Meet the Inspiring Homecoming Queen Trying to Make a Difference
The beauty of Laney High School homecoming queen Jessie Guillaume is even more powerful on the inside.
The Wilmington, North Carolina teen wants to use her win — and invitation to compete in the Autozone Liberty Bowl’s homecoming queens’ national pageant on Jan. 2 — as a way to shine a light on others. Guillaume, who has cerebral palsy, declares that one of the most important reasons she wants to participate in the national contest is to inspire other kids with a disability. “I want to prove to myself, as well as to others,” she tells Yahoo Parenting, “that you can do anything and that you shouldn’t be defined by your disabilities.”
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Actually winning her hometown title was a sweet surprise. “I was, like, looking around to see if it was me, and I was very excited,” she told WWAY. “I was so blessed.”
(Photo: Jessie Guillaume/Facebook)
But the teen has her eyes on the bigger prize: impressing the judges, and any child with a health challenge, who happens to be watching the national event in Memphis, Tenn. It’ll be a large audience too, according to the event’s website, which describes how “each Queen is adorned in a special outfit designed exclusively for the Queens for this special appearance in the Bowl’s annual parade in front of thousands of fans.”
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“It’s going to be on ESPN, we get to visit the kids from Saint Jude, we get to be in parade, we get to be in these different events,” said Guillaume. “I would love, love to get this wonderful experience.”
(Photo: WWAY)
All she needs is $1,500 to help her get there, so the self-described “people person” is fundraising online and in her community, all by herself, focused on making her dream a reality.
Jessie Guillaume practices her pageant stride with the help of her walking sticks (Photo: WWAY).
Guillaume’s determination has already proven to be powerful. “When I was younger it was very tough adapting and learning how to cope with [my cerebral palsy],” admitted the teen, who relies on lightweight pink crutches to help her walk. But now, she declared, “I don’t let it stop me.”
To help the homecoming queen get to the national pageant Jan. 2, you can contribute to her fundraising page at gofundme.com/Jessie-homecoming.
(Photo above, and at top: WWAY)
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