First,  I want to give a huge “Geaux Tigers!” to our football team who has been kicking butt, but also to our students for the endless support that you all send to the team. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make the Auburn Game because I was in New York City modeling for Jovani! What an amazing experience. We were able to do photo-shoots at beautiful mansions in Long Island, New York! These photos have a chance to appear in various prom magazines such as Seventeen (which has always been a dream of mine).

We toured around the city, ate at some amazing places and I even carried my Miss LSU-USA banner all the way to the top of the Empire State Building to show my school spirit on game day!

Now that I'm back home, I have SO many amazing things to look forward to. After my sponsors at Nail Finiti patch up my torn feet and Salon Du Sud give my damaged hair an amazing treatment, I'm ready to spend my next few weeks preparing for Miss Louisiana-USA, which is in October! I can't wait to continue with my preparations to the state pageant and represent Louisiana State University!

Check out my pictures from the Big Apple and stay tuned for more updates leading up to the pageant right here on the official Miss LSU blog and social media. 

My weekly challenge for you this week is to reach out to someone who seems down, whether it's your friend, family member, or another student in Middleton. My platform is "Breaking the Silence. Mental illnesses are illnesses too."

A simple gesture can make the biggest difference in someone's life, it could even make the difference between life and death. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in college students.

So let's #StartTheConversation and surround ourselves with positive energy all week and Geaux Tigers!

-Ashley