Hanging Out in Minnesota by Sabra Carlin

Hello everyone! On December 15, I flew back home to Minnesota for my winter break from Gallaudet university. It was so great to be back home!

The day after I arrived, I went to Thompson Memorial Hall for the Christmas event hosted by Galinda K. Goss-Kuehn. She asked me to sign the song "Jingle Bells" and read a Christmas book to about thirty young children. I also helped the children play games and make crafts. With those games, there were no awards for best performance – the whole point was to let children have fun! They then became very excited because they got to meet Deaf Santa. The room was full of joy, and I enjoyed watching the children.

I spent my entire break in Minnesota. I attended several practice interviews to get ready for the intense week of pageant competition at the Miss Deaf America Pageant in New Orleans this July. I also spend time with my buddies and family, especially with my cherished younger sister who currently attends the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault.

During my last weekend in Minnesota, I attended the National Clerc Classic basketball tournament, which had eight schools participating. I went each day from Thursday to Saturday and watched many splendid games. On Saturday, I represented Minnesota with my crown and sash. I was surprised and touched at how many young girls wanted my autograph.

Before the boys’ championship game between Maryland and Indiana on Saturday evening of the tournament, I signed the National Anthem with all teams’ cheerleaders. This event was videotaped and shown on the Deaf Nation website. Several friends who were not at the tournament were able to participate by watching the video clips on www.deafnation.com. That long weekend was a perfect way for me to close my vacation and get ready for my second semester of college life.

I returned to Gallaudet University on January 21 and will be back to Minnesota after school end of year. This will be great time for me to visit different schools and events. I am available for appearances; or the first runner-up was Katy Kelley, who will assume Sabra's duties should Sabra be unable to attend an event or relinquish her crown for any reason. To schedule Miss Deaf Minnesota's appearance at your event, please contact Toni Fairbanks, scheduling agent, at claytoni@tvutel.com. Requests must be made three weeks in advance. When sending your request, please include the following:

1) When is the event?

2) Where is the event?

3) What is the name of your event?

4) What is the purpose for your event?

5) What is the time frame?

6) What would you like Miss Deaf Minnesota to do?

Miss Deaf Minnesota looks forward to working with you! Stay warm and have a great spring!