{"id":80327,"date":"2024-01-03T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=80327"},"modified":"2024-01-06T20:11:32","modified_gmt":"2024-01-06T20:11:32","slug":"human-resources-specialist-rides-long-road-of-resilience-to-miss-america-pageant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=80327","title":{"rendered":"Human resources specialist rides long road of resilience to Miss America pageant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Sgt. Vanessa Munson, human resources specialist with the 508th Military Police Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, won the Miss Washington pageant in July, 2023. She is competing in the Miss America pageant Jan. 14 in Orlando, Florida.
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WASHINGTON \u2014 Standing on stage in front of hundreds of people, Sgt. Vanessa Munson, human resources specialist with the 508th Military Police Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, eagerly waits to hear if her name is called as the contestants of the Miss Washington pageant are whittled down to five.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s finals night at the competition in Olympia, and Munson is living a childhood fantasy. She tries calming her nerves as she finally hears her name called, her dream is on the verge of becoming reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the most out-of-body experience,\u201d she said. \u201cI knew I\u2019d done everything I could, and I was just so happy with who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t always the case for her, as she persevered through years of trying times and hearing issues to get to this point.<\/p>\n

Growing up in Vancouver, Washington, she was bullied at a very young age because of her appearance. The bullying made her self-conscious and had her constantly worrying about what other people thought.<\/p>\n

So, from that point on she always had to look her best every time she left the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be this unrealistic and unattainable image of perfection when perfection doesn\u2019t exist,\u201d she explained. \u201cI don\u2019t want any young girl to feel the way that I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

To boost her confidence and self-esteem, Munson turned to the world of pageantry.<\/p>\n

She watched the Miss America competition on TV as a kid and idolized the women she saw.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey represented everything I wanted to be,\u201d she said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t even the beauty aspect of it but more so how they made me feel as a viewer, the inspiration from watching all those amazing women. I wanted to be that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She became determined to pursue her dream, and her parents told her to go for it. She entered her first pageant when she was 15.<\/p>\n

It was a learning experience for her and even though she didn\u2019t win the title, she did win an award for the interview portion.<\/p>\n

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\n Sgt. Vanessa Munson is crowned Miss Washington, July 1, 2023 during a pageant in Olympia, Washington. Munson, a human resources specialist with the 508th Military Police Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, went through eight ear surgeries and bullying growing up to reach her pageantry dream.
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\u201cI remember feeling so proud of myself,\u201d she said. I made a lot of friends, and I was able to get in front of a crowd and portray myself in a way that captivates people. It hooked me from that moment on.<\/p>\n

She worked hard to improve herself and competed in pageantry throughout high school. She earned runner-up, first runner-up and second runner-up finishes in several pageants, but she failed to take home the crown.<\/p>\n

Then, when she was 17,\u00a0she was cleaning her ears with hydrogen peroxide and started to scream.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started bawling my eyes out it hurt so bad,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was the worst pain I\u2019d felt in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had several ear infections as a kid and sometimes her eardrum would burst but this was different. She went to see a doctor who said she had a hole in her eardrum that would require surgery.<\/p>\n

She thought it would be a one-and-done process. Unfortunately for her, that was not the case. The first surgery failed to close the hole, leading to a second surgery. This one was successful.<\/p>\n

Hoping to put this experience behind her, she planned for her future. She wanted to go to college and then start a career. She spoke with her father who encouraged her to look at the military. This route would help her achieve her educational goals.<\/p>\n

She spoke to an Air Force recruiter, but the service wouldn\u2019t let her join because of her medical history. So, she turned to the Army, who let her in with a hearing waiver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am continuously thankful for the Army because they took a chance on me,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s the best choice I could\u2019ve made for myself. It definitely helped make me who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n

At basic training, she was pushed outside of her comfort zone and stripped of everything she knew.\u00a0She questioned herself and her reasons for being there.<\/p>\n

She fought through the negative thoughts and came out as a changed person with a new mindset after graduating.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had done something that I never thought I\u2019d be able to do, and that was a major shift for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI started recognizing that life is challenging, and that\u2019s how resilience is built.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Sgt. Vanessa Munson participates in a volunteer salute to service event in Seattle, Washington. Munson was crowned Miss Washington, July 1, 2023 during a pageant in Olympia.
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She felt stronger and was finally at peace with who she was. She was no longer looking to others for their opinion or for them to tell her she was worthy. She knew it herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud of who I am,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel more like myself than I ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took her newfound confidence with her to the 508th Military Police Battalion after finishing advanced individual training.<\/p>\n

Her resilience was about to be tested once more. After six months on the job, she was told to see an ear, nose and throat doctor.<\/p>\n

The doctor told her she had another hole in her eardrum and cholesteatoma, a rare and abnormal skin growth in her ear that could damage her hearing. She needed to have surgery again.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t understand why it was happening, but she pushed forward. She had the third ear surgery with no luck. Then a fourth, a fifth and a sixth. They all failed to solve the problem.<\/p>\n

The frustration was building. She continued to have faith in her medical team as they worked to find a solution. She relied on the support of her family and those around her to keep her spirit up. Finally, the seventh surgery was a success, but the complications lead to hearing loss.<\/p>\n

After a year away from pageantry, she returned. She was only stationed two hours away from her hometown and decided to travel back to compete.\u00a0The move paid off when she was crowned Miss Clark County in November 2022.<\/p>\n

That set her up for the state pageant that summer.<\/p>\n

I think that joining the Army and finding my sense of self, allowed me to take my resilience and perseverance into the world of pageantry, and show who I am and what I stand for, she explained. That\u2019s when I started performing well.<\/p>\n

To mentally prepare for the show, she worked with Rachel Hoeft, an Army Holistic Health and Fitness cognitive performance specialist. They met once a week to get Munson to push away her fear of failure and allow her personality to shine.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe completely changed the trajectory of my mindset,\u201d Munson said. \u201cI was happy to be at the competition, and I didn\u2019t put any pressure on myself to win. I wanted to be in the moment and enjoy it.<\/p>\n

When the big night came, she embraced the challenge and concentrated on consistent performance in all five categories of the pageant: private interview, on-stage question, fitness, evening gown and talent. She used the resilience she learned over the last few years to fuel her.<\/p>\n

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\n Sgt. Vanessa Munson poses with a student after bringing hearing-impaired Barbie dolls to their school. Munson went through eight surgeries in her ear which led to hearing loss.
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Her consistency paid off as finals night arrived. Standing before the crowd, she could hardly contain her excitement as her name was called for the top five. Then, the names dwindled down to two.<\/p>\n

She waited anxiously as they finally announced her name as the winner of the pageant. Tears flowed down her face as her fellow competitors congratulated her on winning and earning a spot in the upcoming Miss America pageant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when it hit me,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m Miss Washington, and I\u2019m living this dream that I\u2019ve always had. It doesn\u2019t feel real.\u201d<\/p>\n

The celebration continued when she saw her parents, who encouraged her from the very start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a blubbery mess,\u201d she recalled. \u201cThey were crying with me. They saw the hard work and the dedication. It was a very full circle moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since taking home the crown last summer, Munson returned to taking care of Soldiers’ administration needs.\u00a0Her command made sure she knew they were all rooting for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just overwhelmed with the support and the love that everyone was showing from my entire unit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also worked on several community service initiatives in her spare time to empower young boys and girls to gain confidence and pursue their passions. She toured 16 schools in southwestern Washington and donated 50 hearing-impaired Barbie dolls to hearing-impaired and deaf children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really want other people to recognize their worth not for what they look like but for who they are,\u201d she said. \u201cI think if I can be that small difference in someone else\u2019s life, then we\u2019re on the right track.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, after having an eighth surgery this fall to insert a hearing device, she heads to Orlando, Florida for the Miss America pageant, Jan. 14. Empowered by her journey, she will take the stage to inspire the next generation to dream big and persevere.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been such an amazing experience,\u201d she said. \u201cI really hope that some girl, who wants to do something impactful, can see in me that you can quite literally be anything you want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED LINKS:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Army News Service<\/a><\/p>\n

ARNEWS archives<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sgt. Vanessa Munson, human resources specialist with the 508th Military Police Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, won the Miss Washington pageant in July, 2023. She is competing in the Miss America pageant Jan. 14 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo Credit: Courtesy photos from Sgt. Vanessa Munson) VIEW ORIGINAL WASHINGTON \u2014 Standing on stage in front […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80329,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80327"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80334,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80327\/revisions\/80334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/80329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}