Christine Kozlowski Interview
Miss Mississippi 2008 + Preliminary Swimsuit Winner @ Miss America 2009
Why did you decide to compete in the Miss Gulf Coast pageant?
It was actually a teacher in my high school who brought the idea to my attention. She set the paperwork on my desk and encouraged me to participate. I had no idea at the time that it was a preliminary to the Miss Mississippi Pageant. I brought it home, my parents and I discussed it, and thought it would be a beneficial experience for me to compete in a pageant. It would be my first pageant, and was anxious to embrace a new opportunity. I am a girl who thoroughly enjoys learning. Even though change can sometimes be intimidating, the only way that we can advance ourselves and become well-rounded is to take chances and believe in ourselves. If we should fall, we have not failed. It is the knowledge and life lessons that are obtained along the ride.
What was going through your head when you were announced as the new Miss Mississippi?
Honestly, I don’t recall one thing from the time the first runner up was announced until after I was crowned and took my walk. When I finally came to, I remember saying out loud over and over again to the girl, “I’m not ready! I’m not ready!” They were all so reassuring and supportive, and I wanted to do everything that I could to represent them well.
What would be your first thought when you were announced as the preliminary swimsuit winner?
Wow. Wow. Wow. I truly worked hard to obtain the figure that I brought to the stage for Miss Mississippi. I had always lived a healthy lifestyle, but preparing for stage required an intensity and dedication beyond everyday physical activity and nutritional control. I was dedicated, and I remember running an extra mile or swimming a few more laps picturing myself on the stage. I told myself that regardless of whether I would win a preliminary, I would walk away knowing that I had achieved my personal best without regrets. To win was the icing. I was very pleased and honored by what I had accomplished. I was able to use my status to aid my platform regarding diabetes awareness and prevention, and also a symbol of my major of choice in nutrition and dietetics. The success at Miss Mississippi granted me a great deal of credibility.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss America?
Honestly, there are too many memories to pick one that stood out over the others. It was ten days of unending festivities and surprises. It is funny to try and look back and remember, because everything is just a blur of jumbled days. I will say that my most surprising moment and one of the best feelings was the moment that I was announced as a preliminary swimsuit winner. This wasn’t Miss Mississippi. We were at MISS AMERICA! I had some stiff competition. Everyone just looked phenomenal, and we had all worked so incredibly fervently. To know that I not only received the honor and recognition, but additional scholarship funding was such a blessing. I remember during visitation after the show, Miss Hawaii came over to congratulate me and we both did a “burpee” simultaneously. This is an exercise in a workout program called Cross Fit. We both discovered earlier in the week that we were both “Cross-Fitters,” and so this was something that we still laugh and talk about today.
Tell us about your platform you are using as Miss Mississippi.
My platform is D.A.N.C.E., which stand for Diabetes Advocates Nourishing Children’s Education. I was able to exercise this in so many ways, and on various levels throughout my year. I spoke with elementary school-aged children all the way through adult parents on the importance of daily choices. I partnered with the Diabetes Foundation of MS, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Vernon Magnum Foundation to raise funds and awareness via benefit walks, golf tournaments, bowl-a-thons, summer camps, and other projects alike. My platform is my passion. It is with me everyday as I help my mother battle the disease, and remember my grandma in her 20+ year struggle, before she lost her life in 2007.
You and your family are survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Please tell us about your experience during Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina was a turning point for everyone. It was not just those affected directly, but also those who saw neighbors stripped of all belongings, those who came to help rebuild (both workers and volunteers), and even those around the country and the world who witnessed our devastation. We, like many families, left our house and headed east to Georgia with some family friends. After we had heard that nothing remained of our home, my mom, my siblings, a friend and her three children, and I traveled from Georgia to Texas in two cars. It took us 24 hours, and we couldn’t find a vacant hotel, so I remember sleeping in the car at a waffle house parking lot. Of course, this was a luxury of which most people at the time would only have dreamed. We stayed with family in Texas until Dad found us an apartment. We were blessed. Truly. The stories I have heard are ineffable. We just lost tangible belongings. My family was happy, because we were together and well. We often talk of how if a storm were to come and sweep us clean again, we would be just fine. That is a lesson I will carry with me forever.
How would a typical day as Miss Mississippi go?
Typically, it would be very untypical. Days are very tentative, and I had to be ready for anything that would be thrown my direction. Primarily, my appearances were priority. When I wasn’t at an event, I was in preparation mode. Watching the news, listening to the news in the car, working out in the morning, practicing for my talent with various instructors midday, going to mock interviews, and researching A to Z on popular areas of discussion. It is deeper than a full time job. It consumes you if you want it badly. Miss Mississippi isn’t a job. It is an identity. It is who you are for one full year, and you don’t leave the office and get to punch the clock. You must remain cognizant of your title and be sure to represent yourself, your community, your state, and the organization in a respectful manner. It has shaped who I am today, and I am more than grateful for the woman I have learned to become from such a program.
Lastly, do you think you’ve made a difference since your reign as Miss Mississippi started?
I hope so!!! As far as the feedback that I have received from my contacts and friends all across the state and nation, this has been the most life-changing experience for me. Yet also, I have helped to brighten the lives of others in ways I never thought that I would have had the opportunity. My efforts towards my platform were a success, but it goes deeper than that. I have been touched and have touched others through even the simplest of means. From little girls, to high schoolers, to adults, to the elderly I have been able to spread messages, create friendships, inspire, and be inspired. I have learned, I have taught, I have grown as a person, and motivated others in their growth. Whether I was speaking on the importance of goals, health, volunteerism, or drug abstinence, or thanking the veterans of our state for their selfless service, or raising funding for the diabetic children of MS, or even just taking pictures and signing autographs for a cheerful line of admirers, I feel that my work this year made a tremendous difference in the lives of others. I know they made a dramatic difference in mine.
It was actually a teacher in my high school who brought the idea to my attention. She set the paperwork on my desk and encouraged me to participate. I had no idea at the time that it was a preliminary to the Miss Mississippi Pageant. I brought it home, my parents and I discussed it, and thought it would be a beneficial experience for me to compete in a pageant. It would be my first pageant, and was anxious to embrace a new opportunity. I am a girl who thoroughly enjoys learning. Even though change can sometimes be intimidating, the only way that we can advance ourselves and become well-rounded is to take chances and believe in ourselves. If we should fall, we have not failed. It is the knowledge and life lessons that are obtained along the ride.
What was going through your head when you were announced as the new Miss Mississippi?
Honestly, I don’t recall one thing from the time the first runner up was announced until after I was crowned and took my walk. When I finally came to, I remember saying out loud over and over again to the girl, “I’m not ready! I’m not ready!” They were all so reassuring and supportive, and I wanted to do everything that I could to represent them well.
What would be your first thought when you were announced as the preliminary swimsuit winner?
Wow. Wow. Wow. I truly worked hard to obtain the figure that I brought to the stage for Miss Mississippi. I had always lived a healthy lifestyle, but preparing for stage required an intensity and dedication beyond everyday physical activity and nutritional control. I was dedicated, and I remember running an extra mile or swimming a few more laps picturing myself on the stage. I told myself that regardless of whether I would win a preliminary, I would walk away knowing that I had achieved my personal best without regrets. To win was the icing. I was very pleased and honored by what I had accomplished. I was able to use my status to aid my platform regarding diabetes awareness and prevention, and also a symbol of my major of choice in nutrition and dietetics. The success at Miss Mississippi granted me a great deal of credibility.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss America?
Honestly, there are too many memories to pick one that stood out over the others. It was ten days of unending festivities and surprises. It is funny to try and look back and remember, because everything is just a blur of jumbled days. I will say that my most surprising moment and one of the best feelings was the moment that I was announced as a preliminary swimsuit winner. This wasn’t Miss Mississippi. We were at MISS AMERICA! I had some stiff competition. Everyone just looked phenomenal, and we had all worked so incredibly fervently. To know that I not only received the honor and recognition, but additional scholarship funding was such a blessing. I remember during visitation after the show, Miss Hawaii came over to congratulate me and we both did a “burpee” simultaneously. This is an exercise in a workout program called Cross Fit. We both discovered earlier in the week that we were both “Cross-Fitters,” and so this was something that we still laugh and talk about today.
Tell us about your platform you are using as Miss Mississippi.
My platform is D.A.N.C.E., which stand for Diabetes Advocates Nourishing Children’s Education. I was able to exercise this in so many ways, and on various levels throughout my year. I spoke with elementary school-aged children all the way through adult parents on the importance of daily choices. I partnered with the Diabetes Foundation of MS, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Vernon Magnum Foundation to raise funds and awareness via benefit walks, golf tournaments, bowl-a-thons, summer camps, and other projects alike. My platform is my passion. It is with me everyday as I help my mother battle the disease, and remember my grandma in her 20+ year struggle, before she lost her life in 2007.
You and your family are survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Please tell us about your experience during Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina was a turning point for everyone. It was not just those affected directly, but also those who saw neighbors stripped of all belongings, those who came to help rebuild (both workers and volunteers), and even those around the country and the world who witnessed our devastation. We, like many families, left our house and headed east to Georgia with some family friends. After we had heard that nothing remained of our home, my mom, my siblings, a friend and her three children, and I traveled from Georgia to Texas in two cars. It took us 24 hours, and we couldn’t find a vacant hotel, so I remember sleeping in the car at a waffle house parking lot. Of course, this was a luxury of which most people at the time would only have dreamed. We stayed with family in Texas until Dad found us an apartment. We were blessed. Truly. The stories I have heard are ineffable. We just lost tangible belongings. My family was happy, because we were together and well. We often talk of how if a storm were to come and sweep us clean again, we would be just fine. That is a lesson I will carry with me forever.
How would a typical day as Miss Mississippi go?
Typically, it would be very untypical. Days are very tentative, and I had to be ready for anything that would be thrown my direction. Primarily, my appearances were priority. When I wasn’t at an event, I was in preparation mode. Watching the news, listening to the news in the car, working out in the morning, practicing for my talent with various instructors midday, going to mock interviews, and researching A to Z on popular areas of discussion. It is deeper than a full time job. It consumes you if you want it badly. Miss Mississippi isn’t a job. It is an identity. It is who you are for one full year, and you don’t leave the office and get to punch the clock. You must remain cognizant of your title and be sure to represent yourself, your community, your state, and the organization in a respectful manner. It has shaped who I am today, and I am more than grateful for the woman I have learned to become from such a program.
Lastly, do you think you’ve made a difference since your reign as Miss Mississippi started?
I hope so!!! As far as the feedback that I have received from my contacts and friends all across the state and nation, this has been the most life-changing experience for me. Yet also, I have helped to brighten the lives of others in ways I never thought that I would have had the opportunity. My efforts towards my platform were a success, but it goes deeper than that. I have been touched and have touched others through even the simplest of means. From little girls, to high schoolers, to adults, to the elderly I have been able to spread messages, create friendships, inspire, and be inspired. I have learned, I have taught, I have grown as a person, and motivated others in their growth. Whether I was speaking on the importance of goals, health, volunteerism, or drug abstinence, or thanking the veterans of our state for their selfless service, or raising funding for the diabetic children of MS, or even just taking pictures and signing autographs for a cheerful line of admirers, I feel that my work this year made a tremendous difference in the lives of others. I know they made a dramatic difference in mine.