"I Was Once Miss America" by Roxanne Gay is a very powerful piece of writing. As Gay pleasantly illustrated, popularity and bullying are two very common things that are stressed by student bodies. Fortunately, Roxanne was able to escape from the the hurt by doing something she loved, reading. Many kids are not able to escape as Gay did and often start to consistently have negative thoughts about themselves. I think Roxanne Gay does a good job in sharing her inspiring story, which was written, basically stating that it is important to "trust in the process." As much as she wanted to be popular, as much as she wanted to be like the book characters, because of her skin color and looks, she kept getting made fun of. Turns out the reading she did all through school gave her a deep passion for writing. What many people don't realize in today's materialistic society, is that a lot of times there can be an even greater good that comes out of something bad. It also reminds me that you should not give up your passion for almost anything. It is important that you keep a positive mindset. You know, you can control your own mood pretty easily.