Traveling... a Girl's Best Friend

Photo by Leo Riingen

Bollywood Saree Photoshoot

Model of the Month for Conciousness Magazine
Photo by Gary Yallelus

I am rather behind with my blog posts.... this is because I have been traveling so much I have not had much time to do anything else other than my set appts, modeling jobs, editorial meetings, etc. So here is a quick overview of my incredible life.... a snap shot of the past few months...

During the month of May I hit the ground running and I still have not stopped. Leo Riingen flew in from the Philippines for Jojo Sayson's Project Michelangelo Charity meeting. He is one of our International Board of Directors. He is a very successful entrepreneur, a famous photographer for his work with celebrities, and a charitable man. Before our meeting we had a photo shoot..... People are loving the photos. Here is one I chose for you (see above in the pink top, left side). Normally my profile pics change on my fb page quite often... but this one is still up there!

I continued to travel and have meetings in May. I spoke for Action Magazine and this was the highlight of my year. Last year's highlight was singing in a nursing home around Christmas time. This year was speaking to our Urban Youth on the importance of suicide prevention. I was surrounded by amazing speakers from around the United States. I was amazed at how Kenya Nalls, the editor of Action Magazine, put on such an impactful and well organized event. After I gave my speech I was asked to speak for several other organizations. This was a true blessing. It wouldn't be a "Sherrie" appearance if I did not incorporate some sort of fashion into it right? So of course I HAD to wear a GORGEOUS necklace from Mali Jewelry store located on Michigan Ave. in Chicago, IL. Fashion makes people more relatable. When I wear something fashionable I notice that the youth respond more openly to me when I speak. This is just one reason why I love being fashionable.

I did tons more during the month of May but lets fast forward to June. During June I traveled to Florida where I spent nearly 3 weeks making appearances, speaking about LOLC, and more. I even had the privilage to fit in some time with my family since my mom & dad reside in Florida. The first week I spent my time as editor of Tiara Magazine at the American Spirit Pageant. I was surrounded by successful individuals constantly since Dennis Vanderginst, national director and founder of ASP, chose very efficacious and notable judges. This made the pageant very fun for me. Dennis also gave me an opportunity to speak to the contestants about suicide prevention. Everyone was crying during my speech because so many of these ladies had lost someone to suicide. Girls opened up to me during and after the speech and I continued to mentor them. This was a pivotal moment during pageant week. After my speech took place, the contestants went off to rehearsals, competed during finals, and had the crowning ceremony. Four wonderful women, the reigning American Spirit Queens, will appear on the cover of Tiara Magazine this fall. I am very excited about this.

After my time in Florida I traveled back to Chicago for 3 days and prepared for my trip to Texas and had an incredible photoshoot. I wore jewelry by Mira Shan and wardrobe by Bollywood Saree Rentals. A dream came true... I am now the Brand Ambassador for Bollywood Saree Rentals. I am so thrilled beyond belief, as you can imagine, it is every model's dream for this to happen. I love the owners of this company and of course I love their designs. There is one photo above taken by Gary Yallelus. H&M and Henna design by Nadia Wasim. (Photo is at top of blog post)

That weekend I flew to Texas to pass on my title as Miss United America.... I met such incredible women that truly inspired me. I was fortunate enough to interview all of the lovely contestants and had the honor of choosing 5 cover models. Of course I chose 7. Every contestant there deserved to be on the cover.... they were all so wonderful. My year as Miss United America has been an extraordinary one. Since the pageant was bumped up early this year I will continue to make appearances until October with my national title. After flying home from Texas I was home for a few days and then drove to the Miss Illinois MAO pageant. I concluded the month of June by watching this super classy and elegant event. Your new Miss Illinois is Megan Ervin and she will compete LIVE on TV for the title of Miss America.

July has been fun too. Two main highlights thus far with more to come....
I walked in the Summer Desi Bash as a runway model thanks to Noman Khan and Nishma Patel. This show was a blast. Meeting the other models was so much fun. New opportunities have presented themselves but of course I am not allowed to say what they are just yet so stay tuned. Also... I was chosen as Model of the Month by Consciousness Magazine and I am featured on the homepage of their website!!!!! Here is the link http://www.consciousnessmagazine.com/
The winning photo is at the top of this blog post. Photo credits: Photo by Gary Yallelus. Makeup by Jacklyn Sunshyne. Hair by Nadia Wasim. Jewelry from Pandora Store in Oak Brook, IL Vicki Fasso Misuraca. Designer Bryan K Osburn. Thank you to Aaron Robinson!!! I am so excited about this!

Now on with the rest of July.... I need to submit articles today to 3 publications and finish an interview for an international magazine. I will be out of town for two weeks as Director of Fashion Week. I will be appearing at the Miss, Teen, and Mrs. International pageants to interview the new winners. Last but not least we have a date set for our annual charity fashion show for Live Out Loud Charity: November 25, 2012. I will keep you posted. So far we have over 11 magazines giving full coverage to our event. Blessings to all.....

Sherrie Gearheart