For those of you who don't know, I am a member of the renowned A Capella group, Scattertones, at UCLA. It probably was one of the best decisions I ever made in college. I love all of the talented individuals I get to work with during my time at UCLA. The week of September 27th we had our annual audition to find the newcomers for this year. We were able to add only five new talented members after four days of auditioning!
During this week I sang for the Angels game. I had SO much fun singing the National Anthem and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th inning stretch. I had such a spectacular time watching the game especially since baseball is my favorite sport. I always joke and say that I like baseball because it is slow enough for me to actually follow the game and keep up with what is going on. Heather Capizzi, a former contestant in the Miss America organization, was extremely sweet and provided me an Angels jersey with my title "Miss California" embroidered on the back!!!
The same weekend Chelle Hyde—my new best friend—and I attended the Monrovia High school reunion on the USS Midway. Vangie and James Regan hosted this event and did a magnificent job! They literally thought of everything, from the green screen picture when you arrived to virtual rides before the dinner banquet, to four dinner buffet options to a carnation at your departure. I sang the National Anthem and enjoyed the night along with a Miss California sister, Rita Ng. It was such a treat to be able to spend my night on this monumental ship with more than twenty fighter jets aboard.
The following Monday morning Miss Northern California Regional, Marina Inserra, and Miss San Diego Cities, Saundra Combs, and I were on Fox 5 San Diego. Originally the reporter told us to do an etiquette segment, but I was able to present Fox 5 with a Public Speaking bit that they ended up loving! Look at that--I am a reporter in the making! Marina and Saundra spoke briefly about their platforms, and I critiqued them and pointed out common public speaking mistakes. Sounds mean, I know, but here's the secret: because both are such awesome public speakers on their own, before filming I had to tell them which mistakes to make! There’s reality television for you—totally planned!
The next day I went to my first Children's Hospital visit. I am going to keep up the goal that Kristy Cavinder and Bob Arnhym made last year: to visit every children's hospital in the state. My first stop was CHOC, Children's Hospital of Orange County. Breanna Weeks, an employee of CMN, gave us a tour of the beautiful, kid-friendly hospital. She also allowed me to visit the play room where we dressed up as Halloween characters and created pumpkin arts and crafts. Because I am no Van Gogh, I elicited help from several of the children on my pumpkin project. I met some remarkable kids; most of them were totally enamored with the crown. My rule is that whenever anyone tries on the crown, everyone in the room must applaud for the new princess/prince right when the crown touches his/her head. We enjoyed lots of applause and new royalty that day!
Then it was back to San Diego to attend the "Driving for Quality Care" campaign. This features a recreational vehicle that has traveled throughout the nation gathering signatures to explain to Congress that we MUST make sure that Seniors receive the quality care they need and deserve. It was such a wonderful event with seniors and local congressmen alike. Joe Diaz, regional director of California Association of Health Facilities, and Scott Trade, president of San Diego Health Care Association, attended, supported and spoke about how important this issue is regarding America's greatest generation. I had a great time singing “God Bless America,” speaking about
The next week I went to the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living national convention in Long Beach. I visited all the vendors in the expo who share the goal of improving seniors' quality of life. Later on was the presentation with various board members of the AHCA/NCAL, including the new president, Mark Parkinson, the governor of Kansas. It was such an eye-opening experience to listen to these professional speakers passionately discuss how we need to unite to make sure that Congress does not forget America's greatest generation. I have never been in a room with so many individuals that were enthusiastic about seniors' quality of life; I was able to get a glimpse of the other aspect of my platform. That night I attended their VIP gala where a Neil Diamond tribute band was the entertainment. I also held the winning ticket for a pair of diamond earrings (!!) and spent the night on the Queen Mary. A huge thank you to another Miss California sister, MaryAnne Sapio, for inviting me to this event.
On to San Jose, where I visited and performed for my grandmother's nursing home. The caregivers have watched me grow up since the age of 12 so they just absolutely went crazy over my title. One senior who danced throughout my entire sing of "I Will Survive" was actually able to show me up on several dance moves. Later I met one of my grandmother's fellow residents, Afsar! I love to spend time with my grandmother, the inspiration for my platform that I started five years ago.
The next week on October 20th I visited Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. There I met a child who particularly stood out to me: Amari; She was in speech therapy when I met her. When I walked in she became so enthusiastic and she projected her voice strongly and let me know in no uncertain terms that I was a Queen. One of her teachers later told me that that she had never heard Amari project her voice so well and that it has made her better aware of Amari’s capabilities.
The following weekend I attended Memory Walk in San Diego as the representative of the San Diego Glenner Alzheimer Center. At the affair, I learned that the event planners were in need of a National Anthem singer, so I gladly volunteered! Miss a chance to perform? No way! Even though it was early and I hadn’t warmed up, it went fairly well, if I do say so myself!
Next up was a stop in Laguna Hills for the Total Women Day Gym and Spa’s 45th Anniversary celebration. The catered event had DJ entertainment and a jumper for the kids to enjoy. My job was to greet guests, give autographs and to explain my involvement with the gym. They are sponsoring Pilates classes and a massage/facial before I leave for Miss America. I also helped kick off the event by singing the National Anthem. Thank you Gina Cerato for introducing me to the world of Pilates, an extraordinary fitness program.
The next week I was able to have on October 26th I enjoyed the most amazing experience at Sea World. I was kissed by a beluga whale, I held a penguin and I swam with the dolphins. Thank you Alexandra Kuty, a public relations manager at Sea World (and a former Miss San Diego and Miss Southland), for making this possible!! At Sea World, I learned that beluga whales are mostly made up of blubber; when one kissed my cheek it felt like a wet pillow was smashed against my face! Aluha, the whale I played with, was extremely intelligent. First she butted my hand while I was kneeling, but when I stood up and placed my hand above the water, she calculated the greater distance and swam deeper in the water to get enough momentum to reach me. It was quite fascinating. At the penguin encounter, all the
I recently returned home from South Carolina with Nikki Lehman. We had a magnificent time in Gregory Ellenburg's beautiful state. Gregory is the best designer I’ve ever met; he is also extremely kind and gracious. I am astounded by his work and I can't wait for you all to see my wardrobe at Miss America. It will be killer!!!
Arianna Afsar
Miss California 2010
