What an awesome year for Miss Oregon Teen!

What a spectacular journey this year has been! One year ago was one of the best moments of my life, being crowned your 2017 National American Miss Oregon Teen, a title I never would have thought possible four years ago when I started doing NAM. This shy young teen blossomed into a confident adult. I couldn’t be more grateful for all of the experiences and people that this pageant has brought into my life.

I started competing in NAM in 2014, after my older sister had been competing for two years. Looking back to my first pageant four years ago, I was a scared, sweaty, nervous, girl and seeing how far I’ve come is such an amazing feeling. I can now speak confidently in front of a crowd and am more confident in myself and more ambitious than I ever thought I’d be. The skills NAM has taught me will follow me through my life and I’m excited to keep growing and learning from experiences and programs like this one.

This year has brought me so many memories. I loved going to nationals and meeting all of my sister teen queens, they are such empowering women who inspire me everyday. Something really special about nationals this year was that I got to be there with both of my sisters, who qualified for nationals. My first year at NAM we were all there together, and this was the last year we could all be there as competitors - it was a blessing to be there with them.

Throughout the year I continued to promote my platform of a cleaner, healthier environment by picking up garbage off the side of the 60 miles of scenic Oregon and donated collected cans and bottle returns to local charities. I had the opportunity to make and handout lunches to the homeless in Portland, volunteer with Hood To Coast Relay, and go to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival with my sister queens.

Thank you National American Miss for changing my life and to all of my friends and family for supporting and motivating me through this entire journey!

Signing off, I am your 2017 Miss Oregon Teen, Annika Pounds!