Where does the time go? Miss Nebraska Countdown, Appearance after Appearance, Sophomore Year = DONE

Where does the time go? I probably will never know, but what I do know is time has simply gotten away from me this past month. Did you know I am halfway done with my college career? That I just made the Nebraska Cheer Squad for a THIRD time? Oh and let's not forget that Miss Nebraska is less than 25 days away!! 

Since my last post I have done everything from being the weekend morning guest on KETV, to riding horseback with Miss Douglas County, to making crafts at the Children's Hospital, to completing finals, and much much more.

The weekend after the Nebraska Football Spring Game, I basically lived in Hawks Championship Center as I tried out for the Nebraska Cheer Squad for a third season. Over 80 girls began the process Sunday and by the end of the first day of learning choreography, jumps, kicks, and chants, the judges cut the number of girls down to about 30. The next day, all 30 finalists took part in a timed two mile run with a goal time of 18:00 and personal interviews with the panel of judges. My run and interview went as well as I had hoped and then that afternoon it was time for final auditions. The team was announced on May 2nd and I made the team! I know this year's Nebraska Cheer Squad is going to be one of the best! Here is a link to the 2015-2016 Spirit Squad Roster: http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=210062178

On April 22nd I participated in the KATwalk for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) which is Kappa Alpha Theta's Spring Philanthropy. I got to model clothes from a Lincoln boutique called Forever Faithful. Then that Friday, on April 24th, I walked in another fashion show! This one was for the Omaha Law League. I modeled business-wear, casual, and formal clothes from Christel's Boutique in Omaha. The event raised money to fund the courthouse tours that 4th grade students in Omaha take part in. The next morning, Saturday the 25th, I was the weekend morning

show guest for KETV where I spoke with David Earl about the Children's Miracle Network and T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post! It was an amazing experience to get to be behind the scenes on the news. Here is the link to my interview:  http://www.ketv.com/news/miss-omaha-2015-talks-with-david-early-saturday-morning/32569454

Not long after my television appearance I was on my way to Platte River State Park to take part in outdoor activities to qualify for the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Along with Miss Douglas County, I shot archery and shotguns, learned to care for a horse, cooked dinner in a Dutch oven, camped overnight, and did some exploring! 

My favorite part was learning to cook in a dutch oven. I was expecting a typical campfire meal, but instead we made a feast! Along with the others, Alyssa and I made garlic bread, spaghetti, chicken, spinach and artichoke dip, and even cake! Despite the chilly weather we had a great time and made some new friends! I am already looking forward to getting to partake in another "Adventurous Journey" soon.

The following Monday I made a visit to the Children's Hospital of Omaha where I made Mother's Day flowers with some of the kiddos! It was so amazing to get to see firsthand the Children's Miracle Network at work. The Children's Miracle Network is certainly a passion of mine as I love being involved in all aspects of it by paying visits to the hospitals, by holding fundraisers to raise money for its life saving treatments, and by making presentations to educate others about the Children's Miracle Network. If you would like to donate to the Children's Miracle Network here is a link to my page: http://www.missamericaforkids.org/Donate/megangould

Before I knew it, it was time for me to wrap up my sophomore year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and move home to Alliance for the summer!

This past Saturday I was honored to be the emcee for the Alliance Past and Present Fashion Show at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center. Clothes from the museum and local merchants were modeled by lovely volunteers and I even got to perform my Miss Nebraska talent! I never pass up an opportunity to get to share my love for dance with others. 

This week I began work at First National Bank of Alliance for the second summer in a row. It is great to be back with my coworkers and I love getting to learn about the business of banking. And I missed having some homework to do so lucky for me I got to begin taking an online Accounting class that will be ongoing for the next 8 weeks. This weekend I am looking forward to my baby brother graduating from high school as a lot of my family members I have not seen for a while will be in town. Then, I will continue to prepare for Miss Nebraska which is just a couple short weeks away!

You can purchase tickets for Miss Nebraska here: http://missnebraska.org/get-your-tickets/

T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post Tip 

With nicer weather and fun filled days ahead it is important to remember to T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post. Here is the list of Social Media Do's and Don'ts that I present as a guideline to educate social media users about what they should and should not post on social media. I hope you will find this helpful too!

Social Media Do's
Do connect with close family and friends.

Do stay up to date on current happenings.

Do post positive quotes.

Do post cool pictures of things you do and places you go.

Do post selfies! Even workout selfies.

Do market yourself!

Social Media Don'ts
Don’t post personal information.

Don’t use cuss words/derogatory terms.

Don’t engage in confrontations. Cyberbully.

Don’t post pictures with alcohol, even if you’re 21.

Don’t post pictures you wouldn’t be proud to show your teacher.
Don't with tagging your location.

The one "Social Media Don't" I really want to emphasize is "žDon’t post pictures with alcohol, even if you’re 21" This includes all social media accounts, even snapchat. Not only does in not reflect well on you or any organization you are a part of, but posting about anything related to alcohol does not adhere to the majority of the T.H.I.N.K. Rules. It is not Helpful, Intelligent, nor Necessary. 

P.S. Be careful to notice if there is any alcohol in the background of your pictures. 

Here is a funny picture one of my friends, and current Miss Nebraska Director, Amy sent me that really fits well with T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post. :)

-Megan Gould, Miss Omaha 2015

Better Late Than Never: Cheerleading, T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post at Fillmore Central, Lip Sync Battle, and Miss America Serves Day!

It has been a couple weeks since I was last able to update my blog and that is because I have been crazy busy (as always) with school, cheerleading, work, and of course, being Miss Omaha! Here is a snippet of what I have been up to since my last post.

Cheerleading

One of the highlights from the last couple of weeks has been cheerleading! At our last Monday practice of the year, our coach invited a Wildlife Rescue based in Lincoln to visit. We all took turns holding baby squirrels, raccoons, and mice, they were so cute! Then, on Saturday, April 11th, I spent the day in Husker Nation greeting fans, hanging out with my best friends, and cheering on the Huskers in front of over 76,000 people for the 2015 Spring Game! Before the game began, I got to attend the Teammates Pep Rally at Haymarket Park. Teammates is a mentoring program for youth that was founded by Tom Osborne. Teammates and their mentors from all over Nebraska attended the pep rally and I even got to see a lot of my friends from Alliance! My team and I led cheers of Go Team Mates! and did the Cha Cha Slide with some volunteers from the audience. Then, as the game began I got to see one of my Miss Nebraska Little Sisters, Bethany and her family! They made my day :). The next day, my parents were in town to attend the Cheer Xpress end of the year recital where they got to watch me coach my rec cheer classes and then we attended the Nebraska Spirit Squad End of the Year Banquet that night. The end of the year banquet is always a highlight to honor the graduating seniors and reminisce on the past season. I was so grateful my parents were able to make the trip from Alliance to join me! At the banquet I was honored to receive a High Academic Honors award for my grade point average. 

#THINKBeforeYouPost, 

Lip Sync Battle

On Friday April 17th, I got the chance to speak at Fillmore Central High School in Geneva, Nebraska to educate the students on how to use social media the right way and T.H.I.N.K. before they post. I spoke to the entire student body and then got to tour the school and visit some of the individual classrooms. I took pictures with many of the students who then posted them using the hashtag #THINKBeforeYouPost. That evening I was a part of my Greek Weekend Team's Lip Sync Battle and our team won second place from lip syncing and dancing to a mix of songs such as The Cheetah Girls, The Climb, and Domino. 

Tryouts & 

Miss America Serves Day

Then, when Saturday, April 18th rolled around it was time for Nebraska Cheer Tryouts and it was Miss America Serves day. Since I was at cheer tryouts during the day, I was unable to visit the Chilren's Hospital to deliver the baskets the Miss Nebraska Contestants made at orientation, but I did encourage doanations to the Children's Miracle Network and I raised double my goal! Cheer tryouts made for a busy weekend. Between performing the fight songs, jumps, kicks, and other dances in front of the judges, to a personal interview, to a 2-mile run, by Sunday night I was exhausted! We will find out who is on the new team on May 1st on Huskers.com. Lets keep our fingers crossed! :)

Looking Ahead

Tonight is Chi Omega's Spring Philanthropy at Red Mango here in Lincoln benefitting the United Leukodystrophy Foundation, and the following week will be busy with final preparations, mock interviews, talent practice, a couple fashion shows, being on TV (be sure to watch the KETV weekend morning show this Saturday), a camping trip, and a visit the the Children's Hospital in Omaha! 

Stay tuned for updates!

T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post Tip of the Week

(Here's two tips since I am behind!)

-Be sure to T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post because once you post something on social media, you lose control of where it goes and it can never truly be deleted. Watch the following video to see how true this is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE2Ru-jqyrY

-What you post on social media is like an elevator button. It can take you up or it can take you down, but this is completely 100% in your control. Make sure your social media posts are only going to take you up!

P.S. If you haven't already, check out my Miss Nebraska Contestant feature written by the amazing Brandi Petersen! "She Don't Coast" can be found at:

 https://ketvanchorsaway.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/she-dont-coast/

-Megan Gould, Miss Omaha 2015

Spring Break: Miss Omaha takes Alliance, Nebraska and Miss Nebraska Orientation

Spring 'Break'

I recently arrived back in Lincoln from over a week of spring break. But, I use the term break lightly. I used my week off from school to be productive and get a lot accomplished for Miss Nebraska. I gave a platform presentation to the cheer team of Alliance High School where I emphasized the importance of keeping their social media clean in order to be a positive role model for the many young girls who look up to them and in order for them to be a good representation of the AHS Cheer Program. I was also a judge for their tryouts a couple days later where I got to have a part in selecting the newest members of the AHS Cheer Program for the 2015-2016 school year. It is always so strange being on the judging side of tryouts becuase I have been the one trying out so many times. 

I also made an appearance at the Alliance Immanuel Lutheran Elementary School where I visited all of the classrooms from Pre-School to 4th Grade. I spoke with students about the Children's Miracle Network, helped the students craft paper cranes, and answered the students' many questions about the Miss America Organization and why I get to wear a crown on my head. The kiddos were so cute! Additionally, I was out and about selling advertisements to many of my greatest supporters from Alliance, I worked on polishing my talent, and I completed over 40 pages of paperwork for Miss Nebraska! Oh, and did I mention I had homework to do over break too? 

I finished up my Spring Break in North Platte, Nebraska for Miss Nebraska Orientation. While there, I got to spend a few days with my host family and life-long friends Cheryl, Dale, Gabby and Kim Hall. I also participated in workshops, mock interviews, talent practice, and met my little sisters for Miss Nebraska week! My little sister's names are Ella and Bethany and they are so much fun! I attended a neon dance party with Ella the first night of orientation and met Bethany and her family the next day. At orientation we filled baskets which will be delivered to the families at Children's Hospitals for Miss America Serves Day on April 18th. I provided crossword and soduke puzzle books for the baskets.

This week I have been working hard in the gym and in my classes. On Tuesday, I worked out in Memorial Stadium with my friend and teammate, Courtney and we climbed over 560 stairs! It is hard to complain about working out when you are in the same place Husker Nation gathers most Saturdays of the Fall. AND speaking of football, I am so excited to be cheering at the Spring Game next Saturday, April 11th. My family will be in town and the next day we will attend the Nebraska Spirit Squad End of the Year Banquet and the Cheer Xpress End of the Year Recital where I will be alongside my two Rec Cheer classes as they perform for all of their friends and family. 

I am looking forward to school visits and various other appearance to come this month! Stay tuned :)

T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post Tip of the Week

Earlier this week I came across an article on Twitter that is the epitome of my platform, T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post. You can read the article here: 

http://ajr.org/2014/03/26/social-media-monitoring-widespread-among-college-athletic-departments/

This article explains how various college athletic departments monitor and restrict student-athletes' social media accounts. Student-Athletes are in the public spotlight and must be held to high standards and be a good representation of themselves and the institution they represent. The student athletes can lose playing time, lose scholarships, be dismissed from their team, and even kicked out of their school due to their posts on social media. As a member of the Nebraska Spirit Squad my social media accounts are monitored and I sign a contract promising that I will be aware of what I post and that I will be a positive representation of myself, the team, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. If anybody has any doubts of whether or not what they post on social media can affect their future this article proves that what is broadcasted for the world to see DOES matter. This article is relevent to everybody, not just student-athletes. Every social media user needs to be responsible and hold themselves to a high standard to use social media as a way to be a poitive representation of themselves. 

-Megan Gould, Miss Omaha 2015

An Update From Alliance, Nebraska - Spring Break Destination 2015

Since my last post I have been busy as always. I have been booking appearances, doing platform presentations, selling Miss Nebraska Program Book Advertisements, completing homework, and almost everything else you could imagine! Currently, I am at home on Spring Break. While most college students opt to travel somewhere with a beach, I decided to travel somewhere I call home, Alliance, Nebraska. Here is an update on what I have been up to!

On Saturday, March 14th I participated in my first parade as Miss Omaha, the Omaha St. Patrick's Day Parade! I rode in the back of a truck through the streets of the Old Market, waving at green-clad fans and wishing them all a Happy St. Patrick's Day. I loved when people would point at me and say "There's Miss America!" Hopefully someday that can actually be true! ;) I got to spend the special day with my sister queen, Miss Douglas County, Alyssa Howell, my best friend, Katen Thomas, and my sister, Alison Gould.

The next Monday I celebrated, arguably the best day of the year, Free Ice Cream Day! I spent my evening at the North 27th Street Dairy Queen with Miss Omaha's Outstanding Teen, Chelsea Arnold. We greeted customers and encouraged donations to the Children's Miracle Network. What is better than free ice cream and raising money for a good cause? 

I then spent the rest of the week participating in mock interview practive, going on runs with my cheer teammates, and studying hard for all of my mid-term exams. Then, at the end of the week I was on my way to Fort Collins, Colorado for one of my best friends' wedding! 

I got to attend my first bachelorette party, reconnect with old friends, and celebrate the wonderful couple, Ellie and Quincey Walls. My family joined me in Fort Collins and also in attendance  was Miss Scottsbluff County's Outstanding Teen, Grace Haggem. I could not have asked for a better start to my spring break. While in the area of Colorado State University, I got to see the beautiful campus, view the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and see the Chi Omega - Chi Zeta chapter.

Since making it home to Alliance, Nebraska for the second time this year, I have been organizing appearances, preparing for Miss Nebraska Orientation, visiting family and friends, and can you believe it.. homework. I am in the midst of writing a research paper on Johnny Carson for my Nebraska & Great Plains History class. As far as homework can go, I am actually enjoying getting to write this paper!

Later this week I will be speaking at and judging Alliance High School Cheerleading Tryouts, visiting an elementary school, and attending Miss Nebraska Orientation. Below is your T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post tip of the week.

T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post Tip Of The Week

Privacy settings do not give social media users complete control over who sees their posts. Be careful when tagging locations on posts, as anyone searching that area can see what photos are tagged to that location. Here is a video showing just how weird it can get when tagging the location on instagram photos.

Stay tuned for more updates to come soon! It is only going to get busier and more interesting from here! :)

-Megan Gould, Miss Omaha 2015

Busy, Busy, Busy: The Huskers, Bowling, St. Patrick's Day, T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post, & Everything In Between

Busy, busy, busy is all I can say about the past few weeks. 

I have been completely booked every single day between my classes/homework, cheerleading, sorority activities, work, and my favorite.. Miss Omaha Appearances! Here is an update on a few of my recent appearances/activities!

A couple of weeks ago on Wednesday February 25th, I celebrated National Reading Day and read a short story to a class of 2nd graders at Everett Elementary here in Lincoln with a few other member from the Nebraska Spirit Squad. Then, on Thursday, February 26th I got to spend my evening with the wonderful people from Colombus, Nebraska as well as some members of the new Nebraska Football Coaching Staff! I got to meet and take pictures with Coach Riley as well as listen to him speak about the potential for the team this upcoming season. 

On February 28th, I stayed busy with multiple appearances in one day! In the morning I got to be a model in the Max I. Walker Ultra-Chic-Boutique Fashion Show that raised thousands of dollars for the Open Door Mission and the Lydia House. Over 3,000 dresses were donated to the event and the beautiful dress I got to model was raffled off to fundraise more money for this amazing cause. That afternoon I met with one of my sister's coworker's daughter and friend who are aspiring cheerleaders! I answered questions they had about cheerleading and gave them tips on ways to improve their skills. It was so much fun! Then, that night I was an emcee for the Junior Achievement Bowl-A-Thon where I got to hand out prizes, hold contests, and make connections with business men and women from the Lincoln area. While there I got to hang out with former Miss Nebraska, Kayla Batt, and former Miss Nebraska contestant, Jessica States. I am already loooking forward to these events next year!

Then, this past week on Monday the 2nd, I went bowling with my team during our normal practice time where I bowled a score 0f 117, a personal best! I will be perfecting my bowling skills here in the near future. 

On Tuesday, March 3rd I went to Omaha where I got to hang out at the La Vista IHOP for Free Pancake Day to help spread awareness of the life saving treatments of the Children's Miracle Network and to gather donations. I spent this time with one of my Miss Nebraska sisters, Miss Gering, Chrissy Townsend and her lovely parents! 

Then, the following morning at 8:30am on Wednesday the 4th, I was loaded on a bus to head to Chicago for the Women's Big 10 Basketball tournament! I got to spend two whole days shopping in the suburbs of Chicago, eating delicious cuisines from around the world, and of course cheering on the Husker Women's Basketball team with my best friends! The team won their first game with ease, but fell short to Iowa the second round of the tourney. We cheered out hearts out, and the girls played their hearts out! It was a great time! 

Since returning from Chicago, I have been busy studying for mid-term exams and am working hard to prepare for Miss Nebraska Orientation in a couple of weeks! Saturday, March 14th I will be in my first parade as Miss Omaha, as I participate in the St. Patrick's Day Parade! I will be the one wearing green ;) St. Patrick's Day is always a day I look forward to due to my Irish heritage.

Since winning Miss Omaha I have developed a new platform called "T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post" which promotes the positive use of social media. The positive use of social media entails submitting true, helpful, intelligent, necessary, and kind posts. The goal of my platform is to educate social media users about the effects their social media posts can have and about ways to use social media positively such as using it as a self-marketing tool. I also like to bring to light ways to keep personal information private and ways to prevent cyber-bullying.

A good way to decide whether or not something should be posted is to use the acronym T.H.I.N.K. 

What does "T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post" even mean?

T.H.I.N.K. is an acronym of 5 questions that I hope every social media user will ask themselves before making a post on social media.

     T   - Is it True?

     H  - Is it Helpful?

     I    - Is it Intelligent?

     N  - Is it Necessary?

     K - Is it Kind?

When a social media user asks themselves these 5 questions before posting, they can ensure their post is a positive use of social media! 

But.. what counts as social media?

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace, Snapchat, Vine, Pinterst, Yik Yak.. the list could go on forever. But technically, social media consists of, "Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to particpate in social networking."

Stay tuned for more posts about why it's important to "T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post!"

-Megan Gould, Miss Omaha 2015

1. 
   

Hello!

I want to formally introduce myself. My name is Megan Gould, and I am your Miss Omaha 2015! I am the 20 year old daughter of Laurie and Gary Gould of Alliance Nebraska. I graduated from Alliance High School in 2013. Currently, I attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I am a sophomore Business Administration Major. I stay busy as an active member of my nationally recognized sorority, Chi Omega, and as a member of the Nebraska Cornhusker Cheerleading Squad. You can see me on the sidelines at many Nebraska Athletic events such as football, volleyball, and men's and women's basketball. I enjoy leading an active lifestyle by eating healthy, going on runs, and lifting weights. Additionally, I am a coach at Cheer Xpress, and in my free time I love being active in the community and surrounding areas as I am always looking for community service opportunities!

To increase my opportunities of community service, this past year I began competing in the Miss America Organization; I was crowned Miss Omaha 2015 in November! As Miss Omaha, I represent the Omaha area throughout the state at various events where I promote the Miss America Organization, the Children's Miracle Network, and my platform, T.H.I.N.K Before You Post. Additionally, I will represent Omaha at Miss Nebraska this coming June, and I absolutely cannot wait!

T.H.I.N.K Before You Post is a platform I created to promote the positive use of social media. All too often I see posts on various social media sites that have no place being broadcasted for the world to see. The problem is too many social media users do not understand the effects their social media can have on the way they are perceived by others such as family members, potential employers, college admissions representatives, and scholarship committees. In order to provide a solution to this problem, I promote the positive use of social media by speaking to various audiences and educating those audiences on ways to positively use social media and on the effects that using social media in the wrong way can have. I do this by presenting a list of Social Media Dos and Don'ts and by going through examples of posts from real social media users and how those posts could be presented differently to represent a positive use of social media.

If you would be so willing, please check out the left-hand side of my blog where you will see a poll asking "How many social media sites do you use?" Feel free to participate in that poll! Additionally, there is a link to my Children's Miracle Network donation page where you can donate to help me reach my goal of $1,000 to donate to the Children's Miracle Network to aid in funding for the life-saving treatments of Children's Hospital. There is also a link to my Go Fund Me account that you can donate to help me raise money for rubber bracelets I hope to purchase to hand out at various platform presentations to encourage audience participation.

At the bottom of the page you can submit your e-mail address to receive a notification each time there is a post on my blog! Stay tuned for more posts every week, and I thank you all for your constant support!

-Megan Gould, Miss Omaha 2015