I competed in the NAM PA organization in both the Pre-Teen & Teen divisions from 2012 to 2015 in Harrisburg & was awarded top five in the Miss Division. I accepted the invitation to Anaheim, California in 2016. I am very pleased that I have done so. It was very expensive but yet I was very determined to go to California. It was always a dream of mine. I love NAM! I am a big fan. Even though I did not win the state or national title, it was an excellent experience I to this day still admire and cherish as I seen more to the pageant as sight viewing in Hollywood, Santa Monica and much more! The prices have gone up. I can understand why people are not favoring the prices, yet the organization is flexibly. If you can not support it, talk to sponsors. It is not always true that only the rich girls in the pageant win, in my opinion the girls that get themselves out sponsoring, volunteering, practicing and believing, sure make the win to the crown. The girls that show determination and fight for that crown do win it and ones that are skeptical do not win. Not every girl will win their first pageant but to keep trying and seeing what makes a girl a winner can sure give them a heads-up to how or what the pageant looks in for a representative. I am very thankful for NATIONAL AMERICAN MISS & NATIONAL ALL-AMERICAN MISS. From the start of my first pageant experience and looking through the magazine and viewing the page of Nationals, gave me the energy, commitment, and the want to go and yes I did! Thank you NAM. Hopefully the organization can work on reducing the prices but besides that I adore the organization and its self supporting business. Girls who want to compete, keep in mind that this is all about independency. Sponsor fee, option contest, the required competitions is all on you, to develop, learn to master on your own. And that too shows the judges that this girl is very active in her community and confident to strive for goals out of the box. To win a title in NAM, be independent. Thank you.