Today, Jackie Jerlecki of Goshen will remove her Miss Indiana crown and pass the honor on to another young woman. It will be a poignant moment for Jerlecki, who has spent the past year representing the state, and Goshen, as Miss Indiana. And we must say, she represented us well.
Jerlecki is a graduate of Goshen High School and Bowling Green University and is very interested in seeking a career in the arts. Her talent in the pageants she entered, including the national spotlight of the Miss America Pageant, was singing. She also chose to promote the arts as Miss Indiana and spoke often about how the arts are a valuable and uplifting part of the human experience.
Now that she is moving out of her pageant years and into the early years of her working career, Jerlecki intends to continue to use the arts to reach out and touch the lives of young people. Her next step in this process will be to work as a youth minister at Crossroads Church and Ministries in Marshall, Mich. There she will serve as youth director. The church uses arts as part of its ministry to reach young people. We think she will be a good advocate for the youth of the church.
Jerlecki has shown the people of Goshen and Indiana that being a beauty queen is more than skin deep. She has thoughtfully and intelligently represented the state as she traveled to many Hoosier cities and promoted the arts, which in these times of budget cuts in schools and communities, certainly need someone to point out their many benefits.
We can’t help remembering that in a Goshen News article published March 24, we told how Jerlecki encouraged the students at Wakarusa Elementary School to work hard and embrace their education opportunities to improve their lives and reach goals. She assured the students that if they did so, “You’ll be blessed.” That was good advice.
And we think that Jerlecki, as she hands over the Miss Indiana crown tonight, will considered herself blessed because of the many opportunities the title has given her to improve her own life and have a positive influence on young Hoosiers.
For all that you have done for Goshen and Indiana, and for your future service to the children of Marshall, Mich., Jackie, we say “thank you and good luck.”
Opinion
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Jackie Jerlecki
Jackie Jerlecki represented her state well
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