PEOPLE WATCHING watchingthewinners B REE B OYCE ree Boyce was crowned Miss Capital City 2011 in the Miss South Carolina (MAO) sys- tem, beginning her journey to eventually win the crown of Miss South Carolina and finally compete in the 2012 Miss America Pageant this year. After winning the title of Miss South Carolina, Boyce became the focus of extensive media attention, and was fea- tured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The View, and Inside Edition. Bree lost over 112 pounds, working ex- haustively to be a living example of her platform—“Eating Healthy and Fighting Obesity”. Bree has lived with obesity and she has won the fight against it, becoming a shining example of hard work, determi- nation, dreaming big and succeeding. Growing up, Bree was always over- weight and supported her older sister, who had competed successfully in pag- eants. Bree never thought that she would have those same opportunities, but she continued to secretly dream of one day becoming Miss America. At the age of 17, Bree was weighing in at over 230 lbs. and her dreams seemed to be unattain- able. “I used to make fun of my weight with others to fit in and be the funny, overweight girl,” the 23-year old told Peo- ple magazine in a feature cover story. B 98 PAGEANTRY “I’d go home and cry, not because of what others had said about me, but about what I had said about myself,” she added. It became an eye opener as she was told by her doctor that she was at high risk for type II diabetes, heart disease, and several types of cancers. She knew from that moment her life depended on getting her health in check and recognizing it as a main priority. Bree left the doctor’s office deter- mined, embarrassed, motivated, and un- sure. She set small goals for herself week-by-week and accomplished them by staying in the right mind set and having the determination to prove to herself and others that she could do it. Today, at 23 years of age, Bree can proudly say that she has lost over 112-pounds and has become the woman she always hoped to be. Through her struggles Bree has become a confident, successful, and driven individ- ual. The Miss America Organization em- powers young women and Bree stands firmly in the motto. Her life’s goal is to improve the health of Americans and to get people to notice that obesity is sweeping this nation by storm. Empowered by the Miss America Organization, Bree has the opportunity to reach people in all walks of life and en- courage them to set their goals high and to work every day at achieving whatever it is they set out to do. Through her Facebook fan page [www.facebook.com/breeboyce], Bree Boyce reaches thousands of people throughout America and even the world by encouraging them and giving advice to live a better life. Social networking has become such a wonderful tool for Bree to communicate with others and to promote her platform on a higher level. Bree was named the Lifestyle Change Award Winner by the American Heart Association and she was even recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama for her work in promoting a healthy lifestyle to kids and adults. She has had the opportu- nity to work closely with the director for the documentary film “Finding Thin”, searching for the answers as to why America has become so unhealthy. At the 2012 Miss America pageant, CUTTING THE FAT: In her quest to become Miss Ameri- ca, Bree Boyce [seen above] dumped her unhealthy excess weight. After three years of sticking to her new lifestyle, Bree dropped over 112 lbs. and won the Miss South Carolina 2011 crown [seen below] promoting a platform committed to eating healthy and fighting obesity. Miss South Carolina Bree Boyce was one of a dozen semi-finalists waiting for her chance to perform in the talent portion of the event, but didn’t get her chance as she was eliminated. It may have been a heart-breaking end to her pageant run, but this probably won’t be the last time you’ll see Bree on your television screen. “I have a lot of TV shows offering me jobs,” Boyce said when asked what she would do next. She added that she also has book offers. Bree hopes to encourage others to be- lieve that anything is possible through hard work and perseverance and she wish- es everyone will recognize that. Ⅺ