North Pocono woman advocates environmental, mental health awareness as Miss Pennsylvania Earth United States

Sept. 18--Kristen Baranowski owns a sash and crown, but she sidesteps any assumptions about stereotypical beauty queens with humility, grace and an approachable attitude bred in Northeast Pennsylvania.

The 2016 titleholder of Miss Pennsylvania Earth United States entered the world of competitive pageantry later in life than most, but she's already proved herself a force within the industry.

At 26, the Roaring Brook Twp. resident continues to work her day job as a customer service technician for the Social Security Administration, while she serves as an advocate for environmental conservation and mental health during her free time.

Miss Baranowski, a North Pocono High School graduate with a bachelor's degree in communication studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said that although her hobby looks glamorous, she's just a regular girl a majority of the time.

"I lead a simple life when I'm not training for something," she said. "Actually, I'm very shy."

Below that reticent exterior, however, lies an artistic type who craves different life adventures and experiences.

"I feel like I've always been creative," Miss Baranowski shared. "I enjoyed dressing up and telling stories. But I like being on the other side of the camera.

"I think it's important to take advantage of life and try things," she said.

Among her early inspirations for this try-anything philosophy was her high school world cultures teacher, whose tough-love approach with students encouraged them to dig deeper in their efforts.

"Mr. Wolfe didn't want students to be mediocre," Miss Baranowski said. "He taught us not to settle. I really don't think I would have done (any of this) if I hadn't gone to North Pocono and grown up here."

Miss Baranowski tried out for Miss Pennsylvania USA last year, and though she didn't earn the crown, she did make an impression on the director, who reached out to her to suggest Miss Earth United States.

"I thought the mission of the organization was great," Miss Baranowski said. "It was formed to (generate) awareness for conservation. It's something I always felt was important."

Entry required a great deal of preparation for the interview, swimsuit, evening gown and runway portions of the pageant.

"One of the most awkward things was talking about yourself, because I love learning about other people," Miss Baranowski admitted. "I struggle with anxiety. I have ever since I was a little girl.

"I sat in my car, thinking, 'What am I doing?', second-guessing everything," she said. "But it switches from that, to fun, to 'I hope I do well.'"

When she made it into the final two, the excitement was overwhelming. When the other woman's name was announced as runner-up, it took Miss Baranowski a moment to realize she had won.

"It was very surreal," she said. "I didn't expect it."

When she advanced to the national stage this summer to compete against other state delegates, she also engaged in public speaking and multi-media, and volunteered to clean up the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Again, her insecurities crept in, but she found a way to surpass her fears.

"All the feelings from the state competition are amplified," Miss Baranow-ski explained. "It's great to be able to meet really amazing women, but it's definitely intense.

"You have to focus on what you have and what you offer," she said. "It's easy to be intimidated. But I got into pageants to rebuild my confidence. I wasn't in a very good place before that."

Miss Baranowski focused her efforts on turning into the best possible version of herself, concentrating on her health, gaining friends, and working hard to learn her routines.

Armed with her title and rebuilt self-image, Miss Baranowski volunteers with the International OCD Foundation to advocate for mental illness awareness. She also lends her time to Girls on the Run, an organization that teaches middleschoolers how to run and develop as a person.

Running holds a special place in Miss Baranowski's heart. She competed in the Marine Corps Marathon in 2014 in honor of her father, a sergeant, and also participated in the New York City Marathon.

"It's the biggest thing that defines me, because it's my biggest feat," she said. "It's a mental challenge moreover physical.

"Your brain is telling you, 'I can't do this,'" she explained. "It's convincing yourself, making small stepping stones to finish lines."

An aspiring writer, Miss Baranowski said one of her goals is to introduce a program to local students that allows them to develop a television show and learn the machinations of show business, modeled after a volunteer program she worked with in college.

"It gets them in touch with their creativity," she said. "Imagination is very important.

"It's amazing how creative middleschoolers are," she added. "And they're cutting back on (funding for) a lot of programs, like art, which is unfortunate, so anything to help that."

Miss Baranowski thinks her foray in pageants will end when her reign as Miss Pennsylvania Earth United States finishes, but she hopes to share the lessons she's learned from the process with others for the rest of her life.

"I wanted to experience it firsthand, and I don't believe in judging something until I've tried it," she said. "In terms of self-image, it helps you develop into your best self."

Contact the writer:

pwilding@timesshamrock.com, @pwildingTT on Twitter.

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Meet Kristen Baranowski

At home: She lives in Roaring Brook Twp. and is the daughter of Kathy and Don Baranowski. She has a brother, Don.

At work: She is a customer service technician for Social Security Administration.

Inspirations: Movies and her grandmother, the late Marilou Vacchiano, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2010. "She was the nicest, most humble person I'd ever met, but also driven and independent," Miss Baranowski said.

Aspirations: To become a professional writer; to run the London Marathon; to see operas in Sydney and Vienna; and to earn a pilot's license

Diversions: Reading, writing, running marathons

Aversions: Prejudice and gum-cracking

Quote: "You must do the thing you think you cannot do." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

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