The Importance of Education

It was a great afternoon spending the day in Bellevue, Nebraska speaking to St. Mary's 4th through 8th grade students. When first arriving at St. Mary's school, I was greeted by excited smiles and energetic students. We took picture after picture and I signed autographs for each student. I let everyone try on my sash and crown, and by the end, the boys were evening trying them on. :-)

After everyone had a picture I was able to get down to business and talk to the students about the importance of education. I chose this to be my platform because I've seen how important education has been in my life. I truly believe education is the key to a successful future.

I talked to the students about being STARS. Not a reality TV star, or a pro baseball or basketball star, but being a STAR that stands for: staying in school, taking chances even if you fail, asking questions and reaching for your degree. I went into detail on each topic, and got the students involved by asking them questions and relating each topic to their lives. I stressed how important it is for them to show up to school and work hard, and to take chances and not to not let failures define you, but let them teach you. I went on to explain to them to never give up on their dreams and that asking questions is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. And last but not least I asked them to reach for the highest degree possible.

The students were wonderful and asked lots of fun questions after. Their questions varied from asking about my involvement in school, to whether I was team Jacob or team Edward. It was such a great experience to be able to share a passion of mine with these young students. I'm so excited to continue to spread this message across Nebraska!

Best wishes,

Belinda Wright

Miss Nebraska USA 2010