Stephanie McGrane took a moment to interview Cassidy Wolf, Miss Teen USA.
The Crowning Moment
Stephanie asked Cassidy about her crowning moment and what it felt like to become Miss Teen USA. "First of all, I couldn't breathe. ... My first thought when they called my name was, 'okay, take a deep breath, take a deep breath,' and I couldn't and all I could think in my head was, 'oh my gosh, oh my gosh, it's me!' ... it was a whole whirlwind of crazy emotions." Cassidy shared with excitement and smiles, "All I wanted to do was hug my family because they were just so amazing the whole time I was up there."
Cassidy credits a lot of her successes to her support team who helped her feel confident going into the Miss Teen USA competition. "Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today."
A Nightmare Extortion Case
Unknowingly, Cassidy found herself in a scary case of cyber hacking and extortion when an anonymous email arrived to her asking her to send inappropriate photographs to the emailer, or he would release photographs of her undressing in her bedroom: something she did not know he had done. The investigation revealed that Jared James Abraham, a former high school classmate, had hacked the webcam built into her laptop and had been turning it on remotely to watch her and over a dozen other women.
I found this news article and interview with NBC exploring the case a bit more.
"One of my biggest tips is to change passwords every couple of months and always keep track (of your password) on a piece of paper, not on your phone. ... Change them (passwords) as often as possible. ... When you are not Skyping somebody that you are friends with, cover your webcam. If I would have known that, I probably wouldn't have had what happened to me happen." Cassidy shared, "It happened to me and it could really happen to anybody."
A Year as Miss Teen USA
"I've been focusing a lot on school." Cassidy told Stephanie. "I got to do New York Fashion Week, which was absolutely amazing. I did Project Sunshine visits and I look forward to doing those in the future. ... When you go to a Project Sunshine visit, it touches the kids, but I feel like it touches us even more. ... When you leave a Project Sunshine visit it makes you feel so good. That has definitely been my favorite part."
When asked about her highlights and challenges, Cassidy told Stephanie that the company and the time balances have been some of her highlights and challenges. "Getting to work with Miss USA and Miss Universe (has been great). They are so sweet and I love working with them. Getting to meet new people everyday (is a highlight). This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so blessed to have this opportunity." Cassidy said. Speaking on her challenges, Cassidy also shared the challenges of balancing school and the Miss Teen USA title. "I am a full time student and I go to school five days a week. When I am not in school, I am Miss Teen USA. .. but I am learning a lot about myself, so I am loving it."
The final recipient of Chinese Laundry Tippy Top Shoes (an official sponsor of the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageant) is also announced in this episode, so you want to be sure to watch all the way through to see who it is!
To see more on the Cassidy Wolf interview, you can view it below.
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