What are your hobbies?
I enjoy playing the flute, singing, spending time with my friends, watching football, supporting my school, playing with my little brother, watching The Weather Channel, shopping, and talking on the phone.

What makes you special and unique?
I have big brown eyes that express a multitude of thoughts and messages. Without opening my mouth, others can read my mind.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice I have ever received it that it is easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're number one. What you've got to have is faith and discipline when you're not yet a winner.

Name one thing you cannot live without.
I could not live without my hair dryer--nothing is worse than a bad hair day.

What is the most valuable lesson you ever learned?
The most valuable lesson that I learned is that success if not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.

Who is your most valued role model and why?
My PawPaw Wayne is my most valued role model, and without a doubt, he was my biggest fan. He always encouraged me to do my best, and even when I didn't succeed, he was always there to let me know he believed in me. PawPaw also loved people unconditionally, and he would do anything he could to help others.

What was your most unexpected moment?
My most unexpected moment has to be when my name was announced as the winner of the Miss East Central Mississippi preliminary. I had always dreamed of competing in The Miss Mississippi Pageant, and at the moment I was crowned Miss East Central, I realized that my dream was coming true.

What is your workout routine?
Because of my busy schedule, I try to incorporate walking, lifting small weights, and eating healthy in order to live a balanced life style. I usually end my day with an ab workout and leg exercises. When possible, I enjoy Pilates and working out with heavier weights.

What has been your biggest accomplishment to date?
As a high school sophomore, I became the youngest drum major at my school in 25 years. Even though I felt very inadequate, I stepped up attempting to fill a major leadership role in our band. Over the next three years, I gained a tremendous amount of confidence, and I learned what it truly means to be a leader. I now possess the confidence and abilities required to successfully lead my band. When I look back at how scared I was in the beginning, I realize that without a doubt I have matured as a young leader and developed leadership skills that will help me throughout my life.

What is the best compliment you have ever received?
The last fours years I have participated in my school's drama production. After the play, the cast stands in line greeting the audience and each year a child has asked for my autograph.

What is your secret wish?
My wish is to one day, as an employee of The Weather Channel, report live as a hurricane makes land fall.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
As I was leaving a pep rally, I tripped over a bass drum. I then proceeded to flip and roll down the bleachers. I finally landed on my feet; however, the entire student body got the laugh of their lives.

What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
I am obsessed with shoes. When I have had a bad day or even a good day, a new pair of shoes is always in order.

What is your favorite movie and why?
My favorite movie is Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." When I was a little girl, I watched this movie with my mother thousands of times. I could say every word along with Belle, and I still remember my mother crying every time the Beast turned into a prince.

What is your favorite color and why?
Red is my favorite color because it is so bold and bright!! If you see something red, you have to stop, look, and investigate. Of course, red also symbolizes love, and love is what life is all about.

What do you like to do for fun... relaxation... recreation?
I love to sit down with a box of wheat thins and watch my favorite television shows.

What would be your dream vacation or destination?
I would love to go to Italy, and fortunately, I will be going with my school during Spring Break.

What do you like best about your hometown?
I come from a very small town where every one knows every one! No matter where you go you see people you know, and you never feel alone. If you ever need anything, someone is always willing to lend a hand. Chances are, they are even related to you one way or another.

What do you like best about the state of Mississippi, besides our food & hospitality?
Mississippi is a beautiful state. From the beautiful magnolias that line our highways to the elegant antebellum homes that can be found in Natchez, Mississippi is full of amazing places to visit and full of God's splendor.

What's in your CD player or on your iPod right now?
My iPod is full of contemporary christian music. Casting Crowns, Kutless, Jeremy Camp, and Barlow Girl are my favorite artists, and their praise songs provide me with inspiration to help me make it through the day.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
In ten years, I see myself working at The Weather Channel making sure I keep all of my friends in Mississippi aware of their weather for the day. I plan on making sure Mississippi is not forgotten in the daily forecast.

Who am I?
Energetic, bold, driven, thankful, opininated, blessed, spoiled--these are just a few of the words that describe me, Amber Winstead. As the only daughter in the family and as the middle child, I sometimes find myself getting by with more things than my brothers. My brother, Jonathan and Noah, are good sports, and we really enjoy spending time together. I love to talk to Jonathan because he is full of good advice, and Noah is just fun to be around. Since I consider my family to be very important, we enjoy spending a lot of time together. From vacationing every summer to attending college football games, my favorite times are usually spent with my family. I feel very blessed to have a supportive family.

When I think of the things I want to accomplish, one of my main goals is to be a good friend. I consider friends to be a priceless possession. However, in order to have a true friend, I must first be a true friend. I strive to be honest and dependable with my friends, and they return these same things. Genuine friends, the ones you can count on in good times as well as bad times, are a rare blessing, and they are to be treasured. On a lighter note, some of the things I enjoy include singing, playing the flute, shopping, and talking on the phone. My favorite meal would be my grandmother's chicken and dumplings, fried okra, butterbeans, corn, and homemade cinnamon rolls. I enjoy spending time with my youth group at County Line Baptist Church. From singing in the youth choir, learning Bible Drills, and helping with the senior adults and children, my youth group encourages me and reminds me again of how I am blessed.

Tell us about your occupational experience.
The only job I have ever had is that of being a student. My parents always told my brothers and me that our job was to go to school, learn everything possible, step up and be a leader, and help our community. If we would do these things, they would provide everything we needed and some of the things we wanted. As a result of my parent's wishes, my "job" has proven to be very rewarding. My school, Union High School, has very high academic standards, and because of this, many hours have been spent studying and preparing for classes. This has shown me that with a lot of hard work, I can learn anything! Also through my school, I have discovered the joys of community service. Through my work with Beta Club, Student Council, FCA, and FBLA, I have learned that the greatest job each of us has is to help those less fortunate. I enjoy working with senior citizens and helping the disadvantage families in my hometown. True happiness and contentment are found by helping others.

Tell us about your platform.
I chose the platform of "Encouraging Reading Enjoyment in Elementary Students" in hopes of making an impact in a young person's life. As a young child, I did not enjoy reading, and I never found reading interesting. Now, as a high school student, I wish I had enjoyed reading more as a young child. I have had to develop a passion for reading that I should have had as an elementary student. Throughout my high school years, I realized how much I missed by not enjoying reading, and I do not want any elementary students to miss out on all the great things reading has to offer. I have become involved in several activities to promote reading enjoyment. Presently I am working with the "Reading to Read" initiative in Union Elementary Schools. I help low-achieving students improve their reading skills by working with them on an individual basis. I have helped organize a book drive in order to gather books for students who might not have books of thier own to read. I have also worked at our school's book fair by helping students find a book they might enjoy. After school, I help with a mentoring program that assists students with their school work, and I have had opportunities to encourage reading through this program. Through all of these programs, I hope to spark an excitement for learning and reading in these students. Hopefully, these students will enjoy reading as young children, and their excitment will continue as they grow older. In high school, they will be required to read, and hopefully, they will not view reading as an assignment but as an opportunity to learn something new. I have received many blessings from my involvement with these students, and I know that this is only the beginning.