I’m Ashley Berry, your Jr. Teen Colorado-World 2011! I live in Littleton, Colorado where I’m a 6th grader at Peiffer Elementary. I’m very active in  school with Student Team, Girl Scouts, Choir, Drama and Advanced Orchestra. I also take private voice lessons and enjoy any opportunity to perform in public.

Taking pride in my grades is also a top priority and I’m proud to have been on  Honor Roll every trimester for the last 2 years.

One of my favorite activities outside of school is volunteering at Morningstar Assisted Living each week. The time that I spend with the residents visiting, talking, hosting game time and planning birthday celebrations is always a highlight to my week. Because of my time at Morningstar, I was inspired recently to begin my own program called the 100 Candles program. After helping to plan a large community celebration in honor of a Morningstar resident who was turning 100 this past year, I decided that I wanted to partner with different assisted living centers and retirement homes throughout my community to make sure that any resident celebrating their 100th birthday is treated like a king or queen!

In my free time, I love hanging out with my family and friends and playing with my schnoodle puppy Bella. I’m also excited to begin playing on a volleyball team this fall as well. I love baking and am torn between my love of that and photography when thinking about what I want to do when I grow up.

Fortunately, I have plenty of time to decide but you might just find me working as a food photographer one day.

My favorite saying is “Don’t give up on what you believe in” and this will be my motto as I head to Jr. Miss United States-World later this summer, determined to bring the crown home to Colorado. Wish me luck and join us for the 2012 Jr. Teen Colorado-World pageant where you too can experience the opportunity of a lifetime!

Follow my journey throughout the year on my blog at http://jrmisscoworld.blogspot.com/.