Tiffany Kelly Interview
Miss Massachusetts USA 2006
Why did you decide to compete in the Miss Massachusetts USA pageant?
Well I had actually done the Miss Teen MA USA 2003 pageant when I was in high school because my older sister dared me to do it. I had a blast and was awarded Miss Congeniality and was 2nd Runner Up to Jackie Bruno! My senior year of high school y younger sister was diagnosed with cancer ad our family went on a Make-A-Wish trip and we were amazed at this program and how they care for families and children and give them back time together away from hospitals, doctors, and the whirlwind childhood cancer is. I needed to raise more awareness for this great cause and remembered how a title holder got to work with charities around the state so I signed up for Miss Mass Teen USA the summer before going to college (as Jackie had won as a freshman in college).10 days before the competition I was notified that I was 2 weeks too old for the teen division and was going to be put in the miss division. In that moment I knew if God wanted me to does this charity work. He would find a way, and He did. I was crowned the youngest Miss Massachusetts USA in history.
You were one of the 26 case models on Deal or No Deal. Tell us a bit about your experience on being a case model.
2006 was the first year Deal or No Deal was on the air and I loved watching it and screaming at the TV “No Deal HOWIE!” So you can only imagine my excitement to be on the show!!! It is always so magical seeing the behind the scenes and all of the tricks, smoke and mirrors of the media. Getting a chance to meet the contestants was so wonderful, because it was a non competitive environment and it was an opportunity to know the people you would be spending 3 emotional weeks with. I was absolutely EXTATIC on the show when the contestant called me to open my case, I had the PENNY!!! Genuine shock was slapped across my face and I blew the camera a big kiss!
Tell us about the work you’ve done for AIDS awareness.
I have worked with a program called the Silver Ring Thing. It is a faith based abstinence program, ad I have traveled to different parts of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, California and over seas to England, Ireland, Scotland, Whales, and South Africa speaking to teens and young adults about the danger of AIDS and the STD epidemic that is spreading rampantly across not only our nation, but the world. I talk about what waiting until your married to have sex looks like in terms of living your life, and all of the benefits that waiting brings! The organization has reached millions of students globally and given them the facts, un-doctored, about the risk that premarital sex can be. We also address the emotional and spiritual aspects of intimacy as so many are unprepared for the emotions after such an experience. It has been a lot of work but I’ve been blessed by so many people- seeing all that you do when you meet people with AIDS challenged in my faith but I have become a stronger woman because of it all.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss USA?
Singing the National Anthem at the Orioles game was beyond inspiring. I was so honored to have been chosen and was filled with pride and a sense of patriotism. The MUO was generous enough to tape it for my family so I will be able to show it to my children some day.
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Massachusetts USA?
I will never forget the people I met along the way at every charity event (over 200), at the Miss Mass pageant, and at Miss USA. I know that’s not a moment, but that’s what has stuck with me the most. Each person had a story of struggle and triumph and I was honored to be in the presence of countless strong men and women that year. Their significance on my road to discovering who I was as a young woman was priceless. It was real a motivation.
What emotions were you going through when you had to give away your title?
That weekend I really tried to express what the whole year had meant to me. A girl I had met at an event for children’s cancer awareness was my special guest for the weekend. At the end of the preliminary competition I brought her up on stage to talk with me for a minute about childhood cancer and her journey to recovery. I surprised her with a crown and sash of her own “Miss Inspiration USA”. Then I surprised everyone and sang “Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. It was closure- truly and I had zero regrets and was ready to let another young lady experience her own year, and grow in ways nobody could prepare her to.
What have you been up to since your reign as Miss MA USA ended?
I went back to school and have been busy to say the least. I have worked as a fry cook, pastry chef, nanny, choreographer, aerobics instructor, personal trainer, student teacher, and a Residence Advisor. I graduate in May 2009 with a major in kinesiology. I am going to grad school starting in July for my doctoral degree in Chiropractic. In January 2010 I am getting married to my best friend in the whole world, Adam! I have continued working with charities state wide and started one of my own, Heroes to Heroes. It connects soldiers over seas and their families here in the states with children with cancer and their families- these two groups of people have so much in common and so much perspective to gain from one another. I have been modeling still. I have been supporting my older sister, Amanda, as she just began competing in the America system. She was 1st RU last year at Miss Mass America and will compete again this July!
Well I had actually done the Miss Teen MA USA 2003 pageant when I was in high school because my older sister dared me to do it. I had a blast and was awarded Miss Congeniality and was 2nd Runner Up to Jackie Bruno! My senior year of high school y younger sister was diagnosed with cancer ad our family went on a Make-A-Wish trip and we were amazed at this program and how they care for families and children and give them back time together away from hospitals, doctors, and the whirlwind childhood cancer is. I needed to raise more awareness for this great cause and remembered how a title holder got to work with charities around the state so I signed up for Miss Mass Teen USA the summer before going to college (as Jackie had won as a freshman in college).10 days before the competition I was notified that I was 2 weeks too old for the teen division and was going to be put in the miss division. In that moment I knew if God wanted me to does this charity work. He would find a way, and He did. I was crowned the youngest Miss Massachusetts USA in history.
You were one of the 26 case models on Deal or No Deal. Tell us a bit about your experience on being a case model.
2006 was the first year Deal or No Deal was on the air and I loved watching it and screaming at the TV “No Deal HOWIE!” So you can only imagine my excitement to be on the show!!! It is always so magical seeing the behind the scenes and all of the tricks, smoke and mirrors of the media. Getting a chance to meet the contestants was so wonderful, because it was a non competitive environment and it was an opportunity to know the people you would be spending 3 emotional weeks with. I was absolutely EXTATIC on the show when the contestant called me to open my case, I had the PENNY!!! Genuine shock was slapped across my face and I blew the camera a big kiss!
Tell us about the work you’ve done for AIDS awareness.
I have worked with a program called the Silver Ring Thing. It is a faith based abstinence program, ad I have traveled to different parts of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, California and over seas to England, Ireland, Scotland, Whales, and South Africa speaking to teens and young adults about the danger of AIDS and the STD epidemic that is spreading rampantly across not only our nation, but the world. I talk about what waiting until your married to have sex looks like in terms of living your life, and all of the benefits that waiting brings! The organization has reached millions of students globally and given them the facts, un-doctored, about the risk that premarital sex can be. We also address the emotional and spiritual aspects of intimacy as so many are unprepared for the emotions after such an experience. It has been a lot of work but I’ve been blessed by so many people- seeing all that you do when you meet people with AIDS challenged in my faith but I have become a stronger woman because of it all.
What would be your most memorable moment at Miss USA?
Singing the National Anthem at the Orioles game was beyond inspiring. I was so honored to have been chosen and was filled with pride and a sense of patriotism. The MUO was generous enough to tape it for my family so I will be able to show it to my children some day.
What would be your most memorable moment as Miss Massachusetts USA?
I will never forget the people I met along the way at every charity event (over 200), at the Miss Mass pageant, and at Miss USA. I know that’s not a moment, but that’s what has stuck with me the most. Each person had a story of struggle and triumph and I was honored to be in the presence of countless strong men and women that year. Their significance on my road to discovering who I was as a young woman was priceless. It was real a motivation.
What emotions were you going through when you had to give away your title?
That weekend I really tried to express what the whole year had meant to me. A girl I had met at an event for children’s cancer awareness was my special guest for the weekend. At the end of the preliminary competition I brought her up on stage to talk with me for a minute about childhood cancer and her journey to recovery. I surprised her with a crown and sash of her own “Miss Inspiration USA”. Then I surprised everyone and sang “Beautiful by Christina Aguilera. It was closure- truly and I had zero regrets and was ready to let another young lady experience her own year, and grow in ways nobody could prepare her to.
What have you been up to since your reign as Miss MA USA ended?
I went back to school and have been busy to say the least. I have worked as a fry cook, pastry chef, nanny, choreographer, aerobics instructor, personal trainer, student teacher, and a Residence Advisor. I graduate in May 2009 with a major in kinesiology. I am going to grad school starting in July for my doctoral degree in Chiropractic. In January 2010 I am getting married to my best friend in the whole world, Adam! I have continued working with charities state wide and started one of my own, Heroes to Heroes. It connects soldiers over seas and their families here in the states with children with cancer and their families- these two groups of people have so much in common and so much perspective to gain from one another. I have been modeling still. I have been supporting my older sister, Amanda, as she just began competing in the America system. She was 1st RU last year at Miss Mass America and will compete again this July!