A Rural Princess

By Cydnie Clark

My name is Cydnie Clark, and I’m currently Miss Adirondack. I’ve been competing within the Miss America Opportunity for the past seven years, and every year has looked a little different… but growing up and competing in a rural area like mine has shaped my experience in ways I don’t think many people realize.

I’m from Lowville, New York, tucked into the Adirondack region. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name, your parents’ names, and probably what you drove to school. It’s beautiful, tight-knit, and deeply supportive… but it also comes with its own unique challenges, especially in an organization like ours.

In a community where many local businesses are doing everything they can just to stay afloat, sponsorship isn’t always easy to come by. There were years where I had to get creative, stretch every dollar, and rely on people simply believing in me rather than having the means to support me financially. And don’t even get me started on appearances in the winter… traveling across the Adirondacks from December through February is basically a test of faith, patience, and a good set of snow tires.

But there’s also something really special about being a titleholder in a place like this.

I’ve had little girls stop me in public and genuinely gasp, telling their parents, “She’s a princess!”—because they’ve never seen someone in a crown in real life before. Moments like that remind me that in rural communities, representation feels different. It’s more personal. It’s more tangible. You’re not just a titleholder… you’re someone they might actually know, or become.

There’s also a quiet resilience that comes from this environment. You learn how to build something out of very little. You learn how to connect with people in a genuine way. And you learn quickly that perception doesn’t always match reality. I’ve had people assume I was just another “pageant girl,” only to be surprised by the depth, ambition, and perspective I’ve developed through this experience.

Being a titleholder here has allowed me to bridge gaps that exist in rural communities, especially through my community service initiative, Aging with Happiness. In an area with a growing aging population and limited access to resources, I’ve been able to use both in-person outreach and digital platforms to connect generations, advocate for aging in place, and bring attention to issues that are often overlooked in smaller regions.

Competing from a place like Lowville hasn’t made the journey easier, but it’s made it meaningful in a way I wouldn’t trade. 

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Cydnie Clark is the current Miss Adirondack (NY). You can follow her on Instagram. 

This is her first guest blog for Section 36 Forevers.