Jordyn Campion will compete for the Miss America's Teen title in September. Meanwhile, she's hoping to grow her community initiative, "No Tread Left Behind". Here's a transcript of her conversation with KC Counts:
KC Counts:
Tell me how long you've been competing in pageants.
Jordyn Campion:
I've been competing in pageants for the past 10 years. I've spent my life growing up in pageantry, and I've learned so much confident skills, public speaking, and a lot of valuable skills that I'll carry with me into my everyday life.
KC Counts:
When do you compete on the national level? I
Jordyn Campion:
compete the end of, or the beginning of September. I'll be in West Palm Beach, competing for the title of Miss America's Teen. I'll be there with my Miss, she'll be competing for Miss America. So I'm very excited for that opportunity to compete on the national stage and be able to spread my impact nationwide.
KC Counts:
And what does that mean to you to spread your impact nationwide?
Jordyn Campion:
So my CSI, my community service initiative, is No Tread Left Behind. So I advocate for the end of illegal dumping for less people to illegally dump tires and trash. So I go out in the desert and I pick up trash. How long have you tires? How long
KC Counts:
have you been doing that?
Jordyn Campion:
For the past three years, my first cleanup was 48 tires removed, and since then I've removed 225
KC Counts:
Did you start going out and picking up trash and then decide to do the community initiative, or was it the other way around? What inspired it?
Jordyn Campion:
They went hand in hand. The community initiative, being able to spread my message, message through pageantry gave me the courage to pursue the things that I was passionate for. And then I just saw an issue, and I wanted to be a part of the solution.
KC Counts:
Yeah. Do you have a concept of, like, how extensive the problem is in our region?
Jordyn Campion:
It's very extensive, especially in our region. I mean, just for me, removing 225 tires from our deserts in the past three years has shown me that there is such a problem, and that there's so much more that I have not been able to address yet.
KC Counts:
So, you know they're not lightweight. Do you have a group of folks that go out and do that heavy lifting together?
Jordyn Campion:
Well, I am the one who will push them up, the push them up the hills. My dad and my brother will help sometimes, but majority of the time I am the one.
KC Counts:
So, what? What goes into that? What do you do with tires once you collect a few and haul them away,
Jordyn Campion:
so I have a partnership with the South Central Solid Waste Authority. So they let me take nine tires every month to be properly disposed of. So being able to have that partnership has made the project more sustainable.
KC Counts:
Nine, that's far fewer than the amount that you collect. So what do we do with the rest of them?
Jordyn Campion:
Well, sometimes I will just keep them at my house until we have a month where we don't have as much tires and be able to bring those there, or if there's a month that we aren't able to go out, we'll bring them that. Do you have any idea about what we need to do to maybe make that recycling more accessible to folks? We need to share about where they can dispose of them, that's not the middle of our deserts, and just I know that there are financial struggles and financial barriers to this, but I am trying to work with different groups on getting a tire amnesty day, where people can bring their tires in for free to be properly disposed of.
KC Counts:
Oh, good, that's what stage end of development are you now with that?
Jordyn Campion:
It's still pretty new. I'm still trying to find a partner who will help with the cost of that.
KC Counts:
Yeah, yeah. So, tell me, what you'll be doing between now and September when you compete for Miss America's Teen.
Jordyn Campion:
There's so much preparation that goes into it, from traveling to Atlanta to do head shots to working on our CS eyes here at home, and really just growing our public speaking skills, growing our impact and our messages, and finding businesses who will help us with that.
KC Counts:
What is the funniest or weirdest or most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you while you were competing in a pageant?
Jordyn Campion:
I have tripped a few times, I'm not gonna lie. There are times where you stumble over your dress or you follow going up the stairs, which I have done, but it's really not about falling, it's about how you get back up.
KC Counts:
Anything I haven't asked you about yet that you'd like for folks to know?
Jordyn Campion:
Would love for folks to know how amazing the Miss America opportunity is. I've, I have gained so much from confidence to scholarships, so I'd recommend for every young girl in New Mexico to look into this and be able to learn what they can grow, how they can grow from it, and get those scholarships for college.
KC Counts:
All right, Jordan Campion. Thank you so much. Best of luck with No Tread Left Behind and the pageant. Tell folks where they can go to learn more about that initiative.
Jordyn Campion:
So you can follow me on Instagram at Miss Americas Teen NM or at im dot Jordan Campion to be able to see all the behind the scenes footage and all the impact I'm making.
KC Counts:
All right, Jordan. Thanks so much for spending this time with us. It was great getting to know you.
Jordyn Campion:
Thank you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
