Miss Teen North Dakota™ 2005

To do less than your best is to sacrifice your gift.
  ~Anonymous~

 

I awoke one morning to find a little white note taped to my mirror. My mother had placed it there during the night while I slept. I was 13 years old and struggling with some of the very same issues that every young youth faces at sometime in their life -- the stresses of peer pressure. The note said "To do less than your best is to sacrifice your gift" Little did I know that this was only one of the many times that peer pressure would surface in my life and how much that motto would carry me through it all.

My name is Camie Burgad, Miss Teen North Dakota International™ 2005. I am 19 years old and currently attending the University of Minnesota, Duluth in Pre-Pharmacy. I was born and raised in Fargo where I was fortunate enough to have attended kindergarten and go on to graduate with the same group of peers. Despite this, the pressures that transitions brought along the way were still something that I did not escape.

I am so honored to be given the title of Miss Teen North Dakota™ 2005 and to proudly represent my state. Through this amazing journey, I have been given the opportunity to speak to our youth on my platform of Alternatives to Prevailing over Peer Pressure. It is my hope to inspire the youth of North Dakota with my story and to offer alternatives to help diminish the pressures that they are going through. I want to assure them, as I was, of the inner gift that everyone has and to never allow yourself or any other to compromise that.

This summer I represented the state of North Dakota at the national pageant held in Chicago. It was an unbelievable growing experience for me. I not only learned so much about others but I learned even more about myself. I was given life enriching lessons and saw validation in the choices I had made along my journey to get here. I met so many bright, beautiful, and inspiring young teens, while creating new friendships and wonderful memories. It rekindled how important relationships are and the strong influence they have on you. If you keep true to your morals and values, you have the confidence to just be yourself, do what you feel is right without any regrets, and no matter the outcome, have a feeling of accomplishment.

I am blessed with a very supportive family. My parents, Jay and Marcie, and my younger brother Connor have always been behind me 110%, encouraging and believing in me. My grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and friends have been there cheering me on. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I would also like to thank my directors Kathy and Allison for all the help they have given me along the way and at Nationals. And thanks to Tim Williams, who kept me thinking positive and gave me the inspiration. I don't know what I would have done without you all. I am blessed to have such amazing people in my life.