Miss Maryland, A Potomac Native, Shares Her Story

Nana Meriwether of Potomac will compete in the 2012 Miss USA competition this year on June 3 in Las Vegas.

Patch wanted to know how Nana got started finding her passion. We asked her to talk a little bit about her success story and relay some advice for seniors in high school graduating this year and moving on to their next steps in life.

What are your favorite memories of growing up in Potomac?

"I will always cherish the sense of community and family in Potomac! I studied at UCLA and The University of Southern California in Los Angeles for college and post graduate premedical.  When I came home for the holidays I could immediately sense the stark difference in lifestyle between Los Angeles and Potomac.  Potomac will always be home and the closeness of the neighborhood will always conjure positive memories for me."

What are some of the most important lessons you learned growing up?

"Growing up I learned the importance of higher education. My father, now a practicing emergency room doctor, was the first African American to be admitted and graduate from Duke University and my mother holds CPA credentials and has a law and business degree.  Despite growing up in segregated and adverse environments, my parents pushed forth and used education as the means to which they could change their circumstance.

The importance of education was passed down to me. From first grade through 12th grade I attended The Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC. The former school of Chelsea Clinton and Al Gore Jr. and the current school of the Biden grandchildren and the Obama daughters, I was pushed everyday in class to aspire to academic greatness. 

After Sidwell, I attended Duke University, but soon transferred to UCLA where I studied political science with a focus in international relations. After UCLA, I was admitted to The University of Southern California where I completed post-graduate courses in premedical sciences. I am currently applying to medical school."

What inspired you into pageantry, and what do you hope to gain by it?

"I played volleyball for UCLA where I became a two-time NCAA All American and lead my team to a Final Four appearance in 2006. Following that I played professionally in Puerto Rico and was thereafter invited to Colorado Springs where I trained for the 2008 Olympics. I soon ‘retired’ from sport, but still felt a great need to compete in something.

I was turned on to pageantry by a friend. While living in California I competed for Miss California USA four times, placing as high as 1^st runner up in 2010.  In 2011, I returned home to Maryland after finishing courses at USC and decided to go at it one last time. My perseverance paid off and I am about to compete on the Miss USA stage June 3, 2012, live on NBC from Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas!

What advice would you have for Potomac seniors moving on to the next steps in life?

I would suggest to them always give back and consider participating in community service.

I co-founded a 501 © (3) international nonprofit organization called the Meriwether Foundation. 

Now in of South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique, we have started HIV/AIDS programs, food security, nutrition, organic gardening initiatives, water projects and we have even opened schools and clinics in several rural villages.

The most rewarding part of the nonprofit is that I help organize community service and mission trips for students to travel to our rural projects overseas.  Students always think they are traveling to better other people’s lives but are unaware of the personal transformative power of giving service.  The intangible gift students gain from giving back is life changing and priceless and my advice to youth whether it be through our programs or others is to always seek to provide service to others.