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As we continue our “Road to Miss New Jersey” series, our next contestant is Miss Gloucester County, Emily Williamson.

Please tell us why you chose to compete for your local county’s title?
As a high school senior, I’m lucky enough to have parents who have supported me throughout my entire education and plan on continuing to do so during my college years. While choosing the right school was challenging, paying for my education would be much harder. My parents have generously decided to pay for my college education, and I wanted to do anything I could to help them along the way. When I found out about the scholarships offered in the Miss Gloucester County pageant, I couldn’t say no. Not only was it a great experience but it also allowed me to help my parents!

What do you plan to accomplish if you were to win the title of Miss NJ 2016?
If I were to win the title of Miss New Jersey, I would spread my platform, Healthy Lifestyle, Happy You!, through a variety of activities. I would host Fun Days to promote physical activity among youth, showing that exercise doesn’t have to be tedious or boring, but rather a blast! I have made connections with local Dietitians, who have offered their time and resources to share healthy recipes, diet plans and exercise tips. With her expertise on my side, I would host cooking classes to teach easy but nutritious meals. I would also visit middle schools to talk about my experience changing my lifestyle, to provide a sense of hope, support and information regarding my closed Facebook group, “Healthy Lifestyle, Happy You!,” a place where girls will be able to help each other and search for help.

Share with our readers a bit more about you platform and why you picked
this particular one.
My platform, “Healthy Lifestyle, Happy You!” is one I hold close to my heart. Ever since a young age, I have stood out for my size. I was always the biggest girl on the basketball team or the one in the middle of the back row in class photos. At first this felt like a big accomplishment, as if I had something special the other five-year-olds lacked, however, as sixth grade approached, I began to grow self conscious of my size. Yes, I was tall, but I was also overweight and unhealthy and as a result, under-confident. I compared myself to the other girls, most of whom were just starting to develop, meaning their petite child size now featured a chest and their mothers were starting to let them shave and wear makeup, all “big girl habits” I was not yet allowed to pursue. I was ashamed of myself, and I knew I had to do something. I was lucky enough to have my family on my side. Together, my parents and I realized that we had to make changes in our lifestyles to become healthier, stronger, and more confident Williamson’s. We started to work out daily, we stopped eating out, and we started counting calories and monitoring portions. Before we knew it, we started seeing changes, and we couldn’t wait for more. Finally, after a few months, we had become new people, and not simply because of the weight loss. We realized that if we could completely change our diet and exercise habits, we could do anything. We started pushing for bigger goals in everyday life with more confidence and found great success. To this day, my family has maintained the same standards of healthy living so we can enjoy life, however, our goals continue to change. We no longer aim to lose large sums of weight, but rather, continue to reassess our goals to best-fit current situations. We have learned that healthy living incorporates so much more than diet and exercise (don’t get me wrong, they are both very important). We learned that in order to fund true success, we must find balance. We have to stay hydrated, get enough sleep, maintain a positive mindset, build a positive self-image, believe in ourselves, set reasonable goals, and continue to encourage each other in every aspect of this process. I believe that my platform holds a great deal of importance, as it can reach many different groups of people. With this platform I can help to raise awareness about obesity and diseases like diabetes, which can be prevented through diet and exercise. I can also discuss the idea of maintaining a positive life in order to find success, or the importance of realistic goals in all aspects of life. Most importantly, I can speak about my platform adamantly, as it is something I hold close to my heart. I was able to find myself through my lifestyle change. I am proud to share my story, and I hope that through my platform, I have been or will be able to help someone else find their identity as well.

“Bravura” is an artistic word for exceptional; in your own words, tell us what makes you ‘bravura’!
I am exceptional because of my attitude. Ever since a young age, I have been self-motivated, positive and enthusiastic. I have pushed myself to find success in every aspect of my life. From school, to sports, to relationships and now, pageantry. More importantly, I have always looked to gain not only success, but also a positive experience from each of these endeavors. Because of this mentality, I have made tight knit friendships, inside jokes, and memories that I’ll never forget from moments as simple as a conversation with a cashier or a casual hello to a new neighbor. I have been able to make lasting connections to the youth I volunteered with as well as the caring and considerate people who have given me the volunteer opportunities. By maintaining a positive attitude, I have taken the most out every day. Each morning is a blessing in disguise and each conversation, smile, laugh or hello is an added bonus. I feel that this enthusiasm for life has allowed me to bring light into the lives of others and has inspired my peers to take the most out of their own lives as well.

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To purchase tickets for the upcoming Miss New Jersey pageant, please visit THIS LINK.