My first year of attending a Pride of America Program was in 1999. There were 32 girls there that year. It was a really fun weekend, I was just there to see what it was about. I wasn't expecting anything to happen. We got there on Friday night, and I met all my roommates. The best thing about it was that Jessica Gohner, someone I knew that was also attending, ended up being one of my roommates. Katie Goltz and Monica Hanlan were the other two. We had so much fun together. That Saturday night, we actually played Leap Frog down the hallways. Crazy, huh? Well, the finalists were named, and not surprisingly, I wasn't one of them. Oh well, I had a blast. I took some pictures with all my new friends, and then headed for home.
The next year, I decided to try it again. I had so much fun that I wanted to go back. So, on to Fargo I went. This year there were only 16 girls. I was shocked. I thought there would be so many more. We didn't have roommates this year though and that really disappointed me. I didn't make as many close friends as I had the year before because of this fact. Well, the finals came, and they named the top five again. But this year, I got in!! It was so exciting to hear my name get called. I quickly joined my friends up on the stage, I was so happy but I was also nervous. I knew that I was going to be asked a question and was worried about what it might be. Well, we got our questions. Mine was: Kristen, you are a straight A student, what is your advice to the younger students here? That wasn't a bad question, and I didn't give all that bad of an answer either. After everyone was done, they had us leave the stage. Then there was entertainment. I swear, ten minutes never took so long. I just wanted to get it over with, the tension was so thick. Finally, they called us back up on stage. They announced the 4th Ambassador, it was Carmen. The 3rd Ambassador, Kristen Hendrickson. Dang, I didn't win but hey I made it to the top five and that had been my goal of the weekend. I was happy. The 2nd Ambassador was Emily Wolff. The 1st Ambassador was Julianne Miller. And the Titleholder was Beth Tietz.
The weekend was over, but I was on a major high for a few days. I decided to attend Nationals which were held in Bloomington, MN. That was an incredible five days. It was a great experience that wouldn't have traded for anything. In the end, I didn't make the top five but I made some great friends that I still talk to today. I love the Pride Program, and I'm very disappointed that due to financial difficulties, the program had to be cancelled. I will miss the program and the people greatly, and I hope that someday it will be up and running again.