ANNOUNCING: KRISTINA BLÜM WINS TITLE MISS CONGENIALITY AT MISS CALIFORNIA USA 2014 PAGEANT IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA (news release)
Kristina Blüm, 22, of Bishop, California, was born with the genetic condition of albinism and is legally blind. She was crowned Miss City of Bishop in 2012 and currently works as a Visitor Center Host at the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.
On January 2-4, Kristina Blüm competed in the Miss California USA 2014 Pageant and was awarded the title Miss Congeniality 2014. Kristina is the first blind contestant to compete in the Miss California USA Pageants and hopes to challenge others to be all they can be no matter what challenges they face.
In her own words: “The Miss Congeniality award is considered by some to be the greatest honor in pageantry because it is awarded by the votes of the contestants. The award goes to the most encouraging, inspirational, and overall most friendly girl in the group. It means the world to me because it shows that I was able to achieve my goal of encouraging those around me as we sought the crown together. My desire in running for Miss California USA was to show the world that true beauty lies in our uniqueness, not in physical perfection. I also wished to represent the other side of California, and share our unique spirit with the rest of the state.”
“In the future, I hope to continue my work in the Eastern Sierra’s tourism industry, supporting small businesses and volunteering in the Bishop community as I have always done. I also hope to reach out to the albinism community by starting a blog about life with this rare and beautiful condition.”
Congratulations to Kristina! If you have not had the pleasure of meeting her, you are missing out on one of the rarest gems in the Eastern Sierra. Kristina embodies the qualities of charm, intelligence, and loveliness. She holds expectations of herself that are as high as our mountains, and she… Read more »