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news@newslj.com April 30, 2015 --C5~ ~,
Prom
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Pam Penfield/NLJ
Jeri Tapp and Nancy Darnell greet excited prom attendees as they pick up their flowers
for the big event at Treasured Florals and Gifts.
Miss Wyoming tells students
to control their own happiness
Denice Pisciotti
NLJ Reporter
Spending Summers guiding
tourists on horseback, with
no electricity or modern con-
veniences, may not sound
like a life a beauty pageant
winner would appreciate, but
that is exactly what 2014 Miss
Wyoming Jessie Allen prefers,
and it was an experience she
described to Newcastle Middle
School students last Monday
afternoon.
"Some people call me a
princess, but I don't think of
myself that way, I worked
really hard to accomplish a
goal that I set out for myself. I
think of myself as a ranch girl
who is very passionate about
the outdoors but who just hap-
pened to enter a pageant. And
it was becaus'e of growing up
on a ranch and it was because
of my love for the outdoors,
the lessons that I learned from
that lifestyle, that I brought
forth to accomplish my dream
of,becoming Miss Wyoming,'
Allen began.
The Allen's Diamond Four
Ranch is operated by the family
every summer in the Wind
River Mountain range, about
an hour and a half from Lander,
and she shared with students
the life lessons she had learned
while guiding people on horse-
back. Visitors from all over the
world come to the ranch to
experience wilderness life in
Wyoming, and Allen's job is to
lead visitors into the mountains
on horseback--- where they can
explore nature on their own--
or accompany them on guided
pack trips.
"So up at the ranch we don't
have electricity. Who here can
imagine life without electricity?
That's how I was raised. So
even though I didn't have video
games, x-box or Wi-Fi or cell
phones or any of that, I couldn't
have cared less. The way I spent
my days was building things.
I always loved to work with
wood-- building rafts, forts and
go-carts-- and riding my horse
bareback down to the creek to
fish or swim," she said.
As a child she wanted to be
doing what her friends were
doing, but now she realizes how
valuable her upbringing was.
She returns every summer to
the ranch to work.
Spending her childhood
outdoors didn't just make her
physically healthy. It also made
her happier and more excited
about life. She encouraged
them to find outlets of that
nature, noting that her first pack
trip alone into the mountain to
guide fishermen was accom-
plished at the age of 13, and
that was the average age of her
audience in the Crouch audito-
rium.
She also gave students an
example of a time when she
had to work through a chal-
lenge and move forward with
courage. At the age of 16, she
was given the responsibility
of being the wrangler for a
group of fishermen, and guide
them by horseback into a lake
which would take nine hours
to get to. Once the men were
at the destination, she was to
ride the eine hours back home
alone.
The men were surprised
to learn she was the only one
guiding them on the journey,
: :
Denice Pisciotti/NLJ
Jessie Allen told Newcastle Middle School students that her
life hasn't been a bed of roses, and she generally wears a
cowboy hat instead of a crown.
but a couple hours into the trip
it began to rain and she proved
capable of meeting the chal-
lenge. As they climbed up over
the 1,200 foot pass, the rain
turned to hail, then snow, with
lightning less than a mile away.
"I was looking back at
these guys and they were
going strong, but after a while
they started squirming and
squealing. So here l am com-
forting them along the way
saying, 'Come on guys we can
do this! We are going to make
it!' So it was a little humbling
for them to have a 16-year
old girl constantly checking on
them, making sure they were
okay," Allen recalled.
After seeing the fishermen
safely to the destination, she
rode the nine hours back to
the ranch in the snow storm
and pitch black, arriving about
2 a.m. When the men saw her
again, they apologized for
underestimating their young
guide.
The wilderness guide
explained to the students how
she learned to keep pushing
forward through all obstacles
with a positive attitude, with
courage and determination,
as she did to get to her des-
tination that night. By being
positive and courageous, she
pushed through the feelings of
being judged or underestimated
because she was a girl doing a
man's job.
"So, whenever you are
feeling as though you are facing
an obstacle, just keep moving
forward with courage. Don't
allow yourself to feel like the
victim. Make it into a situa-
tion where you can rise above
and keep pushing forward with
courage and a positive attitude,"
she encouraged the teenagers.
Even though the men in her
story were not being very nice
to her to begin with, she still
had to be nice to them. Her
parents had taught her to be
kind to everyone-- no matter
what their religion or culture,
what they looked like or how
they acted. The important thing
was to sincerely and genuinely
try to make a connection with
everyone.
"I realized that is not just
something you should do in the
hospitality business, but that
is something you should do in
life. Sincerely be interested and
make a connection with those
around you because the words
that you say and the actions that
you show towards others can
have an everlasting impact. You
may not always realize that,
but it is very, very true," Allen
professed.
The 2012 University of
Wyoming communications and
marketing graduate detailed
several of her adventures since
completing high school and
college. After completing her
education at UW, Allen had
the opportunity to spend seven
months in the winter back-
packing through New Zealand,
working and learning outdoor
skills with National Outdoor
Leadership School.
Before being crowned Miss
Wyoming in May 2014, she
spent a winter in Thailand
learning how to be a yoga
instructor.
After competing in the
Miss America competition in
Atlanta, Georgia in September,
Allen returned to the ranch
to do a few more pack trips
and cook for hunters before
returning to the road as Miss
Wyoming. This winter, Allen
has been traveling around the
state, touring about 30 towns,
attending schools and various
events as Miss Wyoming.
"It's been a lot of fun, and
I encourage kids to just get out
there and do stuff. Embrace
adventure, eagerly seeking
out opportunities for growth
because you only have one life.
So make the best of it and
go explore!" Miss Wyoming
declared.
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