Q.
Tell us about your daily routine and how you handle your busy appearance
schedule.
A.
The great thing about this job is there certainly is no monotony. Every
day is very different. There's no specific schedule; it all depends
on what event you're doing. You may have a 6:30 call for a television
interview where you have to be camera-ready, which necessitates your
being up at 5 a.m. Or you can have late-night appearances which mean
you're up later in the day. A lot of times, I'm speaking in schools,
traveling from school venue to school venue, other times I'm speaking
in front of not-for-profit organizations or with governmental officials.
The key is being very flexible and being able to adapt to even-changing
circumstances.
Q.
What has it been like being Miss America during the war to fight terrorism
and to liberate Iraq?
A. In
wartime, American symbols become very important, and the title of Miss
America is an iconic symbol. It has really been an honor to serve in
that capacity, because I've been able to participate in a variety of
events with the U.S.O., and military appreciation events. I've visited
with injured troops who returned from Iraq, and they saw me as a symbol
as well. Being Miss America at this time has also taught me a greater
appreciation for many of the freedoms that we often take for granted
— freedom of speech, freedom to practice your religion as you see
fit, freedom of self-determination. Meeting those troops who were being
asked to potentially sacrifice their lives to defend those freedoms
made me realize the high price many paid to safeguard them.
Q.
Were there other aspects of being in the midst of increased levels of
Homeland Security that impacted you as Miss America?
A.
Certainly travel restrictions. We
spend a lot of time at the airports, obviously, and we have to be at
the airports very early now. Usually we get selected to be screened,
because we're usually buying one-way tickets and that's one of the triggers
for screening. So, you just accept that as one of the necessities of
providing for the national defense. Certainly, it's inconvenient at
times, but it's what's required.
Q.
And there's no exception for Miss America, is there?
A.
No! (laughs)
Q.
What do you tell your young audiences
about your platform, "Preventing Youth Violence and Bullying: Respect
Yourself, Protect Yourself," and your own personal struggle with bullying
while you were growing up?
A.
One of the things I tell them is that, because I am Miss America, they
probably think I was homecoming queen and the most popular person at
school, but in actuality I did not fit into any of those categories.
I tell them that when I was in the ninth grade, I was the victim of
severe and pervasive racial and sexual harassment. This included name-calling,
teasing, taunting, vandalism of my family's property, and death threats.
I was forced to transfer to a different school during the middle of
my sophomore year. That was a time in my life when my self-esteem and
self-image was assaulted on a daily basis, and really made me question
who I was and how I felt about the person I was trying to be. I encourage
young people to refuse to let others define them; you have to choose
to define yourself on your own terms. I also talk to them about the
way in which you rebuild your self-esteem and your sense of optimism:
by being involved in community service; retaining the values that are
important to you and that you enjoy; and by refusing to allow another
person to set limitations upon you based on their stereotypes or misconceptions
of what you ought to be.
Q.
I suppose to most adults, including the government leaders you've met,
playground bullying and fighting seems to be a pretty common occurrence.
When you meet with U.S. leaders, how do you impress upon them the importance
of the youth violence issue?
A.
After Columbine, I think that really galvanized the nation's consciousness
in terms of recognizing that peer-to-peer harassment is not just something
that can be taken lightly — and that, if it is not curbed at an
early age, it can escalate into really violent situations. When I speak
with lawmakers, they talk about Columbine being a tripping point in
terms of making them realize this is an issue that demands their attention.
State Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, one of the leaders with whom I've met,
is very committed to trying to implement anti-harassment legislation
in Pennsylvania schools. I met with Attorney General John Ashcroft,
and he strongly supports trying to employ some means of addressing this
issue.
Q.
What do you believe is your role in helping our society understand the
problem of youth violence?
A. I
hope my role will be the catalyst for greater change. I'm fully cognizant
of the fact that one 45-minute presentation is not going to be a panacea
for all of these problems. But what I do hope happens, as the result
of my presentation, is that young people who are being victimized recognize
they don't have to live in those circumstances and will choose to stand
up for themselves. I hope that school officials will start to take the
issue more seriously and start to implement programs in their own schools
and communities. And, I hope that our country, as a whole, starts to
re-evaluate the way in which we view this problem of violence, and recognize
that it is not just an inevitable right of adolescent passage, but that
it is a serious issue that demands our attention. If we don't focus
on it now, we're going to have to deal with much more serious consequences
later.
Q.
Miss America Organization President George Bauer has stated that it
is MAO's desire to become more of a service organization. How do you
see the role of Miss America changing in that regard?
A. Just
because you have the Miss America crown, although that's beneficial
to you on a personal level, the greater good is to use that to direct
attention to something that's important. On a personal level, I always
stress to students the importance of making a contribution to their
schools and communities. I tell them that that's the only way they can
leave a legacy. People aren't going to remember what kind of clothes
they wore or the hairstyle they had. People are going to measure their
legacy by the capacity they had to show kindness and compassion to other
people. One of my favorite quotes is from George Elliot, who said: "We
make a living from what we get. We make a life from what we live. What
we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world
is immortal." I think a lot of students are looking for that kind of
immortality, and I tell them that being involved in community service
gives them that."
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VIP
Treatment: Erika
has appeared and consulted with some of this country's most influential
citizens, including (clockwise, from top): actor Arnold Schwarzenegger,
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, and President Bush's National
Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.
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Q.
Which experience as Miss America was the most fun and why?
A.
I enjoyed going to the Super Bowl immensely. I'm a sports fan, and I
enjoyed being a part of an event that is larger than life. I had the
opportunity to be involved in celebrity events during the course of
it. I was a part of "Gridiron Glamour," which was a celebrity fashion
show where we were modeling top designs. I also got to attend some of
the NFL parties. It was just such an incredible experience, something
I'd seen on television but never planned on visiting. So when I got
the chance to see it from the level of a VIP, it was extraordinarily
fun.
Q.
Which experience was the most difficult or painful and why?
A.
After I finish a presentation, sometimes a student will come up to me
and share with me his or her own personal story of being victimized
or being made to feel inferior. I have maybe 30 seconds to a minute
to be with each student. It's so difficult to come up with precisely
the right words that are going to speak to their situation and give
them hope. For me, it's not just about giving a speech and leaving;
I want to find some way to instill in young people the belief that it
doesn't matter what people have said about them. It doesn't matter that
they're different from their peers. They still have inherent dignity
as a human being, and they deserve respect. It's difficult sometimes
to see young people who are in such painful and tragic situations and
not be able to do anything directly to rectify the situation.
Q.
When people question the relevance of pageants and Miss America, what
is your response?
A.
I think that the crown is as relevant as the individual who wears it.
If you, through your actions and words, use the crown to focus attention
on issues of substance and concern, then you contribute something of
relevance and significance. The crown is a tool to be able to focus
attention on something that's important. If you crown someone who has
a passion and conviction and has a real dedication to using it as a
symbol to focus attention on issues of concern, that's when you achieve
the relevance.
Q.
Is the job of being Miss America the same or different than what you
expected?
A.
It has been very much as I imagined it to be, because I spent a lot
of time researching the job of Miss America, and what type of attributes
one needs to be successful. I tried to put myself into many situations
that would be similar to the job of Miss America, because if you receive
that crown, you need to be ready to hit the ground running from day
one. You don't have a lot of opportunity to make mistakes. You have
to make that first good impression, because that's the way you're going
to be perceived by the public. For any person who wishes to do this
job, make sure you prepare yourself for it.
Q.
You certainly were ready from day one. What was it about you that helped
you prepare so thoroughly for the Miss America role, and what tips do
you have for those who seek to succeed you?
A.
I think that's one of my personality traits.
I tend to over-prepare for exams and do too much research. But in this
situation, I think it paid off for me. My biggest piece of advice would
be not to focus on the external trappings of pageantry, in terms of
wardrobe, makeup, and hair. While those things certainly serve a purpose
— they may be what get you the crown — they won't be the things
that will enable you to be successful once you have it. The attributes
that make you successful in any title are compassion, empathy, dedication,
the willingness to stand up for the things you believe in even when
they are not popular. The way that you develop those attributes is by
living life to the best of your ability; whenever you're faced with
difficult circumstances and challenges, not running from them but being
willing to face them head-on; and standing up for what you believe in,
and learning every valuable lesson. Living a full life is the best way
of preparing for this job.
Q.
What message do you have for our country's young people?
A.
There is a great deal to be optimistic about. There are a lot of wonderful
young people who are talented, who are ambitious, and who really want
to make a difference and are just waiting for those opportunities. As
a society, we have to make sure we provide them with good adult role
models, good mentors, and access to high-quality education. We need
to make sure that we cultivate their talents and ambitions, because
they have a lot to offer.
Q.
Do you have any inspiring message
that you would like to leave us with?
A.
I think to sum up this year, I would like to say that it has been an
incredible honor to serve as Miss America. It has afforded me so many
opportunities to do things that I ordinarily would not have had the
chance to do. Any person who has a title or is aspiring to a title should
recognize that it is indeed an honor for people to entrust that type
of an opportunity to you. Once you receive it, you should be looking
outward, as opposed to inward, and recognize that the biggest contribution
you can make is using that crown in the service of others.
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ALL
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MISS AMERICA ORGANIZATION
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