PSU students vie for Miss Kansas

  Wednesday, June 8, 2016 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State juniors Courtney Blankenship and Emily Gallup are among the contenders for the 2016 Miss Kansas crown. Both are hoping the title would help them raise awareness of issues that are near and dear to their hearts. 

The opening rounds of Miss Kansas began the week of June 6 in Pratt.

Courtney Blankenship

In this presidential election year, it’s hard to go anywhere without hearing a political opinion.

And that’s perfectly fine with Courtney Blankenship. In fact, the Pittsburg State junior would prefer to hear more.

“I wish more people would get involved in politics,” said Blankenship, who’s double-majoring in communication and political science. “What happens in politics and government affects all of us, and we need to take an interest in that.”

Blankenship is taking that message to her native Pratt this week, as she competes for the second time in the Miss Kansas Pageant. Blankenship earned $4,000 in scholarship money from the pageant last year, which helped convince her to try for the crown again in 2016.

“I really didn’t expect to compete again this year,” she said, “but the scholarship money was a nice surprise. Competing also gives me a chance to promote a platform about which I’m very passionate, and that’s political involvement. I want to use this as a chance to encourage others to become more involved in and knowledgeable about the world around them.”

One of her biggest goals is to help reduce the amount of “bandwagon” political supporters.

“A lot of people say they support a candidate or oppose a candidate, but very few can give a good answer of why they either like or hate someone,” she said. “If you don’t like Hillary Clinton, that’s fine, but be able to explain why. If you don’t support Donald Trump, be able to explain why.”

Blankenship, who completed 46 credit hours during her first year at Pitt State, has dedicated much of the past year to lobbying state legislators for causes she supports.

“I am very active in our state government, and I spend a lot of time reaching out to our legislators to talk to them about issues,” she said. “You can e-mail many of them directly and get a response. It’s a little tougher to get to the governor, but I have communicated with him. It’s not impossible to have a voice and make a difference. You just have to go for it.”

Through her involvement with the Miss Kansas Pageant, Blankenship has helped raise thousands of dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network. She developed a “Coloring for a Cure” coloring book that was illustrated by various local artists of all ages. Proceeds from book sales benefit CMN.

Along with raising money, Blankenship has also visited several schools throughout Kansas to promote her political involvement platform and also to talk to students about leadership.

“It can be hard sometimes to talk to students about politics because many of them just aren’t old enough to understand or care,” she said. “Leadership is a subject that everyone can understand at a certain level, and I enjoy having the chance to talk about that.”

Blankenship, who will be a member of the PSU Student Senate in the fall, said the overall Miss Kansas experience has been educational and inspiring.

“Winning would be fun, but the most important part to me is promoting my platform and trying to make a difference in the world,” she said. “If I do win, that will just mean that I can take my message to a bigger, brighter stage.”

Emily Gallup

At the age of 15, Emily Gallup began a campaign to raise awareness about suicide prevention. It started as an anonymous Facebook page that focused on paying compliments and words of encouragement to random people. 

Then, during her freshman year at Pittsburg State, the project went to new levels.

"I did projects where I posted anonymous sticky notes with affirmations in my dorm and in various places around campus," said Gallup, a double-major in French and psychology. "This quickly grew into my website and the national expansion of my project, which I hope to turn into a 501-C Non-Profit Organization by the end of the year."

Her project, "Giving Hope," aims at reducing not only the suicide rate nationwide, but also the number of suicide attempts. 

"The ultimate goal of Giving Hope is to see at least a 10 percent decrease in suicide attempts by 2020 by encouraging people to seek help for theirselves or a loved one struggling with depression and suicidal ideation," she said. 

Gallup knows first-hand how important finding help can be. She once attempted suicide after a long battle with depression. While her mental health has improved significantly, the damage to her personal life has yet to fully recover. 

"I have had to deal with friends being angry with me for being so selfish," said. "I hurt a lot of people, and all this pain could have been prevented if I had sought help. I want to use my story of how I rebuilt my life to inspire others to seek help."

Gallup said the Miss Kansas and Miss America programs help her and other candidates share their messages with a broader audience. 

"My ultimate goal in the Miss America Organization is to become Miss America," she said. "There has yet to be a Miss America with a platform regarding suicide and mental health, so I want to use my title to strengthen ties between the Miss America Organization and the mental health community. As an aspiring international trauma counselor, I believe I am the most qualified contestant in the organization to tackle this issue head-on."

Gallup is a member of the Pitt State Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and in her second term as President of the PSU French Club

More information about her "Giving Hope" campaign can be found at http://giving-hope.weebly.com.