Being a sophomore held a lot of exciting new things, including living in your upperclassmen house (Quincy House best house) for the first time, officially declaring your concentration, and getting to take more upper level courses! 

This semester, I was taking Organic Chemistry, Multivariable Calculus, American Sign Language 3, and a general education course on Natural Disasters. I was most excited to live with my blockmates, take on new leadership roles in my extracurricular activities, and spend time with friends! This semester, I was able to spend a lot more time with my friends and go off campus or get out of the “Harvard bubble.” A lot of my time outside of class was spent in office hours working on a problem set (pset), working at admissions, and taking small trips with my friends! Then the dreaded “midterm season” began, and we all eagerly awaited the Harvard-Yale Football game, because it meant midterms were finally coming to an end and Thanksgiving break was right around the corner. 

For me, it also meant that I would be going to Orlando, Florida to compete at the National American Miss (NAM) National Pageant for the National American Miss Teen title as the Miss Massachusetts Teen! This year, my family and I’s Thanksgiving week looked a lot different than normal, as I earned the title of NAM Miss Massachusetts Teen 2024 this summer by earning the highest scores out of teens across the state in formal wear, interview, personal introduction, and community service. I recompeted in these areas with teens across the country who had also earned their NAM state title for the national teen title. 

 I have been competing in pageants, specifically NAM, for eight years now, and competing has taught me grit, perseverance, how to present myself in front of a crowd, interview skills, determination, public speaking, and more. NAM is a natural scholarship pageant focused on growing confidence in girls and women ages 4-39 across the country, and it has done just that for me. It gave me the confidence and skills to apply to Harvard even when the application process seemed daunting and impossible as a first-generation college student. After years of competing in NAM and finally making it to the national pageant as a state queen, I was ready to make every moment of the week count. I spent the week making lifelong friendships, competing in the required and optional competitions, and, of course, doing my math and organic chemistry psets and studying for my last organic chemistry midterm of the semester. I was so excited to place in the top five in the country in spokesmodel, a public speaking competition, and win the national academic achievement award. 

Before I knew it, it was the final day, and the best week of the year was coming to an end. From studying as much as I could in the morning to my heart beating out of my chest as the emcee proclaimed, “You’re in the top five…. Massachusetts,” this week was nothing short of unforgettable. I was honored to walk away with second runner-up to the 2024 National American Miss Teen title, and I am excited to continue to represent Massachusetts for the next four months! I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am today without my experience competing in NAM which is why I kept coming back year after year. 

I returned to campus early the morning after NAM, dropped my suitcases off, and attended my math class and organic chemistry lecture. I had an organic chemistry midterm a few days later on the last day of classes and celebrated finishing my midterm and fall semester classes by having a holiday-themed baking party with my friends in one of the kitchens in my dorm! We made gingerbread, sugar, and classic chocolate chip cookies while watching a Christmas movie. It was a great way to end a great semester!