Miss Virginia shares message of acceptance

View larger image Miss Virginia Caitlin Uze signs autographs after her presentation of “Healthy LIfestyles for Virginia’s Youth” on Tuesday afternoon at Signal Knob Middle School. Below, Uze gives her presentation. Rich Cooley/Daily Recommend This Print This Get E-mail News Alerts Buy Photos/Page Reprints * Breaking News If local news is breaking and you know about it: * Call Us: 800-296-5137 * E-mail Us * Upload Your Photos View larger image Miss Virginia Caitlin Uze gives her presentation at Signal Knob Middle School. Rich Cooley/Daily

By Preston Knight-pknight@nvdaily.com

STRASBURG -- Attributes of pictures can sometimes counter each other.

While they are worth 1,000 words, they are also lasting memories. Sometimes, those words may not be worth recalling. For example, Caitlin Uze's seventh-grade yearbook photo brings back such memories as being called chubby, fat and a nerd, and being made fun of for wearing glasses, having braces and sometimes displaying questionable fashion tastes.

That picture, though, was who she was back then.

"I'm sorry," a boy said jokingly Tuesday.

Uze, 23, has no apologies, and as Miss Virginia she is touring schools across the state to tell youths that everyone is different and worth showering with love. She spent about an hour with Signal Knob Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade pupils Tuesday, while sixth-graders watched on television.

Uze showed her middle school picture to paint a portrait of herself then and now -- even though the current version now dons a tiara and basks in the glory of being Miss Virginia, the two people are the same. The main difference is that she has learned to cope with outsiders who tell her she cannot do something or that she has flaws.

During her senior year of high school, Uze -- an Arlington native and a student at James Madison University -- missed weeks at a time because she was so depressed and couldn't get out of bed, teased for having a lisp.

"I got through it, but that doesn't mean it was easy," Uze said. "You do not know how words are going to affect others."

Principal Missy Hensley told pupils that they were lucky to get a visit from Miss Virginia. Uze is making stops at more than 40 schools in a partnership with the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. In addition to discussing the importance of a positive self-image, she is telling pupils to avoid illegal substances.

As she went through elementary school, Uze began to be picked on for her speech impediment, especially when she requested that someone "pass the scissors," leading to
laughter.

"It wasn't funny when I stopped asking for scissors or speaking up at all," she said.
Uze liked to speak publicly as she progressed through school, but she was told her lisp would prevent her from being taken seriously. In college, she started competing in pageants, again hearing that her speech impediment, which had improved since her youth, would hold her back.

The Miss Virginia sash she now wears shows what became of that theory.
"It's not the way I speak that matters," Uze said. "It's what I have to say."

And it is hoped her words will follow the pupils into the summer and beyond. Since pictures make for thousand-word memories, it's probably a good thing for Uze's cause that a long line of pupils were waiting for her to autograph their yearbooks after Tuesday's presentation.

"She signed my name!" one boy announced, arms raised, leaving the cafeteria. "She signed my name! She signed my name!"

The so-called chubby nerd with poor clothing taste inside of Uze would have been happy to hear it.