Miss Minden 2016 Macy Colvin calls her year carrying the title a whirlwind but also a period of personal growth.
“Going into Miss Minden, I only had in mind the things that I had planned to do for the town and my platform,” she said. “I never realized what it would do for my own life. I’m certainly not the same person walking off the stage Saturday evening than I was a year ago.”
During her time as Miss Minden, she not only promoted the Children’s Miracle Network, Miss Louisiana’s signature charity, but she used her time to talk about her platform – “Break the Silence. Talk About It. You Matter. Teen Suicide Prevention.”
She spoke to students at area schools about talking about the things that matter to them, and letting them know they matter too.
“I learned that my voice mattered, and with me being an advocate for my platform and the lives that I got to touch,” she said, “I didn’t realize how many people wanted to help. They just needed a place to start. With the feedback that I’ve gotten, I didn’t realize how important my words were.”
Colvin spent much of her time advocating for CMN because her nephew, Corbin Colvin, who is the Louisiana Champion this year. She shared her appreciation for the Minden community’s support.
Her future plans include continuing her education at Bossier Parish Community College in the area of mass communications. She plans to go into public relations and marketing. She is currently on her way to launching her own line of clothing, she said.
“I’m a design consultant and I’m getting ready to launch my own line ‘Untamed Outfitters,’” she said.
Colvin will relinquish her crown to one of four contestants Saturday. As she prepares to continue on with life’s journey, she wants Miss Minden 2017 to know that the year is about seizing every opportunity to make a difference.
“It doesn’t matter how prepared you think you are for this job, you’re going to grow,” she said. “Take it all in, and go into this with everything you’ve got. Be a strong advocate, and use every bit of it for good. You don’t know where that life is going to be that you change, and you don’t know how your life is going to change. Take every opportunity you get.”
The Miss Minden 2017 Scholarship Pageant will begin at 7 p.m., Saturday, at the Minden Civic Center.