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