Sommer Woodward
Miss Oklahoma 2006 Lauren Nelson visited the cadets at Thunderbird Youth Academy Friday and spoke to them about choices.
Nelson said every person has a choice about their future.
“The word dreams has always been very important to me,” said Nelson, who put a poster on an easel with DREAMS spelled out in a column.
Nelson said each letter represents something to her.
D stands for determination and drive; R for reaching for your goals even through obstacles; E for energy and enthusiasm; A for attitude is everything; M for making responsible and healthy decisions and S for support system.
Nelson said by making the right decisions, a person can build a foundation for a successful future.
She explained everyone has obstacles to overcome, but what sets people apart is the choices they make.
When she spoke about attitude, she explained attitude makes a huge difference.
“You have a choice,” she said. “You can make it a good day or you can make it a bad day.”
Nelson said a positive attitude is important every day and can affect others around you.
“Your attitude is a choice,” Nelson said.
Making responsible decisions is so important to each person’s future, she said.
“Even the minor choices make a huge difference,” Nelson said.
She spoke to the cadets about Red Ribbon Week and about making the choice to not do drugs.
“By saying no to those things, you’re saying yes to making your dreams come true,” said Nelson.
Her platform is Be Netsmart-Protecting Kids Online. She said one in five children in Oklahoma are approached by child predators every day online.
The key to staying safe is following three simple rules, which are not talking to strangers, not sharing personal information and telling an adult if something isn’t right.
Nelson said these habits can help keep a person safe online.
At the end of her speech, she entertained the audience by singing “We Can” by LeAnn Rhymes.
Nelson asked Cadet Williams and Cadet Rhodes to come up to the stage and help her demonstrate a pageant.
She asked the cadets to walk across stage as if they were on a runway and had the audience applaud to choose the winner.
Nelson crowned Cadet Williams after he was chosen by the audience as “Mr. Thunderbird”.
Nelson has placed second in The Kiwanis Club Community Service Award for her work with Internet safety.
She is the daughter of Mark and Sherrell Nelson, Lawton and has one sister, Morgan and a brother, Logan.
