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Miss Hoosier Heartland and Miss Hoosier Valley

Scholarship Organization, Inc.

Rachael's Blog Page

The month of May began with final exams and ending another successful academic year at Purdue University. Immediately following it was non-stop appearances, speaking events regarding my platform and of course, Miss Indiana preparation work.

The highlight from May for me was receiving a notice from the Governor's office informing me that Governor Mitch Daniels approved and signed my proclamation, officially making June “Relay For Life” month in Indiana. I was absolutely ecstatic!

I am currently working with local American Cancer Society chapters across Indiana to promote “Relay For Life” month. Additionally, on June 1st to kick-off “Relay For Life” month I attended Wes-Del Elementary School's Mini-Relay For Life event. I was able to speak with the students about healthy eating and physical activity. It was a great day filled with fun talking about healthy foods, how we can have fun incorporate healthy foods into our daily eating and learning an exercise dance to a song about `active play, healthy food, peaceful sleep, awesome fun'!

While driving to West Lafayette from Wes-Del Elementary I was involved in a near head on collision. My car was totaled and the airbags went off, but I walked away from the crash with no serious injuries. God truly was watching over me that afternoon and I am so blessed to be here. I am having some pain/soreness since the accident but am recovering well and preparing for Miss Indiana.

Just two days after the accident was my hometown's Relay For Life event. I wasn't going to miss this for anything and knew what I was experiencing after the crash didn't measure to what a cancer patient goes through. At the event, I had a “Strike Out Cancer with Miss Hoosier Heartland” area where I had educational material for adults and children along with selling colors of cancer bracelets and Relay ribbons to raise money for the event. I also spoke with State Representative Tom Dermody at the Fight Back Ceremony and performed a fire baton routine.

To find a Relay For Life event in your area visit http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/

Less than two weeks and I will be arriving in Zionsville to compete for the title of Miss Indiana! I'm so excited and look forward to a fantastic week.

For a complete schedule of events visit: http://www.missindianapageant.com/competition.htm To purchase tickets visit: http://www.missindianapageant.com/tickets.html

I will be competing in preliminary talent and onstage question on Wednesday June 22nd. Thursday June 23rd I will be competing in preliminary swim suit and evening gown.

To receive updates about me during Miss Indiana week, follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/Rachael_Bazzell or on facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Miss-Hoosier-Heartland-Scholarship-Program/323676776575

Purdue University Relay For Life 2011

Colleges Against Cancer spent many months working on posters, sheet signs, schedules, scripts….we had a lot of work to get done and a very hard working group of students! Finally, after months of preparing, Relay For Life 2011 ARRIVED!

My morning on April 9th began at 5:30am! I was the volunteer coordinator for the Purdue Center for Cancer Research 5k, “The Challenge”, fundraiser event. The runners were registering and ready to go, but the weather didn't seem to be ready for the race. Luckily, the weather waited until after the race to rain! Due to the weather, we had to cancel the awards ceremony and quickly cleaned everything up. In spite of the uncooperative weather, the Purdue Center for Cancer Research was still able to raise over $50,000 for cancer research through the event! To learn more about research being conducted with the funds raised or to make a contribution to the center please visit: https://www.cancerresearch.purdue.edu/

After the race I was headed to the Purdue Armory to begin Relay For Life set-up. Everything was coming together wonderfully; it was almost time for Relay to begin! Later in the afternoon the teams arrived and began setting up their campsites. Everyone was energized and ready for an evening of fighting cancer!

At 8:00 pm the Relay For Life Opening Ceremony began! Former Purdue basketball coach, Gene Keady, spoke about his wife's battle with cancer followed by a performance by the Purdue Drumline! The Big Bass Drum (aka World's Largest Drum) had a special surprise. The only time the head of the drum has been painted was for the Rose Bowl Parade in 2000 and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2010. For Relay, the drumline painted a purple ribbon across the front of the drum head. The drum head was signed by all the cancer survivors at the event, which will become a Relay For Life tradition in the years ahead. I had the opportunity to assist with painting the ribbon, what an honor!

During the evening, I gave a presentation about ovarian cancer and shared with the audience about the Ovar' Coming Together organization I work with. Currently, there is no reliable screening test for the early detection of ovarian cancer. The most effective way to protect yourself against ovarian cancer is to learn the signs and symptoms. For more information visit: www.ovariancancerIN.org

Following my presentation, Katie Donnar, the newly crowned Miss Wabash Valley, spoke about her experiences with skin cancer. Her story spoke volumes to many. As she stated, with one trip to the tanning be, you increase you risk of developing skin cancer by 75%; that's a risk I'm not willing to take and I hope you won't either! Protect yourself this summer and use `safety' when in the sun.

Around 2:30am I served as the emcee for the Fight Back ceremony. The purpose of this ceremony is to encourage all Relay participants to take a step further in the fight against cancer and make a pledge to fight back by committing to living a healthier life, quitting smoking or giving up another unhealthy habit. The theme of our ceremony was “Rocky”. Volunteers from Colleges Against Cancer acted out a skit from film `Rocky”. Of course, Rocky won the fight against cancer! Now, let's all be like Rocky and take that commitment to knock out cancer!

After a long night of fun filled activities geared around defeating cancer, Purdue Relay For Life 2011 was coming to an end. As of 8:00 a.m., we had collected over $55,000 for the American Cancer Society! The funds raised will go towards research, prevention, detection/treatment and patient care services. What a great success Relay was! To find out more about Relay For Life events in your area please visit: http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/

April has been one of the most rewarding months during my year of service as Miss Hoosier Heartland thus far!

After a busy week promoting Relay For Life and working on preparations, April began with me traveling LaPorte, Indiana to speak at the Extraordinary Women's Retreat. I had the privilege of speaking with high school aged girls and younger about the talents I've been blessed with and the journey I've traveled getting to where I am today. I enjoyed sharing a few twirling tricks with the girls and watching them discover their own extraordinary talents! It was an honor being invited to be a speaker for the retreat my hometown church served as the host for.

April 14th was such an exciting day as Miss Hoosier Heartland. I had the opportunity to visit the Indiana Statehouse and my brother, who is a legislative intern in the State Senate. To my surprise, I was recognized by the Indiana House of Representatives with the presentation of a Proclamation honoring me for my hard work and dedication to community service, academics, and my platform-Strike Out Cancer. After the recognition ceremony I was granted the privilege of speaking on the floor to the House of Representatives about my platform and my passion for the fight against cancer. I was able to speak with the representatives about joining in the fight against cancer and received positive feedback. I was able to recruit several state representatives to join me in the fight against cancer by becoming involved in their local Relay For Life events. After my visit with the House of Representatives, I went across the hall to attend the Senate session. What a humbling and honorable experience the day was!

Easter is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only are we remember of the ultimate sacrifice given for us, but I enjoy seeing all the young children and their families participating in egg hunts. The Saturday before Easter Sunday I attended the Zionsville EGGnormous Egg Hunt for the second year in a row. Unlike last year, the weather was fantastic for an EGGnormous hunt! The arrival of the Easter Bunny had many spectators excited, including myself! Over 10,000 eggs were hidden and the children were ready for the hunt. Once the whistle blew, they were off in search for the golden egg! Once all the eggs were collected, the children began opening their eggs in search of a surprise. It was a wonderful morning and such fun seeing all the excited faces.

The story of Cinderella is a dream for many young girls. Although I believe everyone is a princess, I had the opportunity to be transformed into Cinderella on April 23rd for the Lafayette Family Services Father-Daughter Cinderella Ball. The day began as any Cinderella story, busy cleaning and studying; then, it was time for the ball!

I made my grand entrance with Prince Charming at my side to greet all the princesses and their dads. Nicole Pollard, Miss Indiana 2009, served as emcee for the evening. Following the royal meal, it was time for the special activities we had planned. Each princess got to make a special wand and had dancing lessons from a special coach with their dads. Once all the crafts were finished and the dancing feet were ready for a break, it was time for our royal entertainment. Thank you to the YMCA-Y dance team for performing at the event, they were fantastic. The ball came to a close with every princess dancing with their dad to the song “Butterfly Kisses”. This was the most touching moment in the entire evening. As Prince Charming and I watched the dads showcase smiles across their faces, I was reminded of how fortunate I am to have a loving father in my life.

As the clock struck midnight, or 9:00pm in reality as the little princesses needed their beauty sleep, it was time for the addressStreetPrincess Power Circle. Every princess brought a donated item with them to the event. As they joined hands with Cinderella in a circle, the princesses learned the importance of giving to those who are less fortunate and were granted the `princess power' for helping others. The night closed with the dads carrying sleepy princesses off to their castles in the carriages they arrived in.

The last weekend in April was exciting and busy. Saturday morning I conquered a fear of mine, needles. The fight against cancer is a passion of mine, but I wanted to be more involved in finding a cure. I decided to donate tissue to be used for cancer research, specifically breast cancer. I was nervous about the procedure, but did it for the loved ones I've lost to cancer. After watching their battles with the horrid disease and how strong they were, I prayed I would be half as strong during the donation procedure. Because I am young and my tissue was muscular, I had slight complications during the donation process. However, I would do it again in a heartbeat and recommend everyone to take that step further in the fight against cancer. Without all of us making that commitment to fight back, we won't see an end to this disease.

The following day was Miss Indiana kick-off and the Miracle Bowl for Kids event. It was so exciting being reunited with my Miss Indiana family and meeting all of the new contestants. It was such a relief turning all of my paperwork in and knowing that it was complete, phew!

My bowling team, Strike Out Cancer, won the award for “Best Use of Bling”. We may not of been the best bowlers, but we had so much fun in our festive attire supporting the Children's Miracle Network.

Have a safe and happy May,

Miss Hoosier Heartland

Wow, I can't believe how fast the year is going by; Miss Indiana is right around the corner and I can't wait!

The first weekend in March I traveled home to attend the Miss Duneland Scholarship pageant. It was great cheering on my fellow 2010 Miss Indiana sisters; all the contestants were wonderful! Congratulations to the new Miss Duneland Jackie Jerlecki.

The week of March 10th was the week before Spring Break and Colleges Against Cancer Sun Safety week. On Thursday, I organized an informational table event in a central location on campus. My fellow committee members and I created bright colored posters with catchy phrases about sun safety. We also had a poster board with prevention, risks and general information about skin cancer. We handed out pamphlets to the student body with tips on how they could stay safe over break while still having fun in the sun. It was a great event and our Spring Break `themed' decorations turned out wonderful. Below is a picture of our table:

Skin is the largest organ in the body and skin cancer is the most common of all cancers; protect yourself this summer and cover up! Use sun block even on a cloudy day; UV rays can penetrate through the clouds!

I was thrilled to see my Miss Hoosier Heartland/Miss Hoosier Valley family on Saturday March 12th for a photo shoot! It was great day of fun with the `family' and all the pictures were wonderful. Thank you to Harmon Photography for your sponsorship and taking the time to spend all morning with us girls!

On March 13th I traveled to Knox, Indiana to assist my fellow Miss Indiana roommate, Jessica Butler, and director of the Miss Collegiate North Scholarship pageant. I had so much fun getting to know all the contestants and assisting the girls throughout the day. Jessica and Lindsey Roscoe did a fabulous job as first time directors, the pageant was fantastic! Congratulations to the first Miss Collegiate North, Mallory Bunting!

Monday, March 14th, began my spring break! I had a very productive week working on Miss Indiana preparations. I've been very fortunate to have such wonderful supporters with me on my journey towards Miss Indiana. At the end of the week, my fingers were covered in glue from working on part of my wardrobe!

As the week came to an end, I traveled to Huntington, StateIndiana on Saturday, March 19th, to support my friends competing for the title of Miss Huntington. Congratulations to Lauren Peterson on a fantastic year as Miss Huntington 2010 and to the new Miss Huntington, Mindi Hoffman; also a Purdue student!

The following day, March 20th, I traveled to Ball University to visit my sister queen Erika Tishner and to attend the Miss Ball State University Scholarship pageant. Wow, what a production the pageant was! Congratulations to Kara Mitchell, Miss Ball State University.

The week back to campus after spring break was busy. Colleges Against Cancer was back in full swing preparing for our Relay For Life event, which is April 9th-10th! On Thursday March 24th we held a skip-a-meal fundraiser and date auction event. We were able to raise over $400 at the date auction! We are currently working on finalizing all the details for Relay For Life. There are three segments to Relay For Life: Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back. `Celebrate' is the Opening Ceremony and Survivor's Lap where we celebrate our survivors and demonstrate how Relay participants are creating a world of more birthdays. `Remember' is the Luminaria Ceremony where were honor the lives of those lost to cancer and those who are currently battling their fight with cancer. `Fight Back' is the Fight Back Ceremony where we recognize why we Relay and each participant makes a personal commitment to fight back against cancer. I am in charge of organizing the Fight Back Ceremony. My committee and I are working on creating a video of students sharing their personal stories of why they Relay and a skit that will have actors dressed as athletes `fighting' against cancer.

Saturday March 26th was an exciting day for me. In the morning I met with the Executive Director from Ovar' Coming Together. I was appointed the chairperson and spokesperson for the High School Outreach Program. We are developing a program to implement in high schools across the state of Indiana that will bring ovarian cancer education and awareness to teenage women.

Later that afternoon I went to Westminster Nursing Home to play BINGO with the residents. I enjoyed spending the afternoon with the residents and interacting with them while they played BINGO. At the end of the hour, it was time to play `cover all' where your entire BINGO card must be covered; it was a very intense game. The winner received Purdue prizes that I brought with me, however, the resident who won wasn't a Purdue fan! She gave her prizes away to a friend and took a candy bar as a prize instead! It was very kind of her to give her prize away; it made her friend's day as she was a Purdue alumni!

I spent the next day `painting' campus PURPLE with Colleges Against Cancer to bring awareness to the student body about Relay For Life. We decorated all the tress on campus with purple ribbon, painted the windows of local businesses, posted flyers and chalked all the sidewalks. The week of March 28th-April 1st is Paint Campus Purple Week. Throughout the week we will have various fundraising activities, informational tables and free purple ice cream to promote Relay For Life on campus.

This coming weekend I will be traveling to my home community to speak at an Extraordinary Women's Conference. I am honored to have been selected as a speaker and look forward to the opportunity to share with others the talents I have been blessed with and encourage young girls and teens to be `Extraordinary'.

If you will be in the West Lafayette area April 9th-10th stop by Purdue's Armory between 8pm-8am and check out our Relay For Life event; you won't want to miss it!

Fight back against cancer, join in the fight today!

Miss Hoosier Heartland

February was a history making month at Purdue University. Due to the snow/ice storm, Purdue University was closed for two consecutive days! Due to this, the Colleges Against Cancer film showing for World Cancer Day was postponed for the following week.

“The Idiot Cylce-What you aren't told about cancer” is a documentary film created to educate the public about six major chemical companies that are responsible for creating cancer causing chemicals and what we can do to protect ourselves against this horrid disease. To learn more about this film, follow this link to see the film's trailer.

Prevention is crucial in the fight against cancer. If Americans ate a healthy, balance diet that emphasized plant foods and maintained a healthy weight, as many as 1/3 of all cancer deaths in the placecountry-regionUS could be prevented! Making simple life style changes can in turn be life saving!

On February 4th I traveled to Frankfort, Indiana to perform at the varsity boy's basketball game that evening. I love doing outreach performances in the community and being able to share with others the talent I've been blessed with. What a great halftime performance, the audience was on their feet cheering! After my performance, a younger girl, who is an aspiring twirler, approached me with her mother and informed me that she was so excited to finally meet me. It spoke volumes hearing the young girl share that she dreams of being a Purdue twirler someday and wants to be Miss Boilertte.

February 13th was the crowning of the 2011 Miss Purdue University. Congratulations to all the contestants and the new Miss Purdue, MerrieBeth Cox, on a job well done. Performing with the Purdue Drumline for my farewell performance was incredible, thank you everyone for your support.

On February 19th I traveled to Zionsville, Indiana to be reunited with my fellow Miss Indiana girls for the first annual Miss Indiana Trend Show! Our beautiful spring fashions by Miss Priss, Secret Ingredient, Lesley Jane, Joseph Ribkoff and Miss America Brands provided inspiration for the weather; what a gorgeous afternoon it was! Emceed by Miss America 2009, Katie Stam, the Trend Show was a great success. As one of the Top 10 finishers at Miss Indiana 2010, it was an honor to appear as a model for the show.

The last few days in February were busy `twirling' days for me. The Purdue Feature Twirler auditions were held on February 26th beginning at 8:00am. For the past few months, I have been working on my audition routines and harder, new material to showcase. With my nerves set aside, it was time to show that my hard work had paid off! I nailed my challenge tricks and was satisfied with my performance; it was now time to wait for the results! While waiting for the phone call from the band director, I was off to the Lafayette Tippecanoe Mall to perform for the Day of Dance event. Day of Dance for Health is a community-based event, hosted by Spirit of Women hospitals across the country. This event welcomes the entire community to dance, celebrate their health and learn about cardiovascular disease. Before taking the stage for my performance, it was announced to the audience that as of noon, I was reselected to serve as Purdue University's Feature Twirler, Miss Boilerette! I was thrilled to be selected again for the position. In 2010 the Purdue Twirling Team was eliminated and the band department created a new feature position. I was the first twirler selected for the position and had an impact upon the position's title. Being a member of the former twirling team for three years gave rise to the name Boilerette. The `Miss' part comes from my involvement with the Miss Indiana/Miss America Organization; thus, the two combined gives Miss Boilerette. It is such an honor to be a part of Purdue history!

On February 28th I performed at Cumberland Nursing Home in West Lafayette, Indiana. I love performing for our elderly, they can teach us all much. My goal for the evening was to not break the fish tank that I had to twirl around in the small space that I had.

The following day, March 1st, was the last home Purdue basketball game and a history making night for Purdue basketball. It was so exciting to be a part of the halftime show; Mackey was packed with Boilermaker spirit! After an awesome halftime performance, the evening ended with a Boilermaker victory over the Illini, marking the first undefeated season at home since 1969. Go Boilers!

March will be a busy month for cancer education! As the Cancer Education officer for Colleges Against Cancer, my committee and I are planning a Spring Break 2011 event. We will be handing out free sun block samples along with sunglasses and educating the student body on ways they can stay safe over break.

Warmth and sunny weather is upon us, here are a few educational tips to keep you safe as spring approaches.

The skin is the largest organ in the body and skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Seek the shade, cover up with protective clothing to cover your skin, wear sunglasses, use sun block anytime you are outdoors, wear a hat and avoid sources of UV light. Follow these practices even on a cloudy day; UV rays can travel through clouds also!

Enjoy the beautiful weather,

2011 Miss Hoosier Heartland

Happy New Year! What a wonderful and relaxing Christmas break I had with my family and friends, now back to the books!

Within the first week of classes, Colleges Against Cancer was already in full swing preparing for Purdue's 2011 Relay For Life event! The event will be April 9-10th at Purdue's Armory from 8:00pm-8:00am; we have so much planned already, it is going to be a great event that you don't want to miss!

On January 15th, I hosted the Miss America Watch Party for my Miss Hoosier Heartland/Miss Hoosier Valley family. Before the pageant began, we all brushed up on our Miss America trivia! Did you know----the first Miss America was from Washington,DC, Margaret Gorman. She competed in the beauty competition in 1921, in Atlantic City, at the age of 16. It wasn't until the end of her reign it was decided to name the young beauty Miss America! After enjoying great food and some trivia, it was time to cheer on our Miss Indiana, Gabrielle Reed! She looked gorgeous and was stunning onstage, congratulations on non-finalist talent winner, yay!!!

The following day I appeared as a model for Bridal Boutique & Mr. Penguin Tuxedo at the 2011 Classic Elegance Bridal Expo, which just happened to be at Purdue University! The other models and I had to stand for four hours in our heels and dresses, but it was a great experience and a fun day.

On January 22nd the ESPN College Gameday event came to PurdueUniversity, which was a first for Purdue basketball. I had to report to Mackey Arena at 8:30am and at 9:00am was the practice run through of the show before filming. Mackey Arena was filled with Boilermaker spirit and pride, it was a great experience to share with my fellow student body. At 10:00am filming for the first show began and then at 11:00am was the filming for the second show. It was a busy morning of cheering and twirling! To end a great day, the Boilers won the game against Michigan State that evening!

In my twirling, I am constantly working on new tricks to add to my routines. I had been working on perfecting my 4-baton trick for a performance. On January 27th I performed my 4-baton trick at a basketball game in Mackey Arena for the first time! I was very nervous beforehand but so thrilled and proud of myself for going out there and not cutting the trick from the routine! I nailed the trick and the crowd loved it!

February will be a busy month for me and Colleges Against Cancer. One of the main events we have planed is a film showing about cancer education for World Cancer Day on February 4th. One last thing I want to leave you with is:

1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will get cancer in their lifetime.

With statistics like that, every single one of us on this planet has a connection to cancer. World Cancer Day 2011 is the time to say that we've all had enough of this terrible disease and send a message across the globe!

2011 Miss Hoosier Heartland

What a joyous Holiday season it has been thus far! Leading the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Purdue “All-American” marching band was so surreal. I can now officially say `I performed on the Macy's star in New York City!' Upon our arrival back to Indiana, it was straight to rehearsal in preparation for the football game the following day.

December 4th was my first appearance with my Miss Hoosier Heartland/Miss Hoosier Valley family at the Kokomo Santa event. What started off as a snowy blizzard day turned into a winter wonderland! I woke up that morning to roads covered in snow and a car with malfunctioning windows. While in route to Kokomo, I called my mother stating my stress and panic. I knew I couldn't disappoint the Kokomo community and that I HAD to persevere through the 'storm'. I played my favorite Christian radio station, said many prayers and made it to Kokomo safely, and with time to spare! My car windows were finally fixed by the time I arrived in Kokomo; to this day I don't dare touch those windows!

Upon my arrival I was greeted by my sister queen, Erika Tishner, and my Outstanding Teen, Brianna Barmes. I was off to make snowmen crafts with the children while Brianna helped write letters to Santa and Erika assisted families with seeing Santa inside his home with Mrs. Claus, who was located outside. Due to the cold and weather conditions, the three of us rotated stations during the event to stay as warm as possible. While I was helping a little girl write her letter to Santa, she decided she wanted a crown just like mine. Only her crown had to be better, as she said. She wanted a rainbow colored crown with sparkles!

The following day I twirled in the Lafayette Christmas parade with the band. After the Macy*s parade, this one was a breeze. The only difference was in New York it wasn't snowing and as cold! The parade was a great way to end my fall 2010 twirling season with the band, what a wonderful and blessed season it has been!

On the evening of December 6th, I went Christmas caroling in Lafayette with my club, Purdue's Colleges Against Cancer. We traveled through the neighborhoods; door to door, dressed in our festive attire, all bundled up! The goal of our caroling was to not only spread Holiday cheer, but to also raise awareness about Purdue's Relay For Life event and to collect donations. In just one hour we were able to raise $128! It was a cold evening, but very successful!

At Purdue I also serve as President of the honor society, Sigma Alpha Lambda. On December 8th we held our end of the semester Holiday Social where we made Christmas cards for the children at Riley's Children's Hospital, the only Children's Miracle Network hospital in Indiana. Over Christmas break I will be delivering these cards to the children; I look forward to playing Santa's little helper!

November 18, 2010

Wow! What a busy past few months it has been, where do I begin?

First off, I am so thrilled and honored to be 2011 Miss Hoosier Heartland! I am so blessed to have this wonderful opportunity in my life and look forward to representing the Hoosier Heartland area at Miss Indiana in June.

Since August, twirling as Miss Boilerette with the “All-American” Marching Band has kept me very busy! Some of you may not know this about me, but since the second grade it has been my dream and goal to twirl in a feature position at Purdue University. I was honored and privileged to have been a part of the twirling team for the past three years, but that wasn't my ultimate goal. Through dedication and perseverance, I was named Miss Boilerette for the 2010-2011 season. Miss Boilerette is the newly created feature twirler position. Being the first twirler selected for the position is such an honor, I can't even begin to describe what this means to me.

As Miss Boilerette, I have kept busy performing at all home football games, the Notre Dame and University of Illinois football games, a volleyball game, outreach performances at nursing homes, elementary schools and on campus. Currently the band is preparing for their debut performance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We will be the first Big Ten Band to appear in the parade…..and we are the lead band for the parade!

In addition to serving as the feature twirler for the marching band, I serve as the Cancer Education officer for the Purdue Colleges Against Cancer. Through Colleges Against Cancer I am able to promote my platform of Cancer Awareness throughout campus. In October we held our Relay For Life kick-off event which was a huge success! We also were able to raise over $4,000 selling breast cancer awareness shirts. As the cancer education officer, I designed the back of the shirt:

It is estimated that 40,610 people will die of breast cancer this year. Purdue's student population is 39,726.

Currently I am working on organizing the American Cancer Society's Great American Smoke-out event on Purdue's Campus. The Great American Smoke-out is an event that challenges those who smoke to quit for 24 hrs with the hope that they will continue for the rest of their life

My first official appearance as Miss Hoosier Heartland was earlier in the fall at the Zionsville Lion's Club Fall Festival. Katie Stam, Indiana's first Miss America, Miss Indiana, Gabrielle Reed, and Katie Marak, Miss Indiana's Outstanding Teen, were also in attendance. We all enjoyed some yummy fair food and interacted with the public by participating in the games, handing out balloons, assisting with the train ride and anywhere else the Lion's Club members needed assistance. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a wonderful festival.

Macy's Parade fulfills childhood dream for solo twirler

Rachael Bazzell, Purdue's newest solo twirler as Miss Boilerette, will join the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 25. (Photo provided by Purdue University Bands & Orchestras)

Rachael Bazzell, Purdue's newest solo twirler as Miss Boilerette, will realize one of her childhood dreams when the twirlers lead the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band through Manhattan in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 25.

At her home in New Carlisle, her parents will be glued to the NBC broadcast (which starts at 9 a.m.) because that's what they always do. "Every family has its Thanksgiving traditions and, outside turkey, ours is watching the parade," she says. "It was always my dream to be a Rockette or to perform in the Macy's parade."

By second grade she knew she wanted to be a twirler, not a dancer, and set her sights on Purdue. In 2010, Purdue Bands & Orchestras created the position of Miss Boilerette specifically for her talents.

Not being a Rockette doesn't bother her because twirling has provided equally exciting opportunities like being Miss Purdue -- she won the preliminary talent competition in the Miss Indiana contest. Although the Rockettes' famous kick line is cool, "on the parade route we'll toss under our kicks and they don't do that," she says with a smile.

Bazzell is majoring in cancer biology with the goal of being an oncology research assistant. She plans to do graduate work in Texas after completing her Purdue degree in 2012.

But it's hard for her, and all band members, to concentrate on academics when the parade they've been looking forward to for more than a year is only days away.

Twirling in cold temperatures presents challenges. "When my hands get very, very cold, it stings to catch the baton," Bazzell says.

Macy's requires auxiliary units like Purdue's twirlers, dancers and flags to wear warm-ups during the parade if temperatures are below 40 degrees. As she does at Purdue football games, Bazzell anticipates wearing thermal heat wraps around her waist. She's found that "once your body gets to a certain point you don't feel the cold any more. It's mental strength too. Sometimes you just have to get out and do it."

All five solo twirlers -- including the Golden Girl, Girl in Black, Silver Twins and Miss Boilerette -- plan to twirl the entire 2.65-mile route.

"We practice two hours a day so we are used to constant twirling," she says. Besides, "whenever you're in front of a crowd, you just want to put on a show."

Having never been to New York City before, Bazzell wants "to be a typical tourist and see everything. I want to buy a shirt that says I (heart) New York!"

As a group, the band is planning to visit the Statue of Liberty, and on Thanksgiving night they'll attend the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show.

Undoubtedly the parade will provide the most special memories -- and Thanksgiving Day will start early. It's likely that Purdue will be assigned a 3:30 a.m. or earlier rehearsal in front of Macy's for the TV spotlight number, and everyone has to be in full uniform. For the twirlers that extends to hair and makeup.

"I have to get up two hours before call to do full attire, makeup and hair and be ready to go," Bazzell says.

But it will all be worth it, she says, because "I will actually perform on the star, have that experience, and be able to say 'I stood on the Macy's star at the parade.'"