Interview with Cornell Student and Miss Maryland Joanna Guy

Review: What has your experience as Miss Maryland been like so far?

Joanna:  Demanding, but very rewarding! Since winning the title in June I’ve spoken or performed at events every week, ranging from meeting with at-risk teens to introducing a War of 1812 performance at the Maryland Chautauqua festival. I’ve also traveled out of state, helping to host the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition in Orlando and performing as a finalist in the Alpha Phi’s Got Talent competition at the biennial convention in Phoenix. I’m proud to say that the philanthropy I represented, heart disease, was voted the winner by virtue of amassing the most “votes,” or donations.  In all, the event raised over $22,000 for Foundation philanthropies. Foremost among these are cardiac care and scholarship, two causes close to my heart.

Much of the work I do as Miss Maryland relates to my personal platform of heart disease and to the national platform of the Miss America organization, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. CMN hospitals span the country, helping over one million sick and injured children each year. I’ve been involved with CMNH since 2008, and during that time have been deeply touched by the strong, resilient kids I’ve met and by their families, who are so grateful for the lifesaving care their children receive. I’ve just kicked off two fundraising projects for this fall. One is a quilt raffle that I am promoting through social media and my website. The other is a series of events called “Bounce Back” designed to involve the whole community of Garrett County, my home in rural western Maryland.  I’ve raised more than $2,000 for CMNH to date, and hope to raise a total of $10,000 by the end of the year.

My personal platform, Heart to Heart: Raising Awareness for Healthy Hearts, addresses a critical public health issue. As the number one killer in our nation, heart disease affects men, women and children.  It’s also a personal concern for me because all four of my grandparents suffered from some form of heart disease or stroke. My efforts involve speaking, blogging and fundraising. I’ve spoken to people at health fairs, in classrooms and at civic club meetings about the risks of heart disease and the simple steps everyone can take to live a heart-healthier lifestyle. My 84-year-old grandfather, who had a heart attack and bypass surgery, is a great example of how it’s never too late to make these changes.

Finally, Miss Maryland provides a way for me to publicly advocate on both a federal and state level for other causes about which I care. One of these is funding for the humanities.  As a government major, a former National History Day participant, and a firm believer in the notion that “democracy demands wisdom,” I am concerned about the well documented decline in civics education and cultural literacy.  While I strongly support investment in STEM programs to increase America’s competitiveness in math and science, I think we cannot overlook the value and vital importance of the humanities in shaping our future. This fall I’m working closely with the Maryland Humanities Council on an advocacy plan to raise awareness among legislators about the need for funding of humanities-based programs, particularly those at the state and community levels. I’m hoping to leverage some of the experience I gained working as a U.S. Senate intern in 2011 as well as the contacts I’ve made since becoming Miss Maryland. Being at the Cornell Center in Washington this semester puts me in the right place for these activities.

Review: What is one of the most rewarding aspects of your role as Miss Maryland?

Joanna: The outpouring of support and enthusiasm from people in my hometown and from my friends at Cornell has been overwhelming.  The opportunity to act as a role model to children inspires me and the chance to serve, in a small way, as an ambassador for my state and for my university motivates me.

Review: What do you miss most about Cornell so far?

Joanna: It’s so hard to pinpoint just one thing. I miss the university as a whole and the various communities I’m involved in on campus, such as the Cornell Chorus, After Eight a cappella, and my sorority, Alpha Phi. In my three years at Cornell I have met some of the most intelligent, kind and interesting people anywhere, many of whom who have grown to be really close friends. I miss them a lot! Having said that, Cornell in Washington is a tight knit community composed of the same well-rounded and well-grounded kinds of people I’ve met in Ithaca. So I’m looking forward to getting to know the students here better and excited about exploring DC.

Review: Do you have any advice for girls at Cornell interested in the Miss America pageant?

Joanna: People take many different avenues to earn money for school and get more involved in their communities. For me, I happened across a newspaper ad and though that Miss America sounded like a gratifying road for me to head down. If anybody was interested in the organization, I’d definitely encourage them to look at the Miss America website to read about the mission and achievements of the program, which is the world’s largest provider of scholarships for women, awarding $45 million in academic scholarships each year.

Review:  Where do you see yourself in ten years?