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Monday, 09 March 2009 |
By ANDREA POTEET
Staff Writer
After delivering a speech about quality assurance in the pork industry Sunday, a New Knoxville teen knew she had a one-in-five chance of walking away with the title of 2009 Auglaize County Pork Industry Queen.
“I was so excited,” Holly Maxwell, said after 2008 queen Paige Becker placed the queen’s sash around her neck at the Auglaize County Pork Producer’s annual banquet. “It was a dream come true.”
Success is nothing new for Maxwell, 18. She has beaten the odds before.
Maxwell lost her left arm in a boating collision on Grand Lake St. Marys in 2001, an experience she said has motivated her toward independence.
“After the accident I realized I needed to learn things by myself,” the New Knoxville High School senior saids. “It’s a great accomplishment knowing I don’t need help from others.”Following her injury, Maxwell enrolled in occupational therapy at Shriner’s Hospital in Lexington, Ky., where her therapists taught her how to do everyday skills with one hand.
The daughter of Angie and Tim Maxwell emerged from the hospital with more than just a new set of skills — she also had a career goal. She plans to attend the University of Findlay in the fall to pursue a degree in occupational therapy.
“When I went through it myself, I was really influenced by how my therapist changed my life,” Maxwell said. “I realized I could give back to others the same way.”
Maxwell said her handicap has not slowed her down.
In addition to balancing school activities like the National Honor Society and the German Club, she has been active in 4-H with the New Knoxville Livestock Boosters for nine years. She is also active in her school’s Pep Club and has served as a counselor at Camp Palmer, a 4-H camp.
She said she chose to run for Pork Industry Queen because her involvement in 4-H made her especially knowledgeable about and fond of pigs. She even posed with a piglet owned by a family friend in her senior photo, which she submitted for the event’s publicity flier.
“I wanted to represent the pork industry and educate people about it,” Maxwell said.
While her family does not raise pigs, Maxwell has shown them for nine years at the Auglaize County Fair and said she has learned much about the industry in that time.
She chose “quality assurance” from a list of six topics for her speech, which covered the guidelines for ensuring quality in pork in every step of its production.
Maxwell and the other candidates — Alicia Klosterman, RaNae Bornhorst and Sandra Spring, of Wapakoneta, and Kristine Flaute, of New Bremen — presented speeches on their chosen topic and then answered an impromptu question from the judges about pork production. Judges also conducted 10-minute interviews with each candidate before the banquet.
Judge Sandy Hastings, human resources specialist at Cooper Farms in Fort Recovery, said Maxwell’s public speaking style set her apart from her competitors.
“She was really self-assured,” Hastings said. “She did well all the way through the competition.”
The duties of the Pork Industry Queen include promoting the pork industry at area events, including the Auglaize County Fair, where she is to volunteer to help serve pork products at the industry’s mobile concession booth.
Maxwell said she is eager to get started.
“I can’t wait for fair week so I can be more involved,” Maxwell said.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 10 March 2009 )
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