Miss Woodlands' Outstanding Teen 2006 Mackenzie Oden
Mackenzie Oden, Miss Woodlands' Outstanding Teen 2006, is a 16 year old junior at The Woodlands High School. She is currently a cheerleader, so workouts with her team, and advanced tumbling classes, are a big part of her schedule. During the four years she has cheered for her school, she has been a member of the competitive squad and served as co-captain. Mackenzie is also an active member of the Interact Club implementing the importance of volunteering in her community. As an honor student at TWHS, Mackenzie takes great pride in being an academic letter winner and enjoys attending weekly study groups with her peers. She is a member of the school's dance club, and she has enjoyed the opportunity to polish her skills as a choreographer for the annual dance concert. In fact, dancing has been a big part of Mackenzie's life since the age of three. She enjoys all forms of dance expression and has traveled as far as New York City to attend classes. She has had the privilege of being selected to perform, as a dancer, with celebrity singers Randy Travis, Clint Black, Jessica Simpson, Billy GiIlman, Toby Keith, and the rock group Creed in nationally televised performances. For nine years, she was a Junior Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader appearing in many halftime performances, in Irving, at Texas Stadium. She has performed in the annual Cotton Bowl Classic Football Game on New Year's Day, danced in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC on two occasions, and been a featured model in the Threads of Fun Cheerleading catolog on more than one occasion.
Three years ago, Mackenzie entered her first pageant and enjoyed the excitement of competition, making friends, and making a difference. She has expanded her platform "Kindness Zone: No Harsh Words Allowed" because she is a firm believer that kind gestures can change attitudes with very little effort. She encourages all she meets to do at least one, unexpected, kindness for someone else each day until it becomes a habit. She wants others to experience the way misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility evaporate when being kind. Her travels as a title holder have given her the opportuntiy speak to many children about her platform . In the spring of 2005, she was honored at the Texas State Capitol as an outstanding Texas teenager on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives by Rep. Joe Driver and in the Texas State Senate by Dr. Bob Duell. She has actively participated in the Texas Special Olympics Summer and Winter Games. She has also been an annual visitor at the Houston Ronald MacDonald House and Texas Children's Hospital and brought smiles to many children. For several years, she has helped feed the hungry at the annual Christmas Feast, in Houston, and has expressed love and understanding while visiting numerous homes for the elderly. Last year, after observing someone else giving away donated Beanie Babies, she encouraged her family and friends to donate their Beanie Babies to her cause. She carefully labeled each one with a tag and ribbon and joyfully passed out the "Angel Friends" to those she met who seemed they needed a friend to squeeze. No stranger to travel, Mackenzie attended the Inaguration of President George W. Bush and performed aboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship. Even though Mackenzie is a uniquely busy teenager, she continually sets high goals for herself and devotes a portion of her daily life to her platform.
Mackenzie Oden, Miss Woodlands' Outstanding Teen 2006, is a 16 year old junior at The Woodlands High School. She is currently a cheerleader, so workouts with her team, and advanced tumbling classes, are a big part of her schedule. During the four years she has cheered for her school, she has been a member of the competitive squad and served as co-captain. Mackenzie is also an active member of the Interact Club implementing the importance of volunteering in her community. As an honor student at TWHS, Mackenzie takes great pride in being an academic letter winner and enjoys attending weekly study groups with her peers. She is a member of the school's dance club, and she has enjoyed the opportunity to polish her skills as a choreographer for the annual dance concert. In fact, dancing has been a big part of Mackenzie's life since the age of three. She enjoys all forms of dance expression and has traveled as far as New York City to attend classes. She has had the privilege of being selected to perform, as a dancer, with celebrity singers Randy Travis, Clint Black, Jessica Simpson, Billy GiIlman, Toby Keith, and the rock group Creed in nationally televised performances. For nine years, she was a Junior Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader appearing in many halftime performances, in Irving, at Texas Stadium. She has performed in the annual Cotton Bowl Classic Football Game on New Year's Day, danced in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC on two occasions, and been a featured model in the Threads of Fun Cheerleading catolog on more than one occasion.
Three years ago, Mackenzie entered her first pageant and enjoyed the excitement of competition, making friends, and making a difference. She has expanded her platform "Kindness Zone: No Harsh Words Allowed" because she is a firm believer that kind gestures can change attitudes with very little effort. She encourages all she meets to do at least one, unexpected, kindness for someone else each day until it becomes a habit. She wants others to experience the way misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility evaporate when being kind. Her travels as a title holder have given her the opportuntiy speak to many children about her platform . In the spring of 2005, she was honored at the Texas State Capitol as an outstanding Texas teenager on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives by Rep. Joe Driver and in the Texas State Senate by Dr. Bob Duell. She has actively participated in the Texas Special Olympics Summer and Winter Games. She has also been an annual visitor at the Houston Ronald MacDonald House and Texas Children's Hospital and brought smiles to many children. For several years, she has helped feed the hungry at the annual Christmas Feast, in Houston, and has expressed love and understanding while visiting numerous homes for the elderly. Last year, after observing someone else giving away donated Beanie Babies, she encouraged her family and friends to donate their Beanie Babies to her cause. She carefully labeled each one with a tag and ribbon and joyfully passed out the "Angel Friends" to those she met who seemed they needed a friend to squeeze. No stranger to travel, Mackenzie attended the Inaguration of President George W. Bush and performed aboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship. Even though Mackenzie is a uniquely busy teenager, she continually sets high goals for herself and devotes a portion of her daily life to her platform.