Katherine Kennedy came to the Miss Arizona 2004 Pageant as the winner of the Miss Twirling Athlete contest. She was awarded the crown at the Miss Arizona Pageant held in Mesa, Arizona in June 2004. Katherine Kennedy traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey to compete for the Miss America title.
Katherine Kennedy has a very busy schedule, but she graciously agreed to an interview. Here are the questions I posed and the answers she provided:
Interview With Katherine Kennedy, Miss Arizona 2004
Phoenix Guide: As your year as Miss Arizona 2004 comes to a close, what are one or two of the most special moments that you can share?Katherine Kennedy, Miss Arizona 2004: I have had an amazing year as Miss Arizona and after trying seven times to win the title, I made sure to make the best out of each appearance and opportunity. I think one of the most special moments during my year occurred when I was in Washington DC with the other 51 contestants competing for Miss America. We were having lunch that day at the Walter Reed Medical Center, a state of the art hospital where wounded service men and women come to receive some of the most technologically advanced treatment in the world. I was a little bummed because they had soldiers from each state at tables so we could join them for lunch. There were no soldiers from Arizona for me to visit with. So I ended up hanging out with soldiers from Tennessee since Miss Tennessee and I were very close. Just as our lunch was beginning a high ranking official came over to me and asked me to come up and visit with a soldier from Arizona who was physically unable to come down to the lunch.
It was amazing to see a young man, my age, who had been hit by a land mine have such high spirits. Chris, the soldier gave me so much inspiration and a further understanding of what war is really about. I will remember Walter Reed and Chris forever.
My second most special moment I hope is still to come. This weekend I am traveling to the Virgin Islands to perform my talent at the Miss Virgin Islands pageant. Next weekend I will be in Indiana for the Indianapolis 500. All of these trips have been made possible by the amazing young women I met at Miss America and the opportunities the title can provide. There will be 31 of the state titleholders and Miss America at the Indy 500 to celebrate our friendship. Miss Indiana has arranged for us to attend galas, parties and VIP seating. I can’t wait!
Phoenix Guide: Tell us a little about your platform, and how you were able to support it during the year.
Katherine Kennedy, Miss Arizona 2004: My platform, EXPECT RESPECT: Domestic Violence Prevention has been a huge success this year! I have worked extremely hard to talk to as many young people as I could regarding healthy relationships. The most rewarding part of being Miss Arizona is being able to see students change their attitudes regarding relationships. I have been blessed to be a part of many state wide initiatives and been invited to speak at them regarding teen dating violence. Along side the Governor, Mayor of Phoenix, Attorney General and many other distinguished elected officials I have shared my thoughts and experiences teaching you people. This past month at the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s 25th Anniversary Celebration I was awarded the Courage of Conviction Award for my efforts with my platform. I am proud of my accomplishments in the domestic violence field, but never feel that it is necessary to be recognized. I was overwhelmed that my colleagues at the Coalition thought I was deserving of the award.
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Next Page: Katherine Kennedy Interview, Part 2
