Millbrook High student talks Miss NC Junior Teen recognition
ON YOUTUBE TV AND THE WRAL APP
ON YOUR TV OR STREAMING DEVICE.
TUESDAY IS 15 YEARS OLD AND
ALREADY MAKING WAVES MILLBROOK
HIGHS. JOLISSA WALKER IS
JOINING ME NOW THIS MORNING.
SHE IS YOUR NEW NATIONAL
AMERICAN MISS NORTH CAROLINA
JUNIOR TEEN.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE WITH US THIS MORNING.
FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS
YOU. WHAT A HUGE
ACCOMPLISHMENT. YOU HAVE TO
TELL ME. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN
YOUR NAME WAS ANNOUNCED AND
WHEN YOU WERE CROWNED? YEAH.
SO AT FIRST I WOULD LIKE WIND A
SHOCK. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
AND THEN THE SECOND AT THE
CROWN HIT MY HEAD. I JUST
ORDERED BAWLING MY EYES OUT.
>> AND I SAID ON STAGE FOR LIKE
3 MINUTES IS CRYING. OH, MY
GUYS HAVE. I'M SURE I'M
ASSUMING IT WAS JUST SUCH A
SURREAL MOMENT. YEAH,
ABSOLUTELY. AND TELL ME A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS. WE KNOW
THAT, YOU KNOW, TITLES,
PASSIONS SERVE GO BEYOND THE
CROWN'S. THIS ASHES. TELL ME A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SOCIAL
IMPACT. REALLY THE PLATFORM
THAT YOU WANTED TO REALLY
ENCOURAGE THROUGHOUT YOUR YEAR.
YEAH. SO I WANT TO FOCUS ON
THE RIPPLE OF PROJECT TO BUILD
ON THE BELIEF THAT THE INCRE
OVER BOTH YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOU MAKE WAVES THAT WILL CHANGE
THE WORLD. SO ITS DOING LIKE
EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, HOBBIES
THAT YOU ENJOY DOING. SO, FOR
EXAMPLE, I PERSONALLY ENJOY
COLORING. SO I DID 100 HANDMADE
CARDS FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS.
I FOSTER DOGS THAT DIDN'T
DONATION DRIVE FOR LOCAL ANIMAL
SHELTER AS WELL. AND SO IT'S
JUST DOING THINGS THAT I LOVE
AND TURNING INTO SOMETHING THAT
CAN HELP MY COMMUNITY. YOU'RE
TELLING ME THAT YOU'VE BEEN
DOING PAGEANTS REALLY ABOUT A
YEAR NOW, RIGHT? CORRECT.
YEAH. LAST SUMMER'S MY FIRST
LINE. WOW. WHAT DOES IT TAKE
TO REALLY WIN A TITLE LIKE
THIS? THAT'S A COMPLICATED
QUESTION. YES, LEON, I GUESS
THIS IS REALLY FOCUSING IN ON
DOING THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE
PASSIONATE ABOUT. YOU KNOW, I'M
NOT TRYING TO FOCUS ON
SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T REALLY
KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT. I GUESS WE
ABSOLUTELY AS A FORMER PAGEANT
GIRL MYSELF, I HAVE TO SAY, I
UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S
ALL ABOUT THAT PLATFORM.
AND YEAH, MAKING A DIFFERENCE
WITH IS SOMETHING THAT YOU
REALLY HOPE THAT YOU CAN
CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT AND JUST
IMPACT US. YOU HAVE ON OTHERS.
YEAH, I WILL HAVE THE IMPACT ON
MENTAL HEALTH AND INSPIRING
OTHERS AND SHOWING THEM THAT
NO MATTER WHAT YOU'VE GONE
THROUGH, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
THAT YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO.
ABSOLUTELY. SO HOW CAN PEOPLE
CONTINUE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
TILLIS, A LOCKER? SO I DO HAVE
AN INSTAGRAM PAGE. THE JOLISSA
WALKER AND I POST UPDATES ON MY
PAGEANT LIFE AND MY PERSONAL
PLATFORM. THE RIPPLE PROJECT
AS WELL AS THE WEBSITE. THE
RIPPLE PROJECT DOT CO. OKAY.
SO WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT THIS.
THIS VIRAL VIDEO FROM WHEN YOU
WERE JUST 8 YEARS OLD, RIGHT?
YEAH. REMEMBER ABOUT FINALLY
MEETING AT YOUR BEST FRIEND.
IF YOU CAN GET THAT VIDEO OUT?
SO OBVIOUSLY I WAS CRYING.
I WAS IN SHOCK BECAUSE
>> I NEVER MET HER IN PERSON
BEFORE. AND WE HAD SPENT, I
BELIEVE, WAS 5 YEARS. JUST FACE
TIMING. AND SO OH, MY GOD, JUST
PLAYING. IT IS SO INSANE.
AND SHE'S STILL MY BEST FRIEND.
AND SHE WAS ACTUALLY THERE WHEN
I GOT CROWNED IN GEORGIA, A
VERY IMPORTANT AND SPECIAL
MOMENT TO ME. OH, MY GOSH.
HOW DID THIS START? YOU HAVE TO
TELL ME THE STORY BEHIND THIS.
YES, OR DADS ACTUALLY GREW UP
TOGETHER. THEY WERE BEST
FRIENDS. AND SO AFTER I MOVED
TO NORTH CAROLINA FROM OHIO, I
DIDN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS.
I WASN'T SCHOOL-AGE YET.
>> AND KYLIE, SHE WAS ALSO NOT
IN SCHOOL YET. SO WE CONNECTED
OVER FACETIME AND WE WERE JUST
FACETIME EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR
OUR YEAH. THAT IS SO SHE WOULD
ELICIT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US AGAIN. WHAT A HUGE
ACCOMPLISHMENT. YOU 15 YEARS
OLD. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE
TO FOLLOW YOUR JOURNEY FOR