FINALLY!

HELLO!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!! I want to say sorry for taking so long for getting this blog going. School was crazy these past two semesters. I don’t do things unless they are 100% and I knew that if I started this blog earlier it wouldn’t have been 100%, so ENJOY!

I will start off with a little intro of myself for those who don’t know me. I received my title on November 12, 2011 at the Miss Staten Island/ Miss Richmond County Scholarship Pageant. This was the first pageant I competed in and it was a great honor to have won! Congratulations to the other title holders. Alexa Moley, Miss Richmond County's Outstanding Teen, Jamie-Lynn Macchia, Miss Staten Island and Hannah Perri, Miss Staten Island's Outstanding Teen

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I am 21 years old, my birthday is July 17^th, and I am a cancer! (Some may say that it’s a good thing, some say it bad- I love astrology!) Dance is my one and only true love, we are a match made in heaven. It will be a very long time before we part. Anyone who is a dancer surely feels the same way, whether you are the best dancer or not it takes hold of you and becomes a part of you. Besides being a dancer for most of my life, I have been a soccer player for just as long. I’m sad that I don’t play anymore; it kept me in the greatest shape! I am a Disney fanatic, and my favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast.  Belle is the greatest Princess (when I was a kid I was Belle 3 years in a row for Halloween.)  I know that this is all over the place but that’s just how I do ha-ha.. I am an animal lover and have had many pets my whole life, but only 2 dogs at the moment. I have a large extended family and its great!!! That’s just some fun facts about me, hope you enjoyed.

My platform is “Everybody knows Somebody- Bringing Awareness to Eating Disorders.” When preparing for my local pageant bringing awareness to eating disorders instantly came to my mind. As a dancer I have seen many girls struggle with body image issues and the face the pressures of fitting the mold of what a dancer should look like. Starring at yourself daily in a full length mirror, having audiences and teachers critique you can take a toll on some people and set or a trigger to an eating disorder.  After becoming involved with this cause one of my dance teachers came to me and told me about her struggle with an ED and how it all started because of dance and a teacher who told her that she needed to “slim down.”  She said how she struggled for many years until she finally found peace with herself. My teacher expressed to me how she was touched that I had chosen this issue because ED can be easily masked and that people need to recognize this as a serious illness.

Now that you know a little about me and why I involved in this cause, I hope you continue reading to keep up with my journey to Miss New York! You can also follow me on Facebook @ Stephanie Accardo, Miss Richmond County 2012!

~~ STEPHANIE <3