As a young girl in a small Iowa town, I watched the Miss America telecast every year, dreaming of something big.  Someday, I told myself, I would have the opportunity to be on that stage.  Today I write to you as Miss Iowa, grateful that my dream has not only come true, but that it has developed into something much greater than I once imagined. 

As Miss Iowa, I am on a mission.  I have been given the opportunity to serve as an advocate for a public service issue called a platform.  In light of my passions, goals, and life experiences, I have chosen to dedicate this year to promoting my platform entitled “Teaching Tolerance: Fostering a Just and Caring Culture from the Classroom Out.”  As a future educator, I truly believe that the classroom is one of the most powerful tools we have for cultivating a society that respects and appreciates the increasing diversity within our communities.  My mission this year is to work beside schools, communities, and organizations to nurture a sense of tolerance among young Iowans—a way of thinking, feeling, and acting that empowers our youth to discover peace in their individuality, respect for those who are different, the capacity to discern humane values, and the courage to act upon them.   

My platform is an outgrowth of my strong convictions about the importance of character education.  Because I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to learn how to make positive choices, I will serve as an ambassador for CHARACTER COUNTS!, the nation’s most widely-implemented approach to character education.  I welcome the opportunity to enhance your CHARACTER COUNTS! initiative by sharing with students how the Six Pillars of Character have impacted my life.  By working together, I believe that we can inspire young people to reach their potential and to make a difference in the world—all through the strength of their character.

In addition to promoting my personal platform, I look forward to joining the 51 other state representatives of the Miss America Organization in support of Children’s Miracle Network.  As a team, we hope to help save and improve the lives of children in 170 children’s hospitals by raising much-needed funds for equipment, care, and research.  I will also continue the Miss Iowa tradition of presenting Right Decisions, Right Now, a youth smoking prevention program, to students in grades five through nine.  Through this program, I will encourage students to make the decisions that are right for them—including the decision not to smoke—even if peer pressure and example might suggest differently.

What a dream I will be living out this year!

Olivia Myers

Missiowa 2008