My Purpose

By Carmen Scott

Growing up I never knew much about my purpose or what I wanted to do in life. I had silly dreams as a little girl of being a princess or living in a castle but not much of what I truly was going to do for myself. When I found pageants, I knew I had a passion for them. Not only do I love to talk, I love to be passionate about what I talk about. 

When joining the Miss America Organization I knew I needed a Community Service Initiate and when thinking about it only one thing could make sense for me. The Military. I grew up knowing the military and knowing deployments and a mother on her own. I struggled with loneliness when moving to a new place and knowing no one who was going through the same thing I was. My mother struggled to make ends meet when she had to go through all the mental and physical tolls of my father being on deployment. She carried the weight of missing a part of her heart. She was told she “didn’t serve”. Just because she doesn’t wear the uniform doesn’t mean she doesn’t do the work. She was our rock and foundation and made sure she always stepped up and never missed a thing. All of the holidays, dance recitals, baseball games, birthdays, she made it all happen and never failed. She didn’t show her hardships and kept hidden when she cried. She was always there for us even when my father couldn’t be. 

Me and my siblings all struggled with hardships ourselves by not having our dad around and getting to see him over a FaceTime call or getting a teddy bear in the mail. Not only do soldiers struggle while serving, their spouses and children struggle in the home. My Community Service Initiative was then entitled, Unsung Heroes. I recognize the strength it takes to serve, not only when in uniform but in the home as well. These soldiers defend our country and do so much but in the shadows lay their families who hold the weights on their shoulders and serve just as much. I advocate for these families, getting into schools to make all military students familiar of each other so they never felt how I did, making groups for fellow military spouses to talk to each other, creating a podcast for everyone to hear of the faith I carry not only on my walk with the Lord but my walk in this initiative. I strive to make military families heard. 

Going into Miss South Carolina’s Teen this June I know one thing for certain. If I win, no military family in the state of South Carolina will ever go unheard. I offer support, connection, and a constant reminder that they are not alone. These families serve too. I am here to serve them.

----------------

Carmen Scott is the current Miss Low Country’s Teen (SC). You can follow her on her title's Instagram.

This is her first guest blog for Section 36 Forevers.