Stereotypical

There is a stereotypical pageant girl, and I am her.

I'm not talking about the stereotype that is projected in movies like “Little Miss Sunshine” or shows like “Honey Boo Boo” and "Toddlers and Tiaras". I'm not talking about the stereotype of the girls who wear "flippers", who do the pout-face, who are practically orange from their spray tan, or who waltz around in a bikini and have an eating disorder. There's this idea that beauty queens are stupid - that we are there to look at and not be heard. There is a notion that we have a lack of direction in life, a lack of education, a lack of passion and ambition and drive. The stereotype is that we are plastic, hollow dolls.

But again, that's not the stereotype I'm talking about.

I am talking about the stereotypical pageant girl that gives herself to others, who has a passion for her platform, who enjoys looking nice and presenting herself in a professional manner, who is eloquent in her speech and confident in her character.

I have met so many more women who match this definition than the previous one.

I am part of a group of women who fight for what we believe in. We all have a common goal to win a crown but that crown is a platform for one of us each year to take out into the world and be a beacon for a cause we care about. Each woman competing in the Miss Kansas pageant has a personal platform that she supports and advocates for. We are all advocates for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. This year, CMNH has surpassed $5 billion in total fundraising. I can say that I was a part of that.

We are all scholars. I am pursuing a degree in Art Education with the dream of being a high school art teacher. But I have competed with women who will be lawyers, congresswomen, chiropractors, professional dancers, and businesswomen (not to mention many other careers). The scholarships awarded in the pageants we compete in propel us through our education so that we can follow our dreams and make an impact on this world we inhabit.

Every woman who will grace the stage in a beautiful evening gown on June 5, 6 and 7 has gone through something incredible. Each one of us has a story and something to share. There is so much more to what we do than what you see onstage. Three nights onstage is what you see. What we do is 365 days of service, hard work, and discipline - serving our communities and growing as people in countless areas of lives.

The people I have come in contact with through the Miss America Organization are staples in who I have become because of the things I have learned from them and with them. I have found several role models, had incredible mentors and made true friends.

We need to stop associating pageants with the negatives and start associating them with the positives because these are the women that will truly change the world.

I want you to know that there is a stereotypical pageant girl and she can begin to be described with four words: style, scholarship, service and success.

I am a stereotypical pageant girl and I am more than what you see.

- Annika Wooton

Miss Butler County 2014

Johnny Bravo

I want to take this time to talk a little bit about one of my heroes. 

When he was born in Kansas, he looked like an indian baby – dark hair and dark skin. By the time he was two, he had bleach blonde hair and the most charming blue eyes that could win over the hearts of any girl who had the pleasure of spending time with him. At the ripe age of three, he moved all the way across the country to Virginia to start a new chapter with his family.

He went through school, as most kids do, normally until second grade. It was on a cool October night of this year that would change his life forever. On October 18^th, while he was sleeping, his throat closed up. His body started shaking uncontrollably. He lost control of his motor skills. He was helpless. His parents heard him in the night and came to his bedside at the end of the seizure. The following night, he would have another seizure. This time the ambulance was called and his parents waited to learn what was torturing their son.

It was a cyst. A cyst about the size of a golf ball had made it’s home in a seven year old boy’s brain. A benign cyst in his left frontal lobe would be the cause of dozens and dozens of medications, seizures every morning, evening, and night, CAT scans, PET scans, IV’s and numerous trips to the hospital. Almost exactly one year later, they decided to operate. When he had to shave off his hair, his dad did it with him. Brain surgery for anyone is terrifying, but this boy faced it with humor and courage.

The surgery was successful.

Post-operation, he recovered well. He came home from the hospital on Halloween day and was toted around in a wagon dressed as Anakin Skywalker. Today, he jokes that in place of the tumor, they inserted a “giggle-chip” in his brain because there were moments when he could not stop laughing at the smallest things. There was not a second during any of his stays in the hospital when he complained of the food, flinched at a needle, or worried about what might happen. The following years, his medications dwindled, the seizures were gone and he grew into a talented, bright young man.

Last spring, they came back. He had made it to his junior year of high school almost entirely seizure-free (except for a rare blip). And this time they were different. And again, he bore confidence and a care-free attitude. They are now controlled by a new medicine, the doctors said it's just scar tissue and no new growth.

Not only is he incredibly brave, but he has an incredibly big heart. He is one of the most selfless people I know. He is committed to progressing the world around him through the activities he is involved in at school and leading by example throughout his community. He is an accomplished musician, he has the most beautiful mind, he is the leader of his drum line, a quarter of a barbershop quartet, a soon-to-be-Jayhawk, a friend, a son, and a brother. He’s my brother.

Jansen Wooton is 17 years old. It’s been ten years since he was thrown into this adventure and while he did not deserve a lick of it, I don’t know who could have handled it better. He’s been my constant in every way even all the way from Virginia, and I can’t begin to explain how thrilled I am to have him join me at KU next year. Jansen is my brother & he is my best friend. He is my laughter & my comfort, my stability & my spontaneity, I’m the artist & he is the musician, “ginger” & “johnny bravo”, he’s 1,100 miles away & there’s currently 114 days till he starts school here with me. 

A week or so ago, Jansen came out to visit me from Virginia on his spring break. He decided during that week that he will be majoring in Architecture at KU next year (he already knew he'd be a Jayhawk...he didn't even bother applying anywhere else!). 

My platform is called "More Than What You See". When people see my brother with me, they either think we're dating (because we get along so well) or they think we're twins. We are not either of those things. If you could see him when he's alone, you would see that he always has a project he is working on, or that he writes beautiful music, or that he's a normal teenager who sleeps in too late. When you see him in his element, you can see that he is a leader, that he has drive and passion, or that he is humorous and curious and kind. But what you don't see is his story. 

"When you look at a person, any person, remember that everyone has a story. Everyone has gone through something that has changed them."

- Annika Wooton

Miss Butler County 2014