Day in the Life: Jessica Andrews
Miss JSU 2007
Toni Merriss
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Features
As far as exciting years go, this year may be hard to top for the Alabaster native who has recently taken over the coveted title of Miss JSU, was named head ballerina for the Marching Southerners and is currently the captain and choreographer of the Diamond Girls dance team. Senior elementary education major Jessica Andrews is truly learning the meaning of time management.
Balancing school and family can be tough for many, but add in all of Andrews extracurricular activities, and it makes for one very busy, soon to be very tired, young woman. A large factor of her balancing success she credits to the members of both the Ballerinas and the Diamond Girls.
"Both groups have been really supportive of me and have tried to help me out whenever possible. They are so great and I feel so blessed to be able to work with such wonderful people," said Andrews. "They all came out to support me for the Miss JSU pageant, and just having them all there made the whole experience so much more special."
While many other college students spend their free time hanging out with friends, Andrews has been traveling all over Alabama participating in various pageants, competing for tuition assistance.
"I have never really been the pageant-type girl. I like them, but originally I wanted to get involved for the scholarships that are available," said Andrews. True to that, as a result of the prize money she has won, Andrews has already paid for her entire college experience.
Taking part in 19 pageants in a two-and-a-half year span should tire anyone out, but not Andrews. The more pageants she was in, the more experience she gained from them, and in pageants, experience in certain situations can either lose or win the crown.
"I remember one pageant I was in, during the on-stage interview, I misunderstood the question I was being asked. Instead of asking him to repeat the question, I started speaking passionately about the one I thought I had heard, and the whole time, it was the wrong topic. I was so embarrassed, but I try to listen more carefully now," remembered Andrews. Obviously, she has used the knowledge learned from that occurrence in her other pageants because there have only been two or three total where she did not place in the top three.
Balancing school and family can be tough for many, but add in all of Andrews extracurricular activities, and it makes for one very busy, soon to be very tired, young woman. A large factor of her balancing success she credits to the members of both the Ballerinas and the Diamond Girls.
"Both groups have been really supportive of me and have tried to help me out whenever possible. They are so great and I feel so blessed to be able to work with such wonderful people," said Andrews. "They all came out to support me for the Miss JSU pageant, and just having them all there made the whole experience so much more special."
While many other college students spend their free time hanging out with friends, Andrews has been traveling all over Alabama participating in various pageants, competing for tuition assistance.
"I have never really been the pageant-type girl. I like them, but originally I wanted to get involved for the scholarships that are available," said Andrews. True to that, as a result of the prize money she has won, Andrews has already paid for her entire college experience.
Taking part in 19 pageants in a two-and-a-half year span should tire anyone out, but not Andrews. The more pageants she was in, the more experience she gained from them, and in pageants, experience in certain situations can either lose or win the crown.
"I remember one pageant I was in, during the on-stage interview, I misunderstood the question I was being asked. Instead of asking him to repeat the question, I started speaking passionately about the one I thought I had heard, and the whole time, it was the wrong topic. I was so embarrassed, but I try to listen more carefully now," remembered Andrews. Obviously, she has used the knowledge learned from that occurrence in her other pageants because there have only been two or three total where she did not place in the top three.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
jennie1
Jennie Floyd
posted 4/18/07 @ 2:22 AM CST
I am trying to determine if Jessica's aunt is Lori Ellen Andrews, who was a dear friend of mine when I lived in Birmingham back in the 1980s. I sang at one of Joy's dance recitals in 1985, I think it was. (Continued…)
Post a Comment