Though mostly admired for her good looks Miss Ohio 2010 Becky Minger is using her position to promote the importance of inner beauty, particularly to children. Minger wants all young people to see the power within themselves to accomplish any of their dreams.
Under her platform, ‘Discovering You, Empowering You,’ Minger focuses on four central points; building a healthy self image, respecting yourself and others, setting goals, and recognizing support. In her travels all across the state spreading the platforms message she also serves as an example of the progress it can cause.
Before being crowned Miss Ohio in June of 2010, Minger had competed four previous times in the competition, finishing as first runner-up on three occasions. However, she never gave up and relied on her inner strength to persevere and fulfill her wish.
As a child, growing up in Toledo, Minger battled a low self esteem, battled with Attention Deficit Disorder which affected her learning abilities and socialization skills. With strong support from her family she overcame the obstacles and wants to help others avoid the same problems. “I have the unique opportunity to use my own experiences to help youth discover who they are, motivate them to embrace personal responsibility, and resist peer pressure and unhealthy life choices,” she said.
To further spread her message, Minger developed a program, ‘Discovering You,’ based on heer four key points to help guide children towards a higher self esteem and self empowerment. Her program was adopted by the YMCA of greater Toledo and is influencing the lives of many.
In addition, Minger has also teamed with the Thank You Foundation, a nonprofit organization that shows appreciation and expresses gratitude to past and present members of the U.S Armed Forces. Minger specifically reaches out to the children who either have a parent currently serving overseas or has lost a loved one.
Minger says that loves the opportunity to speak of her program as much as possible and during the first month of her reign she has traveled 3,500 miles. “I’ve seen all of Ohio,” she laughed.
A graduate of Bowling Green University, Minger earned a degree in Interpersonal Communications with a minor in Political Science. She is interested in attending Law School in the future.
While in the sixth grade, Minger began voice lessons and continued developing her talent, which led her to singing the national anthem at this years Dayton Air Show. For the talent portion of the Miss Ohio pageant she performed Kiss in the Rain by Barbara Streisand.
To prepare for the pageant and for the upcoming Miss America, Minger works out three times a week and keeps up with current events. The Miss America pageant will be January 15 on ABC.
Though the position of Miss Ohio, may often be perceived by the public as all glitz and glamour, Minger can testify that it’s not. “It’s a lot harder job than people think. You always have something to do or somewhere to go, so it’s not easy, but it’s also the best job. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” she said.
Minger holds an extra dose of appreciation as she was rewarded for continuing on through the disappointments until winning the crown. “It’s especially meaningful after being so close three other times. It’s really an honor,” she said.
Through the beauty of her inner strength Minger’s dream was reached and she hopes to inspire others that the same is possible for them.
