By Staff
It came as a surprise for most residents that Miss Niles-Brandywine Kylee Mudd turned in her crown less than a week ago. What was even more surprising was that first runner-up Rita Umuriza and Miss Congeniality Cassandra Butus also handed over their crowns, leaving second runner-up Stephanie Mantei to take over the responsibilities of Miss Niles-Brandywine.
While the news was a bit shocking, it was actually no big surprise and has raised a red flag as to whether or not too much is expected of young adults and children.
Mudd knew what she was getting herself into when she signed up for the pageant. She knew there was a lot of responsibility, volunteering and other things that were going to have to go on. Taking the role of Miss Niles means you have to give up a lot of the things you love doing and devote your time to representing our community. However, in a case like this, a lot of things could have easily been avoided. Why couldn't she have left Relay for Life for the time that was needed? Why couldn't first runner-up, second runner-up or Miss Congeniality have filled her shoes while she attended her graduation party? That is one of their responsibilities, isn't it?
It may have been unreasonable that she was obligated to be there for the full 24-hours. Some kind of arrangement could have been made to ensure that she could have attended both events, especially considering her graduation party was scheduled to avoid conflict with Relay for Life. Relay was originally scheduled for July 21, but was later changed to July 14.
Anytime someone wants to become involved in something that requires one to represent the community, it's important to understand that there is a lot that goes into it. Whether one is looking to be a board member, become involved with the schools, or running for one of the many pageants this town offers, it's important to realize that this means giving up a lot of personal time. Often times conflicts can be avoided and other arrangements can be made, but in this case, it didn't happen.
Hopefully Mudd's reputation will not be damaged by this mishap. She certainly is not a bad person by any means. She has always been involved with Niles High School, active with clubs, sports and has maintained excellent grades. She has high hopes for the future and we can only wish the best for her.
Hopefully this does not ruin the reputation of the Miss Niles-Brandywine pageant either. This has been a long-running event which has produced some of the areas best young adults to represent our community.
Things happen and unfortunately we live in times where lifestyles aren't like they used to be. More is expected of the younger generations and more is being taken on by the younger generations, which means a lot of times one event can overlap another.
Let's try not to look at the negatives of this situation, but rather the positives and let's welcome Mantei with open arms as she takes on the role of Miss Niles-Brandywine.