Miss Northwest Arkansas Uses Crown for a Cure
By: Nina Criscuolo
Updated: April 13, 2011
A University of Arkansas student is using some recent success to raise breast cancer awareness.
Tracy Neal was crowned miss Northwest Arkansas in February and from the beginning her cause for the crown was clear.
"For me the platform just kind of came natural," says Tracy.
She has been a dedicated volunteer for Susan G. Komen for the cure long before she entered pageants.
"It really is remarkable how many people are involved, and love it, and are passionate about it, and just want make a difference," says Tracy.
Now she is using her title of Miss Northwest Arkansas and her crown to convince teens to support the search for a cure.
Tracy spends hours inside schools talking with students about the risks of breast cancer and what they can do to help.
"If we can get the information to the students, we're hoping they take it home and are conveying that information to the parents," says Tracy.
She hopes her efforts with Teens for the Cure will help close the gap in breast cancer education and awareness in younger generations and minorities.
"Being able to translate the information to them and get it out to all the different ethnicities is still at a high demand," says Tracy.
So she's making sure her crown will serve as a glimmer of hope for those people searching for a cure.
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