Miss America 2011 in DC campaigns for women & education

Miss America 2011 Teresa Scanlan, who’s not just pretty, but pretty smart, epitomizes why the Miss America Pageant has value for young women. She was in Washington D.C. recently spreading the message of the Miss America Organization’s advocacy for higher education for all women.  Turns out The Miss America Organization is the largest provider of scholarships to women, $45 million every year (yes, you read that right).  Teresa explains why the Miss America pageant has been so important to her in her op-ed which appeared in The Hill.

 

Young though she may be, 17 when she won this past January, she is wise beyond her years. Following a meeting with the Nebraska (her home state) delegation on Capitol Hill, Teresa had a substantive discussion with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, did an interview with The Hill newspaper, and then met with Rep. John Kline (R-MN), Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) who is the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

She rounded out the Congressional visits by attending the Congressional Correspondents Dinner, which honors journalists who cover Capitol Hill, where she was the guest of The Hill newspaper. Seated with Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), she received a round of applause after a shout out from the podium.

She spoke with Jenny Yeager Kaplan, Deputy Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, about the historical significance of the Miss America Organization as the largest provider of college scholarships and Miss America’s advocacy to encourage all young women to pursue college education, specifically those interested in science, technology, engineering and math.

Tuesday, Miss America took her message directly to the children in a visit with students from Washington’s Martin Luther King Elementary School. As Teresa concluded her events on Capitol Hill, she emphasized that the Miss America Organization is eager to work with Congress and the Obama Administration to help promote education initiatives nationally. Teresa believes that being Miss America means being a role model to young women across America, and advancing affordable and high-quality education for young women is a priority for her.

Miss America more than glitz and glamour on KTNV-TV

I appeared on KTNV-TV in Las Vegas the day before the January 30, 2010 Miss America Pageant at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.  Watch anchor Jessica Lovell interview me about my about my award winning book, Pretty Smart: Lessons from our Miss Americas, and how the talented and educated women who compete for Miss America prove that the pageant is so much more than glitz and glamour.

From the KTNV-TV website….

Award-Winning Author Penny Pearlman drops by!

Posted: Jan 29, 2010 01:44 PM EST

Award-Winning author Penny Pearlman stopped by the Action News studios to chat about her book “Pretty Smart: Lessons from Our Miss Americas”

Pearlman has interviewed dozens of Miss Americas and reveals how women everywhere can implement powerful success strategies to blow up the “beauty but no brains” stereotype.

Pearlman says, “The Miss America Pageant, held in Las Vegas on January 30, 2010 at Planet Hollywood, will show that these women have shattered the stereotypes of Miss America contestants. At their core, they are goal-achieving and multi-talented women who know it takes more than just being pretty to be successful.”

“The former Miss Americas have passion, commitment, resilience and a firm belief in achieving their dreams,” says Success Coach Penny Pearlman.”  Within this group of women is a pioneer in female sportscaster (Phyllis George, Miss America 1971, was the first female pre-game NFL reporter allowed in the men’s locker rooms and confronted by dropped towels), the first disabled Miss America, Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995, who became deaf as a toddler, one was abused for years as a child, Marilyn Van Debur, Miss America 1958 and another former Miss America (Lynda Mead, 1960) grew up with an alcoholic mother.

 Penny Pearlman MBA has interviewed Gretchen Carlson, Miss America 1989, Co-Anchor of FOX & FRIENDS (FOX NEWS Channel), Lee Meriwether, Miss America 1955, award winning actresss and Phyllis George, former TV host & sportscaster on CBS’s ‘The NFL Today’ among many others to find out their secrets of success.

Find her book at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble & at her website PennyPearlman.com.