Triton Elementary Principal Rebecca Dennis (right) introduces Miss Indiana (and Plymouth High School grad) Nicole Rash. pilot Photo/ Angel Perkins

By Angel Perkins Staff Writer
BOURBON — Plymouth’s own Nicole Rash, or as many know her as Miss Indiana, came to Bourbon to visit Triton Elementary students.
Complete with a beauty queen’s sparkling crown and dazzling smile, Rash spoke to the audience of students and teachers about generosity, goals and character.
She said the national platform (of the beauty pageant) focused on the honorable works of the Children’s Miracle Network which included Indiana’s Riley Children’s Hospital of Indianapolis, of which several local students have benefited from their services offered. As a representative of the highest ideals of a state pageant, she has done more than making appearances and giving speeches across the state but also volunteers for many humanitarian initiatives.
“Riley never turns a child away from treatment because they don’t have enough money,” she said and then praised the students for being such strong supporters in raising money for the hospital in the past. “As a contestant I have to raise $500 for the hospital,” she said. “You guys raised $1,500 last year. If every school did as well as you did, they would be able to pay for more things that they need.”
She also spoke of other things she has done working with the public. “I worked for a radio-a-thon to raise money for local shelters,” she said. “I’ve played with dolphins, touched an elephant and I volunteer at the Riley Children’s Hospital. I also help Spanish-speaking persons to better understand our language.”
As an example of her fluent speaking of the language and to demonstrate a little of what talent she has for singing, she gave a short, acappella version of the song “Bandito” that she will sing during the  Miss America Pageant.
“This is a love song about a man who stole away a girl’s heart,” she explained to the group gathered.
She said she had learned the song while in Bolivia, Chile and told the children that as Miss Indiana and explained that breaking down language barriers was her personal, pageant platform. After the performance, she humbly accepted the roars of applause and explained that being a beauty pageant winner and contestant not only represents expressing the highest ideals for oneself and not only focused on beauty or intelligence. “It’s not just about who is the prettiest, the tallest, the thinnest, but also about being healthy, taking care of yourself and being the best person you can be.”
Rash then explained what each of the four points on her Miss Indiana crown represented. “They stand for scholarship, style, service and success,” she said. “We have little successes every day and we have bigger successes by making goals for ourselves. We don’t all have to be the same size, or shape or have the same color hair or skin but we need to be caring, sharing and giving to one another.”
She advised the children to embrace other cultures and people different from themselves. Triton Elementary Principal Rebecca Dennis asked Rash about being a pageant winner and contestant.
“Of course, when I was a little girl I liked to dress up and I watched the pageant very year,” she said. “I didn’t become involved in pageant competition until high school when I learned it could also help me with scholarships to college.”
Rash said she was currently a student at Ball State University and that she was studying fashion and design. “My favorite part of the pageant is the evening gown competition; that’s when I really feel like a princess. Being Miss Indiana is the most fun I’ve ever had.”
Dennis asked how the judges can interpret a contestant’s character and Rash explained that character is shown through the interview process rather that by what is seen on television. “They see character through what we’ve done, what our goals are and the kind of lives we lead,” she said.
Rash encouraged the children to watch her on the Miss America Pageant on when it is aired on channel TLC January 26 and explained that if she were to win, she would be the first contestant from Indiana to ever win the competition.
She also told them to try their best at whatever they do and to pursue things that they liked. Rash said, “As long as you want it and work for it, your dreams can become a reality for you too.”