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Grace Dalton

Mrs. Cramer

College Comp Pd. 2

18 September 2020

College Application Narrative

It was the summer before my senior year. After an exciting three months of traveling the

county as Miss Bradford, coronation night had finally arrived. Here I was, standing up on a stage

in front of two hundred and fifty people, waiting for the host to announce the new 2020 Miss

McKean County. I looked over to the girl standing to my right as her name was shouted over the

microphone. The crowd went wild as the McKean County fair board swarmed around her with

an abundance of flowers, a new crown and sash, and a plaque that looked as though it cost more

than it should. I took a deep breath and smiled as a million flashes from cameras went off, from a

million different directions. We all held smiles onto our faces for the next fifteen minutes as we

posed with our bouquets of flowers and the newly crowned queen. I said my goodbyes to Miss

Kane, Miss Otto-Eldred, and Miss Port Allegany, and congratulated Miss Smethport, the winner

of the night. I hopped into my dad’s truck and let out an enormous sigh of relief.

Though I was sad that I did not win, I was even more crushed that the summer I had of

fair foods, new places, and even newer people had come to an end. What I thought would be a

loss that would consume my mind for weeks to come, turned into one of the greatest lessons I

have ever learned. I quickly came to realize that it is not about the result, but the memories and

confidence I built along the way. I used to be incredibly nervous speaking to adults I was not

familiar with, but this summer allowed me to turn that fear into a strength. Now, I have almost
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no issue with talking to people and introducing myself. I know various facts about my county

now that I had never known before. My job as Miss Bradford was to represent my town,

community, and school by attending various events throughout the summer to promote the fair.

The chosen candidate for Miss McKean County would then represent at the fair the following

year and compete against sixty-seven girls for the Pennsylvania State Fair Queen title. For

coronation night, each of the girls had to prepare a speech, talent, and answer an impromptu

question about McKean County. While we did not get to have a fair this year due to the COVID

pandemic, we were fortunate enough to have multiple opportunities to speak to various members

of McKean County. The other candidates and I attended rotary meetings, horse shows, and even

had the opportunity to perform our talents outside at multiple parks. I am not a girl who was

raised on a farm or even around livestock, and on that account, I knew filling the position as

Miss McKean County would be a challenge. Surprisingly, that disadvantage didn’t set me back. I

was determined to be myself, and even if I knew my chances of winning were slim, I wanted to

make the most of the opportunity I was given.

Looking back at the amount of rewarding interactions I had with others makes me smile.

Even a month later after coronation night, I keep in touch with the other candidates, and support

my county as much as I can. I learned to deal with rejection, and to focus on the value in what I

was able to accomplish throughout the summer, rather than one bad loss. I was able to grow

much more confidence than I had ever had, and to me that is worth more than any title.