So much has gone on in the past few months, and I am already halfway through my reign!   I feel so blessed for all of the wonderful experiences I've had so far, and all of the ones I will continue to have even beyond my reign.  It has been such a great life-changing experience to be Ms United States on so many different levels from meeting new people to opening up doors of opportunity, touching the lives of others, and learning more about myself and my potential to make positive change in this world.

As the national spokesperson for Q-SCAN (the Queens Sickle Cell Anemia Network) I was delighted to speak to the New York community and perform with my company G-Volution at their annual banquet.


It was such a great time to attend the Laughing Lunch for Comedy Cures where I learned about many different "laughs" and even made a funny myself on stage! 

I had a great holiday season which seemed to really fly by this year...I met with Brittany Williams, my sister-queen Miss United States who visited New York in December.  We had an amazing bonding time and discussed our goals and dreams for the waves we wanted to make.  Of course, we snuck in a little photo shoot with Angel Sanchez in Times Square on a typical wintry New York evening.  It was a blast!  I'm so proud of my sister Liana Baratta, the new Miss New York United States who will be competing in the Miss United States Pageant this July!  She is a shining positive example for young women and the most kind- hearted individual I know who will make a great impact on empowering our youth. 


I've been doing a great deal with developing my two internet TV shows which are now broadcast every Thursday  Pageant Chat TV and Graziella TV -now being featured by Ustream.TV!!  What an honor!  I am able to get my platform messages across to a wide audience on a weekly basis, and it has been very rewarding to connect with so many diverse groups.

There is sooooo much more to report, but I'll let you absorb this and save the rest for my next post..coming soon, I promise!

        

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It amazes me every time I sit down to write something how much time has flown by, and I wonder where it all went.  I guess when one is busy and enjoying it, time flies.  Well, I've been up to a lot as usual, but a whole lot more than usual!  I have decided that this year during my reign as Ms United States, that I would not only be the traditional titleholder that does typical appearances and platform work, but a "Web Queen."  What is that?  I guess I kinda made that up, but I want to be the Queen that utilizes the web to its fullest potential to get her messages out to the world.  I believe that the web is becoming the most fundamental form of communication today and will be in the future, and we all need to embrace it.

So what have I been doing to become a Web Queen?  As I mentioned in my last post, I created three social networks...well, I've made that 4 now!   Just 10 days ago G-World was launched, a place for "everything Graziella."  I wanted a place that would be a portal to everything I do, so G-World is just that.


Visit G World


I now host two web-TV shows "Graziella Live" and "Pageant Chat TV" which are broadcast live every Thursday @ 12:00 PM Eastern time, and alternate with one another.  So this Thursday is Graziella Live, and next Thursday is Pageant Chat TV, and so on.
It's been a great way to spread my platform messages, and other things I am passionate about.  Plus, I get to connect with fans from all over, which is super nice and humbling! 

This weekend was really a treat to travel to Delaware and Pennsylvania for appearances!  In Delaware I represented OSX Fitness Center, a brand- new facility in Newport, Delaware that offers a "freestyle membership" along with specific athletic training in all kinds of sports.  I got to chat it up with some wonderful people who really made me feel at home! 

In Carlisle Pennsylvania, I judged my first pageant- the PA Celebrity Pageant which had multiple age divisions.  Everyone was so adorable from ages 0- 7 years and the ladies were beautiful.  It was a difficult job to judge, and I now understand what judges mean when they say it was a "difficult decision"...it really was!  Photos of both events will be up soon on the calendar page, so take a look in the next few days.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for all of the blessings God has bestowed upon me, and vow to use my talents and abilities to bring light and love into this world.  I wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful Thanksgiving!

xoxo,
Graziella Baratta
Ms United States 2008

        

It's crazy thinking about how long it's been since I was crowned because it really feels like just yesterday!
It's almost like a dream- sequence that I'll never forget...what a moment.

I verbalize the entire competition on my personal G-Blog, so I won't post that here.  What I really want to do with this blog is use it as my Ms United States Diary.

What have I been up to in the past two months?  Well, here goes!  Immediately after being crowned, I had a 1 week vacation that I used to visit  family in California that I only get to see about twice a year or so.  My sister, grandmother and I stayed one extra day in Las Vegas to see the sites we were unable to see during pageant week, and then drove from Las Vegas to the Los Angeles California in a rental car.  It was the most incredible feeling going to see my aunt, cousin and uncle right after winning...they were so proud, and I was so excited to share the news with them.  They were the first to see any photos of the competition on my digital camera.  These three family members used to live here on the east coast, but moved about 3 years ago....ohh, how I still wish they lived here!  There were so many people to share the news with, and being so excited, I almost couldn't get the word out fast enough!  I posted a very quick G-Blog with photos from my phone to share the news faster. 

While in LA, I also met with my Auntie Annette (Annette Cardona, then known as Annette Charles was Cha Cha Di Gregorio in the motion picture GREASE).  Annette is not my real aunt, but I do feel like she is, having been a career mentor and teacher of mine for a number of years.  I was thrilled to hear that Mattel came out with a Barbie of Annette's character Cha Cha...I LOVE Barbies, and collect them :


Watch Annette in action as CHA CHA in the movie GREASE:

(Fast forward to 4:32 in the video)
Upon returning home from the West Coast, I had a super- homecoming surprise party that I could never have imagined!  My mom literally rolled out the red carpet for me...of course, she's my proud mom   My parents couldn't attend the pageant, so they wanted to give me a big welcome home hug from the whole town, family and friends...it was amazing!

The day after I got home, I had a TV interview for New York News 1!  I barely got to rest, but I was so excited that I didn't even need coffee that morning.

I had a number of appearances in the past few weeks, all which were wonderful!  I attended Ms Connecticut's ballroom dance competition, visited with our national sponsor Lia Sophia, interviewed with Women's Health. GOV and GirlsHealth.GOV, interviewed with the NV Suburbanite, and more!  All of my appearances are noted in the Calendar page of my national website.

Most recently, I had two photo shoots: My first official shoot as Ms United States was with Angel Sanchez.

       
My second photo shoot was with Kevin Michael Reed for Supermodels Unlimited Magazine.
Photos are yet to come- it was just this weekend.

I also created this blog, and three social networks during the past few weeks:
B.Youneek correlates with both of my platforms- empowering women, and leading a healthy balanced lifestyle.


Visit B.YOUneek

Pageant Palace is a network for all involved in pageantry and fans


View my page on Pageant Palace

Dance New York is a network for all who love dance!


Find more photos like this on Dance New York

There's a lot I want to accomplish in this one year that I get to reign as Ms United States, which is sometimes an overwhelming thought.  However, I try to pace myself and make lots and lots of lists!

Well, that's all for now folks...time for me to get some rest!

I thank God every day for this gift given to me, and look forward to making waves in the world with it.
God bless, and good night.

~Graziella Baratta
Ms United States 2008

        

Hello, and welcome to my blog!  I am thrilled to have been crowned Ms. United States 2008, and am eager to share this journey with you all!  This blog will be the personal diary of my reign, and I will post all that I am doing here.  My website is also updated regularly with photos, and a calendar of events including all of my appearances- msunitedstates08.com. 

Check out what I was doing before winning Ms. United States, on the Ms. New York Blog @ http://blog.msnewyorkus.com.  My previous appearances and charity platform info are posted here.

I am a busy gal, but try to keep everyone informed and updated on all that I'm up to, so check back regularly for updates, and send me your comments & thoughts! 

Let me begin this blog by introducing myself the same way the judges got to know me before meeting me in person:

What ambitions or goals are you striving to achieve now or in the future?

Above all I strive to be an example of good character and optimism in my everyday life and in my professions.  Professionally, my goals are to bring my original musical to Broadway and regional theaters, perform with my dance company G-Volution in numerous productions, and inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle as an image consultant with my sister Liana.

What charity or cause are you representing with your title and why?

Healthy Habits For Life and I aM For Women: Inspiration & Motivation for Women are my two platforms of choice because they are who I am and how I live my own life.  I am working with numerous charity organizations to spread my messages such as The American Heart Association, The New York Youth Bureau, Girls Health.gov, and others.

During your lifetime, what is the best advice you received and why?  

It is cliché, but very true: “Be yourself” is the best piece of advice I have ever received!  There is nothing more fulfilling to me than to be oneself, be an advocate for what you believe in and who you are.  To me, being yourself is to have the courage of your convictions and to live life genuinely.

What famous person would you like to meet and why?

I would love to meet Jack Canfield, the author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and The Principles of Success!   Inspired by Jack’s positive outlook on life and sheer determination to succeed, I would like to learn more about his secrets to success and how to apply them to my life personally.

What is your favorite pastime or activity?

Gosh, even though it is one of my professions…I LOVE to dance!  Dancing is a freeing and emotional experience for me that I love to do alone and also share with others through performance, choreography and teaching.  I feel very blessed to have dancing as one of my careers.

What is your favorite book and why?

There are many books that would fall into this category, but if I had to choose just one it would be How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci.  This is a most fascinating book, literally teaching the reader to develop his/her mind with the same techniques that Leonardo Da Vinci used.  I have now become a renaissance woman!

Who is your role model and why?

I have many role models: My Mother is first and foremost because she has taught me how to be true to myself, to be positive, and to love.  She is one of the main reasons I am the person I am today.  My career role model is Jennifer Lopez with her diversified career as a performer and entrepreneur. 

Tell us one thing that is unique about yourself and why so.

I am a human chameleon!  Like the animal, I easily adapt to different environments while still remaining true to my character.  This makes me unique because I am able to embrace change in an instant, and move forward with grace.