland this year, but wished me luck in the competition. Lots of my pageant sisters also came to meet Caressa and we had a big Maryland reunion! Unfortunately I didn't win any DSW gift cards, so I did not leave with a pair of new shoes. Maybe next year. Check out photos from the event on my Facebook page and also on the DSW website at http://www.missamericaandyou.com/displayimage.php?album=23&pos=8

Also this week, I was honored to be the guest speaker for Meade High School's National Honor Society induction. I absolutely LOVED the event! There are over 2,200 students at Meade High School and about 35 of them are a part of the National Honor Society. What an honor to meet these very talented and intelligent students. I not only gave a speech at the gathering, but also congratulated each inductee as they signed the official register and received their pin. I remember when I was inducted into the National Honor Society many years ago. I would never have imagined that the Four Pillars of the National Honor Society (service, scholarship, leadership, and character) are so similar to the Four Points of the Miss America Crown (service, scholarship, style, and success). How neat! God has truly been preparing me throughout my life for this moment as a Miss America titleholder. I made lots of friends at the event, some of the students said they will come to Miss Maryland to cheer for me this summer. I hope so! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to talk about my platform of Inspiring Youth to Serve. I told the students about my journey towards learning the importance and rewarding experience of serving another human being in need. I shared about my service trip to Lourdes, France where I served the sick and handicapped in the hospitals. I'll never forget the time I first realized that I could impact another person's life through such a simple thing as a smile, or a kind word. Service is so easy, so fun, and so rewarding!!!!

Other than photo shoots, gym time, and lots of harp practice, I have been very busy preparing for the Project Redesign Fashion Show! Please attend the show, you're in for a treat, and half of the proceeds benefit the Children's Miracle Network! Go to www.projectredesign.net for info

Today, I attended a local pageant and am so excited for the four new titleholders! Congrats to my returning pageant sisters, Amanda and Kristin! I'm looking forward to getting to know all of the new titleholders and the entire Miss Maryland Class of 2010.

Continue to follow my journey to Miss Maryland as I prepare for the competition. Good night and God bless!

Ciao Bella!

Happy Easter! I have so much to update you on. Before my Easter break from Mount de Sales, I was very busy preparing for the Project Redesign Fashion Show. The 'Hollywood Fashion Flashback' is going to be a FABULOUS event and features models displaying styles from the 40's to today. Half of the proceeds from the fashion show will be donated to the Children's Miracle Network! We had a blast doing a photoshoot with the teen models and even had a sighting of Audrey Hepburn....Can't wait for you to see the photos! Check out www.projectredesign.net for more information as the event approaches.

Last week, I was honored to play the harp at the Boumi Temple in White Marsh for an evening bridal show. I always enjoy playing the harp, but it's even better when you get to sample free crab cakes, filet mignon, and scallops. Oh my! My favorite new friends that I met were Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis impersonators. I love 'the crooner' and just melted when he sang 'Everybody loves somebody sometimes' to me. Check out some pictures on my facebook page.

Then the next morning I left for ITALIA! I flew into Rome for Good Friday services and then traveled to Florence for a spring break vacation. I could spend hours talking about my trip, but I'll review a few highlights: the David by Michelangelo, climbing the Duomo overlooking the city of Florence, eating gelato on the Spanish steps, celebrating Easter with the Pope, and buying Italian shoes! By far the most incredible experience was my day trip to Cinque Terre. I think I've now seen the most beautiful place in the world. Cinque Terre, or five towns, is located on the Mediterranean Sea with Italian villas overlooking the water. I hiked through three of the towns and was awestruck. You can get a glimpse of this sheer beauty from my pictures! I now will tell everyone that they must see Cinque Terre at some point in their life.

Once I returned to America, I was ready to prepare for Miss Maryland! Only two and a half months left!! Saturday night, I attended the Charm City Fashion Show at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Brooke Poklemba, Miss Maryland 2009, was modeling in the show and I loved seeing her walk the runway. She modeled fashions from Whimsy boutique in Federal Hill and Boulevard Boutique. So great to see some hot fashions on a runway overlooking the Inner Harbor. I was promised a spot in the show next year, so you are all invited.

Now for today, I attended the Miss Eastern Shore pageant in Salisbury. What a beautiful day to go down the ocean, hon. Loved the drive! The pageant was very enjoyable and I was so proud of all of the contestants.

On to tomorrow: I have an interview at Johns Hopkins Hospital to serve as a volunteer in the Children's unit. I can't wait to begin visiting the children whose lives are being changed through the work of the Children's Miracle Network.

Final thoughts: I'm so grateful for springtime, and for all of my friends and family. God bless you in this Easter season and stay tuned for my exciting travels.

Love,
Rachel

Baltimore News celebrity!

WOW!
I had a whirlwind of a weekend! I have never had so much fun wearing a crown on my head haha! Late Thursday night, a friend of mine called and asked if I would model for the 'Better Dress Sale' fundraiser for the Junior League of Baltimore. This great designer dress sale was to be advertised on two different TV news spots. So I woke up at 5 am on Friday to do hair, makeup and the works and arrive at the FOX 45 news station for the morning news.

So, funny story. When I arrived, the hostess said we could use the restrooms and dressing room to touch up our hair and make up. The other model and I went into the dressing room with the amazing lights and saw a straightener already plugged in and ready to go! So I picked it up and started straightening the other model's hair. Well, wouldn't you know it, but morning news anchor, Patrice Harris, walks in and says, "Oh, I see you're using my hair straightener!" How embarrassing!! We assumed that the items in the room were for everyone to use.
So I can proudly say I was in Patrice Harris' dressing room and definitely used her hair straightener. Haha!

When we walked into the studio, I was shocked to see how small it was! You could feel, see, and smell everything. No room for mistakes in this place. Everything was so fast and everyone was on target. I was very impressed. I think I liked the teleprompter the best, because I could see my name scroll across as she was talking about me and my outfit. And sure enough, Patrice Harris was the anchor who interviewed us even after the dressing room fiasco.

Then, to our surprise 98 ROCK called us and asked us to stop by their studio before we did our next shoot. Located right next door, we hurried ourselves over there to meet Mickey, Amelia, and Speigel. If you have never listened to 98 Rock before, you are in for a surprise! There are no rules on this show and everyone and everything is fair game. Of course, because I had a crown on, they looooved to pick on me. We talked about the dress sale, advertised the Junior League of Baltimore, and then dove into Miss Maryland. They were so fascinated! Mickey even asked if we could stay on the show a bit longer than expected. This studio was even small than Fox 45! Everyone was sitting at a round table so we could debate, laugh, and tease each other. The mic was HUGE that they put me in front of and I got to wear the big headphones and all. It's amazing how you have to be on your toes at all times and be able to jump in with a witty comment and shine. Mickey loved me and even offered me a job in PR, saying I was a great public speaker. I told him to watch for me at Miss Maryland and that I would be back on the show soon.

After 98 rock, we headed to the Wise Penny on York Road to shoot a commercial for the sale. WJZ news with Ron Matz came to the shop to chat with the members of the Junior League and the models. I had a chance to describe my outfit: a BCBG green dress with beautiful beading, originally priced at $300 and was being sold for $15 at the Wise Penny! I also had on a pair of J.Crew heels originally $80 marked down to $20. What a deal!!! Check out the spot at
http://wjz.com/local/clothes.racks.better.2.1592067.html

If you are interested in the charity performed by the Junior League of Baltimore, visit http://www.jlbalt.org/ for more information.


After my incredible press coverage, I wore my new BCBG dress to an event that night to raise money for the Wounded Warriors sponsored by the Old Line Society. This took place at the Maryland Club in Mt. Vernon. Gorgeous venue and lots of great Baltimore young professionals attended the event. The lovely Brooke Poklemba, Miss Maryland 2009, was in attendance!

Saturday, I had the chance to attend the Miss Montgomery County and Miss Urbana pageant. Congrats to my pageant sisters Victory and Lindsay! I am so proud of you!!!

Check out my facebook page for pictures of this past weekend.

Wish me luck as I perform the harp at a bridal show tomorrow night and then fly to ITALIA for Easter vacation!!!

Love,
Rachel

Empty Bowls Gala

Hello Friends!

I love being a Miss America titleholder! What a privilege! Let me tell you about what I've been up to recently. Last Friday night, I spent the evening volunteering at the Empty Bowls Golden Ladle Gala at the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore. This event raised money for St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore which organizes many different community service initiatives. I love working with St. Vincent de Paul!

My favorite experiences have been serving at Sarah's Hope in Baltimore, a shelter for homeless women and children. I love taking teenagers to this shelter to either serve meals, play with the kids, or even organize pantry closets. Over Christmas break, I took a few girls to Sarah's Hope and we were shown the BOILER ROOM. Of course all of the kids' Christmas presents were stored in the hottest room in the building. Haha! We were all layered in sweatshirts and winter gear, so let me tell you, I think we all lost a few pounds after our service experience. The most rewarding part of the day was seeing these teenagers not give up and continue to laugh and sing while we worked to prepare a nice Christmas for homeless children.

Friday night was a privilege to work towards raising money for these incredible initiatives in Baltimore. I met various business owners, politicians, government employees, and even a swing dancing club from Towson University! Anyone and everyone was invited to give to a worthy cause. If you are ever looking for an opportunity to serve in the Baltimore area, check out www.vincentbaltimore.org or contact me! I am always willing to take a group of servants to their various locations.

Between the photoshoots, shopping sprees, and SCHOOL WORK, I also had time to attend the Miss Frostburg pageant last weekend. Congratulations to Hannah Stone! I am so excited to spend time with the lovely Miss Maryland Class of 2010. On the way home, I was able to enjoy the vast beauty of the Appalachian Mountains of Maryland. I am so proud to represent such a beautiful region of our state.

Maryland, my Maryland. How I love thee!

Good night and wish me luck tomorrow, I will be featured on WJZ and Fox 45 News. More details to follow.

Love,
Rachel

Hello Maryland!

Hi Ya'll!
My name is Rachel Harkins and you might have met me before, maybe not. I know I want to meet you! There are so many things I could tell you about me, but I'll start with this: Miss Appalachia 2010. I won my title about three weeks ago and will be competing for the title of Miss Maryland in June. Ever heard of Miss America? That's what I'm going for...my title is a part of the Miss America Organization. So if I win Miss Maryland, I compete for Miss America. Miss America is the 'mother' of all pageants. It has the talent portion of the competition which is my favorite! I play the harp and absolutely love performing!!!!! I'll tell you more about that later, but just wanted to say HI! And please keep reading my blogs, I'll be documenting my travels, appearances, and just fun random tidbits of my life. My quest for the title of Miss Maryland is fast and furious, so let's see if you can keep up

Love,
Rachel