Helping clean my local town has been incredibly rewarding…
I am so fortunate to live in a town that has a beautification program. Keep Mansfield Beautiful, a local chapter of Keep Massachusetts Beautiful, has an adopt-a-street program, where one can volunteer themselves to be the designated street cleaner.
I chose the street at my current address, which unfortunately can become littered with trash due to the heavy foot-traffic of the area. I walk up and down the street with my “trash-grabbers” (provided when you officially join Keep Mansfield Beautiful’s adopt-a-street program) every day to try and catch as much trash as I can.
There is a serene little pond near my home, with adorable ducks and a variety of other wildlife. It’s really quite lovely around sunset. I walk down there and a few surrounding streets as well to try and expand the impact of my efforts.
Many people enjoy the park, and while it is a great community focal point, it unfortunately accumulates lots of small pieces of garbage which is harmful to the flora and fauna of the area.
What is great is that anyone in Mansfield can join their Adopt-A-Street program. What’s even better… anyone can donate their time to help tidy up their neighborhoods! All it takes is some time, even if it’s just a few minutes (and also made better with “trash grabbers” :) ). The world will be made better with your included efforts!
~Caroline Cooney, MWAM 2023
Changes in Local Weather
We’ve been having a strange summer here in Massachusetts in regards to weather!
The beginning of the season we saw a cool, wet summer - almost as if an extended spring. And then since July, we have had 6 confirmed tornadoes in Massachusetts (2, that I know of, in my hometown of Mansfield)!
According to NPR, we just experienced the hottest summer ever recorded (Borunda, Alejandra; NPR), as we saw many 100+°F heat waves across our country.
We are seeing the consequences of climate change in our daily lives. I encourage us all to consider the changes we’re seeing, and what we can each personally do to try and mitigate our own environmental impact. We cannot wait for others to take action - we must be the change we want to see in the world.
~Caroline Cooney, MWAM 2023
Works Cited:
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/14/1193723648/just-how-hot-was-july-hotter-than-anything-on-record#:~:text=Frayer%2FGetty%20Images-,It%20was%20scorching%20hot%20across%20much%20of%20the%20planet%20this,F%20on%20the%20worst%20days.
Logging on for 2023!
It all begins with an idea.
Hello everyone! My name is Caroline Cooney and I am so excited to be logging on as your current reigning MISS MASSACHUSETTS WORLD 2023!!! AAAHHH I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!!! Words cannot describe the gratitude I feel for receiving this title. It is truly an honor to represent my beautiful home state of Massachusetts at the prestigious Miss America World pageant on October 5th!!!
The Miss World pageant is the oldest international pageant on earth, and has the renowned legacy of their Beauty With A Purpose (TM) [BWAP] program. Each queen has the immense privilege to create their own service project and serve the community and world around them. I am so elated to be announcing my very own service project in my next post!
To let you know a little bit more about myself, I hail from my hometown of Mansfield MA! I attended UMass Boston’s Honors College on a full-ride scholarship, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a major in Communication, a minor in English, and a minor in criminal justice. During my time at UMass Boston, I was fortunate enough to create and present my thesis work on the connection between school spending and juvenile arrest rates. I was able to closely work with those at the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (MA DPYS) about the work they do and trends that they see. I also wrote advocating to the Massachusetts Department of Health, beginning a dialogue about the dangers of PFAS being deposited into the environment here in our home state. You will be happy to learn that many suggestions made in my initial letter have been reflected in the new state laws!
I have also had an extensive career modeling around the world, having been published in major fashion magazines such as Vogue London and British Vanity Fair, and additionally walking national and international runways. Fashion has become such a passion of mine, and has proven to be an amazing opportunity to connect with creative and like-minded individuals. I very much advocate for shopping local fashion brands, as it is better for the environment and small businesses. You can find plenty of the designers and businesses I’ve worked with on my social media pages!
Currently, I am working as a legal secretary under 3 partners at a highly regarded law firm in the financial district (hint hint… they were just awarded Mass Lawyer’s Weekly’s Empowering Women Award!!!) I very much look up to all of those I work for and with, and hope one day to be a lawyer like them. I am currently studying for my LSAT exam to make this dream come true!
And of course, no queen can reign without the support of her community - and so I want to thank my loving family, incredible fiancee, amazing friends, fantastic workplace, wonderful town and state community, and of course you as well! Ecstatic to be on this journey with you all!
And so… THE COUNTDOWN TO OCTOBER BEGINS!!!