What are your hobbies?
I enjoy dancing, singing, traveling, cooking, volunteering, collecting Nutcrackers, attending Ole Miss sporting events, and my weekly girl's night out.

What makes you special and unique?
My ability to work well with children makes me special and unique. Years of volunteering for children in hospitals has shown me that I have the gift to work with and help children.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice I have ever received is that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Also, your character is how you act when no one is watching.

Name one thing you cannot live without.
Laughter. I am a firm believer that laughter truly is the best medicine. It can always get me through tough times.

What is the most valuable lesson you ever learned?
I have learned that just because you want something to happen to or for you, it does not mean it will. Anything in life worth having takes prayer, preparation, and a lot of hard work to attain.

Who is your most valued role model and why?
My mom is my most valued role model. She has a strong faith, along with such a caring nature about her for our family, friends, and community. She is the go-to person for advice, care and organizing for so many people. Her constant love and support have shown me how to be the best I can be. She is my biggest fan and more importantly, she has been my best friend.

What was your most unexpected moment?
My most unexpected moment was when I found out I had been selected to be a reporter for the Ole Miss NewsWatch Television Station. I love to meet and talk to people anyway, and this has allowed me to interview people that I ordinarily would not have been able to meet.

What is your workout routine?
I have a standard workout of alternating cardio with weight training. I have been very persistent, and I have been blessed with great friends who join me at the gym. We support each other and keep it fun!

What has been your biggest accomplishment to date?
My grandmother is a gourmet cook in her kitchen. My biggest accomplishment to date has been learning to cook like her. It is still a work-in-progress, but it has become a passion of mine to be creative in the kitchen.

What is the best compliment you have ever received?
A friend who used to dance with me said she admired my dedication to my dance. She said that when she watched me dance, it was as if she were right up there next to me, taking every turn and leap with me.

What is your secret wish?
My secret wish would be to be a model for a major clothing designer and to walk the runway in their beautiful fashions...or maybe to be a news or sports broadcaster for television. I love to talk to and about everyone and everything!

What was your most embarrassing moment?
Once I was stopped by a police officer for driving too slow. He said he was concerned, but my friends in the car with me told him 'she always drives like a Mammaw'! At that point, there was nothing I could say! I did not realize you could actually get stopped for 'driving too slow'!

What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Ice Cream!....Any Time....Any Day....Any Flavor!!

What is your favorite movie and why?
I love "Cinderella" and "Sweet Home Alabama". What can I say? I am a hopeless romantic! I love a movie where the girl gets her prince!

What is your favorite color and why?
Blue is the color we associate with the sky and the ocean...the color blue produces a calm and soothing effect on the mind and body. My love of blue comes from my mom dressing me in blue every chance she could to match my blue eyes. I naturally developed a love for it...and now it calms me during stressful times.

What do you like to do for fun... relaxation... recreation?
I love the water. I have always enjoyed swimming, boating, and even fishing. I also love to travel. While I am at home, I have fun in the kitchen trying out new recipes.

What would be your dream vacation or destination?
A trip to New York City for the shopping, watching the Broadway plays, and seeing the Rockettes!

What do you like best about your hometown?
Madison was recently chosen as one of the ten best towns for families in America, and with very good reasons. Friendly neighborhoods, vibrant arts and cultural programs, well maintained parks, and excellent schools are all Madison hallmarks. I am a part of every one of these features, and I invite everyone to visit soon!

What do you like best about the state of Mississippi, besides our food & hospitality?
I love the recreational versatility of Mississippi. From the beaches to the historical landmarks to the state parks - every region has something to offer. We are also proud of our sports in Mississippi, whether it is to watch and cheer, or to participate.

What's in your CD player or on your iPod right now?
The Beatle's greatest hits!!

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
In ten years, I will be working in a children’s hospital as the Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics….or at least almost there! I also see myself being married and having started a family of my own.

Who am I?
Who is Brooke Beard? I am a junior at the University of Mississippi, and I am an avid supporter of Ole Miss (Hotty Toddy!) and the Oxford community. I have had wonderful opportunities come to me while in college, from the academic to the spiritual to the social events. I have made lifelong friends that have helped me grow and that have allowed me to stay grounded in my beliefs and values. I have taken every opportunity to become involved in all areas of the campus, starting with the Ole Miss Dance Company, being a Diamond Girl for the Ole Miss Baseball Team, active in my sorority, to being blessed with membership in Order of Omega, Mortar Board, Lambda Sigma Society, Alpha Lambda Delta, and Gamma Beta Phi. After obtaining my degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, I plan to enter graduate school to obtain my masters degree.

I have been dancing since the age of four, and I still love the feeling that I get when I can be on a stage and give my all to entertain a crowd. At the same time, I am most enthusiastic about my chosen path to graduate in a career that will allow me to help children. I have been a volunteer at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children for over five years. I have seen first hand the love and support that the doctors, nurses, and volunteers have for these young patients and their families. While volunteering there, I have seen the many avenues that are available for me, and I look forward to when I can see those young eyes looking at me for my help and expertise.

On a lighter note, I must say that I have a passion for ice cream, Godiva chocolates, and sweet tea! I could not live without my planner, but I always enjoy a spur-of-the-moment bit of fun! My family is very important to me, and they are my most loyal and supportive fans. ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ God has blessed me with many talents, and I take time every day to thank Him and how He continues to allow me to use my gifts to serve him.

Tell us about your occupational experience.
I have had several part-time jobs during my breaks from school, both during high school and college. These jobs have ranged from being an instructor for ballet classes and for cheer camps, working for the city Parks & Recreation department, to being a McRae’s Trendsetter, where I modeled and worked as a sales associate. My most recent two jobs have been to be an associate for a Merle Norman Cosmetic studio in Madison and to be an after-school day care worker for First Presbyterian Church Day Care in Jackson. These last two have been the most fun for me. First of all, to be able to ‘work’ with make-up...that’s every girl’s dream, right? And I get to help customers find ‘just that right shade’ that will work for them. They think I’m a miracle worker!! And to work with children at the day care is so fun for me! In addition to fun, I have learned patience in my interactions with the even the loudest ones! This opportunity has allowed me to use many of my creative skills and yet I get to show them my sense of humor every day! They keep me focused on what is really important every day!

Tell us about your platform.
My first visit to the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson was in 2001. I was visiting a friend who had been diagnosed with leukemia; and yet while I was there, my fourteen year old mind was in awe of the facilities. My friend seemed so happy to be there under her very difficult circumstances. She talked about her doctors and nurses and volunteers and even took me on a tour of her floor. I left that visit knowing that I wanted to go back soon; I wanted to volunteer at this very special hospital that catered specifically to children. My mother and I began taking toys and books to patients for the next several years, and when I turned sixteen, I began volunteering as a Child Life Volunteer.

The Children's Miracle Network is the alliance of premier hospitals for children. Having been a child-life volunteer for five years at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, I have seen first-hand the care and support of doctors and nurses to these young patients and their families. Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children is the only hospital in the state of Mississippi devoted exclusively to the care and treatment of sick and injured children. It averages 9000 admissions a year, and treats more than 129,000 children at the hospital, it’s pediatric clinics and emergency room each year. Batson Hospital has the state's only pediatric specialists in neurology, cardiology, radiology, as well as home to the state's only children's cancer program. It has the state's only pediatric surgical facility, pediatric intensive care unit, and pediatric emergency room. The funds needed are staggering. The Children's Miracle Network is dedicated to helping kids by raising funds for 170 children's hospitals across North America. These hospitals hold the public trust that "All children are treated, regardless of the family's ability to pay." 100% of all donations stay in the area where they are made.

I want to make everyone aware of The Children's Miracle Network. From a Band-Aid drive at the elementary schools to the telethons and radiothons across the state and nation; everyone can do a part to help in raising funds for hospitals for children. I want everyone to know about these very special hospitals that treat the whole child, not just a disease.