By Bradi Murphy | Arts & Life Editor
San Antonio sophomore Caroline Carothers twirled her way across the stage and took her crown as Miss Texas 2016 this summer on July 2, 2016.
Carothers’ passion for baton twirling started at a young age. Her father was in the Air Force for 20 years, causing their family to move a lot. Each new town they went to, Carothers made sure there was twirling coach nearby; she dreamed to one day twirl for a major university. That dream came true her freshman year when she became a Baylor Golden Girl, one of the twirlers for the Golden Wave marching band.
It was through twirling that Carothers learned about the opportunities Miss Texas could offer. DaNae Couch, an old friend and Miss Texas 2012, shared with Carothers the opportunities Miss Texas gave her, such as scholarships, community, and a platform for a topic that mattered to her.
“One of the things I love about Caroline is her wonderful sense of joy and compassion for other people,” Couch said. “Every time I talk to her, I’m just so impressed that she can remain so optimistic and sunny and so warm and compassionate, I think that’s something that’s inspirational to me personally.”
As an education major, Carothers plans to use her compassionate voice to be a middle school math teacher. She has always known she wanted to be in the classroom, and wanted to teach an age where she could make an impact on their future.
“I want them to instill that at an early age, that they can be good at math and overcome those struggles,” Carothers said.
Her platform as Miss Texas is an initiative that was launched by Amazon Education, a department underneath Amazon at large, called “With Math I Can.” It aims to change students’ mindset to one of positive growth.
“I really wanted to focus on math, because that is something I love, but I realize that a lot of people don’t,” Carothers said.
Carothers has also recently been named the national ambassador for the organization Twirling for the Cure, a partner of Susan G. Comin that raises awareness and funding for breast cancer. The Baylor twirlers have helped raised over $4,000 and have made hair pieces, and pink ribbons for the Golden Girls to wear during October.
“They say that juggling is a metaphor for life, we’re always juggling something, school, work, family, friends, deadlines and priorities. Juggling is a result of formulas and gravity, like math and physics, while coming together to create a vision, like poetry. You must focus on the catch while simultaneously releasing your next Paton. You must also trust yourself and your preparation. The Paton will always come down, only you place another one in the air,” Carothers said in her Miss Waco 2015 video.
