12 minute read
YOUNG & INSPIRING
YOU ARE ENOUGH. CROWNED WITHIN
BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO BY ANNALIESE ARENA I PHOTOS BY SHELDON SMITH, BOB SCHULTZ AND SANDY ARENA
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FINDING TRUE SELF LOVE AND WORTH IN MY JOURNEY OF PAGEANTRY
I competed in the Miss High School America (MHSA) national pageant this past June. I’ve been competing in various pageants since I was eight years old and when I tell people that, I often get questions about what they’re like and what I do. I’ve given the “What is a pageant anyways?” spiel countless times, because they are sometimes perceived as strictly beauty contests. To put it simply, they are definitely not.
We are judged on communication skills, how we present ourselves on stage, the volunteer work we do, creating a platform that supports a cause we want to make a difference in, and we usually spend about a year doing this all this in preparation for the actual competition to happen.
Every pageant system is different, but the particular pageant I just competed in consisted of three areas of competition: Interview, Evening Gown, and Fun Fashion.
Evening gown and Fun Fashion are the onstage events where we walk with poise and confidence to showcase our skills and personality to the judges. I have always loved being onstage so these events are particularly fun for me. Interview is all about sharing your goals, ambitions, and heart with the judges. It’s also a chance to share about what you’ve done to volunteer in your community leading up to the competition and about your platform. My personal platform is called “Scars to Hearts” and is all about turning life’s hardest
moments into something beautiful. It was based on my journey with my mental health and how I’ve used that to advocate and help others. For MHSA, we also have a national platform that every girl has the responsibility of sharing. The platform is BRAVE, which stands for Building Respect and Value for Everyone. It’s an antibullying message and it’s our main job to focus on spreading it. For me, BRAVE was a lot more than just a job I was required to do. I have my own story of being bullied throughout high school, so sharing the message was very meaningful to me. I not only shared about building respect and value for others, but about building that same respect and value for yourself through self-love.
My biggest project of the year was hosting a Miss BRAVE Self-Love Showcase where I shared my self-love message and at the end of the day, there was a show and each girl had their moment in the spotlight in a beautiful gown to showcase the self-love we built up throughout the day. As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into this one week of competition and it’s much more than just a pretty face.
I did not walk away from the week with a national title or even a top 15 placement. Every pageant girl has had their wins and had their losses, and throughout my years of competing, I have always taken my losses very hard. But this time, I didn’t, because it was not a loss. I truly had a self-revelation. I realized that I had spent an entire year working hard and doing meaningful things. I had put my best foot forward on
stage, so what else could I possibly need? During this year, I spent hours and hours sharing about the importance of loving yourself, but I was simultaneously battling with my own ability to love myself and that has been a struggle of mine for years. As I said above, pageants are a lot more than just a pretty face, but it’s easy to get caught up in finding yourself “not enough”. After the pageant was completed, I felt like I finally had accomplished what I set forth to do and that was love myself. crown, trophy, or plaque to hang on the wall. I put it best in this text I sent to my mom from backstage while crowning was unfolding: “I honestly don’t even feel bad about myself. This is the first time I’m walking out of this, not getting the results I wanted but still being really proud of myself. I know it’s just the opinion of a group of judges. It doesn’t define me. I’m crying right now - but happy tears. I feel very free and confident with myself.” didn’t walk away with a crown or anyone who is a competitor of some sort, or even if you are just a person struggling with self- love, I want to tell you this: you are already enough without that crown or trophy, and you are so much more than winning that competition. It is all about the moments that lead you there, because those are the true accomplishments and the true moments of growth to becoming the person you were exactly meant to be.
“To all the pageant girls out there right now who are struggling because they didn’t walk away with a crown or anyone who is a competitor of some sort, or even if you are just a person struggling with self- love, I want to tell you this: you are already enough without that crown or trophy, and you are so much more than winning that competition. ”
YOU ARE ENOUGH. THE FIGHT CONTINUES
BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO BY JEREMY WOLF I PHOTOS BY BRODY WHEELER & LUCA BEAR
Tell us a little background about you and Vanessa for those who haven’t followed your story.
I have been involved with the local municipal animal shelter, Rochester Animal Services (RAS), in a volunteer capacity since 2014. I initially started out as a dog walker and more recently have been involved as a trainer for new volunteers and working in the play-yard. The play-yard provides dog on dog socialization in large fenced yards that allows the shelter dogs to have enrichment from a social perspective and allows staff to evaluate the resident dogs behavior in a social setting.
Vanessa came into the shelter (RAS) in 2017. She was picked up as a “stray” from a vacant residence and at the time had a broken leg which had not properly healed. Someone luckily heard her or saw her there and called animal control.
That is where the two of us met at RAS. Initially I took her in as a medical foster for her post-surgery recovery and then I later ended up adopting her.
How did Justice For Vanessa get started?
The JusticeForVanessaRochesterNY Facebook page was started by a close friend and coworker of mine. JusticeForVanessa has evolved well beyond a single Facebook page though and has turned into an animal rights and breed bias movement that has a global following. We have thousands of followers on our social media pages and a Change.org petition with over 100,000 signatures to date.
In our preliminary story we released
6 months ago, Vanessa was in confinement with no human contact, and you were fighting the Town of Ogden for her release and appealing a euthanasia order. It was a long, drawn out fight, but after 10 long months, Vanessa was released to the Against All Oddz Animal Alliance in Darien, NY. Can you tell us a little bit about how this all came about?
Yes, so we appealed to the higher court, specifically the Monroe County Court, and the euthanasia order was vacated by the higher court. It took 10 months and never should have taken that long but we did end up prevailing and getting her released from the Town’s clutches in the end. We never could have done it without the help and support of Vanessa’s thousands of supporters. These dedicated people literally were supporting this dog like she was their own and we love every single one of them for it!
How was AAO chosen?
During the appellate process Against All Oddz was suggested by my legal team as an alternative temporary place of housing that would offer Vanessa more humane confinement during the period of the court proceedings which progressed along at a snail’s pace. It is documented that during the Town’s Court Ordered confinement that Vanessa was not being socialized and/or removed from her kennel at all during the 10 months of her confinement. That solitary confinement obviously would take its toll on any living being, be it human or K9, so we wanted to get her some relief. After reviewing her medical records during her confinement, we have also confirmed that she was not receiving appropriate
medical care as evidenced by the poor shape she was in when released. What was meant to be a temporary housing solution for the welfare of Vanessa during trial was twisted by the Ogden Town Court into a Decision that she needs to be remanded to the sanctuary permanently for the remainder of her life without ever having the opportunity for release. We obviously disagree with this ruling, and have filed a notice of appeal, and will once again be taking this matter to the higher court.
Rochester Woman Online had the pleasure of visiting you and Vanessa in her new condo at AAO, and she seems like she didn’t miss a beat (except for her now grey muzzle). What was it like to see her for the first time in 10 months?
I had been denied access to Vanessa for the entire time of her internment by the Town of Ogden. Even my vet was denied access, so we had no idea what shape Vanessa was in. Luckily as a testament to Vanessa’s fortitude and temperament she was mentally still very stable upon retrieving her from the kennel. She recognized me instantly, went into her leash very quickly, and honestly was ready to get the heck out of there. Even though she is a young dog, her entire muzzle turned grey during her internment, which is evidence to the emotional strain, in my own words abuse, that she endured during her court ordered confinement. There was no reason for it, and she could have been housed in a much more humane manner which the Town of Ogden repeatedly refused to do.
Vanessa seems very happy and like she settled in nicely. What type of training/nurturing is she receiving at AAO to help her adjust?
Vanessa is now able to receive appropriate medical and mental care and her body has thankfully responded accordingly. Her videos and photographs speak for themselves! Vanessa and I are working with a trainer at AAO and the folks there are wonderful and have welcomed her with open arms. They are not supposed to have favorites, but I suspect Matt and Kim (at AAO) have taken a special liking to her ��.
How often do you visit Vanessa?
Three to four times a week. It is about a 45 min drive to the sanctuary.
What are the next steps being taken? I know there is an appeal in the works. What does that consist of? Vanessa deserves to be home, she never should have been seized from her home in the first place, so we are exercising our right to appeal. My legal team has filed the appropriate notifications, and this is something that will evolve, and I will post updates about in the coming months as we progress through the appeal process.
Vanessa seems to have created a movement for change, especially against pitbull bias. What has been your biggest accomplishment with Justice for Vanessa to date?
Getting her released from the Town’s custody is obviously our number one accomplishment. Secondly though this movement has brought a wonderful group of people together. We have had several public events, gatherings, and fundraisers on Vanessa’s behalf, and I can’t tell you the number of selfless good-natured people that I have met at these events. The animal welfare community in Rochester is a strong dedicated group and I believe the horrible circumstances that Vanessa has endured has helped to bring that group together. I have met some wonderful people as the result of this whole thing and I cannot thank Vanessa’s supporters enough! Vanessa is a hero, she unjustly endured something horrible to bring a group of people together to elicit change on a larger scale and that is still something that is very much in play. We do not want other dogs and other families to go through what we did. And ultimately specific to Vanessa, we will get her home!
The injustice in this case is astounding, but this just shows one dog’s resilience, and her owners too! If Vanessa could talk right now, what do you think she would be saying?
Thank You for never giving up on me.
What can we as the public do to help? Advocating for change takes public support. We need to continue to grow the JusticeForVanessa movement. Town elections are coming up in November, we have upcoming actions in Court and Court appearances, the Town of Ogden has not made any changes, the same group of cronies still sit in Town appointed and publicly elected positions. Advocacy takes numbers, we ask people to continue to follow us on social media and spread the word
TENDER LOVING
