Tomorrow at 8 p.m. EST, Miss Teen USA 2012 Logan West will pass on her crown to a new winner. Logan is a talented and compassionate collegiette who is about to start her sophomore year at Pace University, where she is majoring in dance. Her Campus sat down with Logan to talk about her anti-bullying program, her advice for freshmen collegiettes, and more!
Her Campus: Could you tell me a little bit about your experience as Miss Teen USA this past year?
Logan: It’s been a whirlwind experience… it’s everything I could have asked for and more! The main reason why I competed in pageants was to get my program, Unite Against Bullies Today, on a national level. I think the biggest thing about being Miss Teen USA is being a positive role model, so we get to do really fashionable, fun events, but we’re also doing them in a positive way. So I think that’s been the best part.
HC: Can you tell me a little more about the program you started that you just mentioned?
Logan: I was bullied in the seventh grade by a classmate who told me I did not act my skin color, so after that, [I thought that] there has to be a way I can make something out of it that would benefit not only me but people around me. And that’s when I came up with Unite Against Bullies Today. It’s a program that’s designed to teach students what exactly bullying is and give them all the tools they need to stop it. So it started off with just working with the students in my town… and then it was all through Connecticut, and I worked to make harsher anti-bullying laws in my state. Then, after I won the national pageant, I said it was my mission to take it everywhere.
HC: What does it feel like to be passing on the Miss Teen USA crown?
Logan: It’s weird; that’s the only word I can use to describe it. It’s crazy to think that it was almost a year ago that I was crowned. But, it’s bittersweet. I think in one breath I can say that I don’t really want to give it up yet, but in another breath I can say I’m kind of ready to close this chapter in my life, and a lot of things have been falling into place lately, so I’m ready to move on in life into bigger things ahead. So I’m excited!
HC: So I understand you just finished your first year at Pace University. What was it like adjusting to college life?
Logan: Different, way different than I could have expected. First, I way over-packed and I quickly learned that wasn’t the right thing to do! But it was just amazing. I think the friendships you make and just being at the school away from home is totally different. It teaches you a lot about yourself and self-motivation, cause my mom is not there to like, bark at me to tell me to get my homework done or make sure I’m home on time. So you find out a lot about yourself, but I’ve loved every minute of my college experience so far.
HC: You’ve had a much different experience than most college freshmen because you were balancing your duties as Miss Teen USA at the same time as adjusting to college. Can you tell me a little bit about that and what that was like?
Logan: In the beginning I really said that my plan was that I wasn’t going to tell anyone I was Miss Teen USA, and if they found out, they found out. But I really did want to have a really normal first year of college. But my first day of school—I’m a dance major and we were having auditions for our first showcase—my teacher goes, “Guys, we have a celebrity in the room now!… We have Miss Teen America with us,” and I was like, “Oh my goodness.” And they made me come out to the middle in front of my entire department and introduce myself. So, quickly, everyone found out, and it wasn’t my little secret anymore. But I think the most challenging part about it was having to just miss out on the fact that most freshmen get to do the parties and then the staying out late and stuff. But I have to say it was more rewarding being Miss Teen USA than going to those things. I’ve got three more years for that!
HC: So what’s been your favorite aspect of college so far?
Logan: I would probably say the dorm life… to have the open door policies on your floor, anybody comes into your room, and movie nights, and making friends, I think, has been the biggest part for me, just because I think high school friends are very different from college friends. And I’m very excited about having my college friends now!
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HC: What do you think has been the most difficult part about college so far?
Logan: At the same time, the dorm life. [laughs] I think it’s really tempting to want to stay up late and not necessarily get your work done all the time, and you want to really be a part of the social aspect of college but you really have to focus on what exactly you went there for, which is to learn. So I think it’s kind of finding that balance between work and play. Moving away from home has its ups and its downs for sure.
HC: So since you are passing on the crown on August 10th, how do you expect that your college life is going to be different this coming year?
Logan: All my friends will say, “You’re normal again! You’re normal!” [laughs] I think I’ll get that normal college experience, I think. And I would constantly be leaving class for appearances and those sorts of things and I loved every minute of it, but I think I’m going to try to stay after and be able to hang out and actually eat with my classmates and just really get the feel of New York City and being a student in the city versus being a student and also Miss Teen USA.
HC: So even though our website is for college women, we do have a lot of high school readers who are preparing to go to college. What’s the biggest advice you could give for incoming freshmen who are starting college and don’t know what they’re in for?
Logan: First, be true to you. I think it’s kind of easy to get lost in the ruckus of everybody moving in and you’re kind of—everyone’s just kind of by themselves, but if you stick to your morals and values going into things, you’ll keep yourself out of trouble. I also think to just be open to experiencing new things. I think that I kind of came in like, “I’m someone from a small town in Connecticut, we don’t do things back home like they do, in Connecticut,” so I think… you have to be open to explore the things around you, and if you’re going far away from home, embrace that. Just be open to learning everything.
HC: If you were to create a sort of “Freshman Year Bucket List” for incoming freshmen, what are a few things you’d put on it?
Logan: Hmm…go to a college party. That’s probably one thing you should do. [laughs] I wouldn’t suggest going to a lot of them, but just try one. Get involved in activities on campus, because that’s a great way to make friends. I know that I can be a bit shy, so that was really something that kind of brought me out of my shell and introduced me to new people. Take a class in something that’s not in your major, because I think that I went in saying I knew that I wanted to dance, but taking classes in other areas really opened my eyes to other opportunities [and other] things that I might be interested in.
HC: So circling back to the Miss Teen USA competition, how did it feel when you had found out that you had won?
Logan: An indescribable feeling. Honestly, I never thought I would win. It was an amazing feeling because I worked so hard. And I knew that my family and my friends had worked really hard—especially my mom—to get me to where I was. So it was like a win for everyone; it wasn’t just a win for me.
HC: That’s incredible, congratulations! So what advice would you give to the competitors for this year’s competition?
Logan: Embrace absolutely every moment and don’t take one minute of it for granted. I think that sometimes when girls go to compete they’re like, “Oh, I have to do what the judges are looking for and I’m only here for the pageant,” but if you really loosen up, I think your confidence will really shine through. The thing is, if you go in just saying, “You’re here to have a good time, this is a once in a lifetime experience,” and embrace that, I think they’ll be much better off than going and saying, “I have to have the crown.”
HC: What have you learned from your experience with the Miss Teen USA competition that you could carry on in your college career?
Logan: In the past, I was a really closed-off person. I didn’t talk to people. I tended to be a bit on like the shy side. But after competing and then having this reign, I’ve learned to open up, and it’s okay to be friendly and it’s okay to hold conversations with people you don’t know. I think you kind of learn how to interact with people. That’s the best part. You want to be able to enjoy people’s company and have people enjoy being around you, so I’ve learned to open up and really let my personality shine through and not worry so much about what other people are thinking.