We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Rowe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, how do you think about risk?
Every decision we make in our lives can be classified as a risk, even the easy choices! Sometimes, taking the easy way out is a risk in itself. Every day, we wake up and make these decisions and make these risks so we need to stop seeing risks as something we need to be afraid of. As someone who grew up training to one day be on Broadway then all of a sudden gave it all up to do international service work, I know a thing or two about taking a risk. It doesn’t stop there. I took a risk by going overseas multiple times under the age of 20. I took a risk by starting a freelance business in digital design in the middle of the pandemic. I took a risk by spending all of 2019 in over 11 different countries doing service work. I took a risk by competing in the Miss America Organization without any prior knowledge of the program. All these risks I took had their up’s and down’s but there was never a risk I took that didn’t end up in my favor. Everyone has a different story, different goals, and dreams, so when something feels scary, try giving it a shot.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
This is my fourth year with the Miss America Organization! I am your current Miss Anthem 2022 and will be competing for the title of Miss Arizona in June 2022. If all goes well, I hope to represent Arizona at Miss America this winter. My Social Impact is based on my international travels. I noticed that the organization I was with didn’t create a safe space for their volunteers and they did not listen to the communities we worked in. I want to change the way we do service work at every level. I like to define myself as a walking resource so I plan on taking my year to speak out about everything I learned and take time to educate smaller organizations on how to be more sustainable in their practice.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I am Miss Anthem and a former resident of Anthem – I am going to stick to the theme! I would start off with a morning workout at Sweat. I would take them to Amped for coffee, lunch, or drinks. I would see what is currently going on at the Anthem Park like a farmers market, festival, concert, etc. Obviously, we would have to stop by the Anthem Outlets and do some “light” shopping. Finally, I would end our day at Tru Burger for dinner.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this to my parents. They supported me in every dream I have ever had. Now that I am older, I understand that they gave up a lot for me to be where I am today. I hope I can be the same type of parent for my future kids.

Website: charitytheresponsibleway.com

Instagram: missanthemaz

Facebook: missanthemaz

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.