Featuring Miss Florida Princess!

Congratulations to all the Florida State finalists!!!

You all are about to embark on a fantastic adventure – one that will change your life forever!  I am so proud of you for taking this step and becoming a state finalist!  The pageant weekend is going to be so much fun and I am so excited to share it with you! 

My name is Ella Votapka and I am 7 and ½ years old from Orlando, Florida.  I am an honor roll student and on my way to 2^nd grade in the fall.  I enjoy tumbling, t-ball, clogging, ballet, girl scouts, and singing in church.  In my free time I also love to do art projects, play with my brother and sister, and ride my bike.  This was my second year competing in NAM and I was so excited and honored to be the 2016 Miss Florida Princess.

I have learned so much about what it means to truly be a Princess by giving back to my community and to those in need.  I started my journey off by promoting a message of hope and love to our Florida communities by visiting the One Orlando memorial.  I visited Give Kids the World with my sister queens and helped greet the guests.  I loved meeting and talking with all the children!  I volunteered at Feeding Children Everywhere by packaging meals, and helped out at the Ronald McDonald House a couple of times by making dinner, making desserts, and delivering 9 dozen homemade cookies for the families.  I also helped bring Christmas dinner to our local fire station, visited the elderly at Dixie Oaks Manor, and read a story to a group of VPK and Kindergarten classes from the daycare I attended when I was little.  I enjoyed representing NAM as I rode in the Christmas and 4^th of July parades and of course, I helped out our Central Florida Animal Shelter by showing some love to the cuties up for adoption.

Nationals in Anaheim, California was a week filled with fun!  My favorite parts were meeting so many new friends from across the USA and going to Disneyland!  I was the first one in the Princess division to win a Spirit Stick for my pageant spirit and I also won 2^nd runner up for my essay about NAMily – how the friends you make in NAM become like your extended family.  Some of my best friends came from NAM and I am truly grateful.  I will forever cherish these lifelong friendships and the experiences we shared together. 

This year has been unforgettable and I am so excited to pass on this role to my successor.  Remember to be yourself, meet lots of new friends, and have the time of your life! 

I will forever be your 2016 Miss Florida Princess, Ella Votapka.