Although the general focus of this website is the life of an American living abroad, occasionally events in my native land are so compelling that they simply demand comment. As anybody who has read a newspaper recently must surely know, an event of remarkable significance is currently taking place in Boston, Massachusetts, and I would be remiss in my duty as a citizen if I did not comment on it.
I am referring, of course, to the fact that a recent graduate of MIT is getting ready to enter the Miss America competition.

I would never sink so low as to dabble in stereotypes. But those less scrupulous than I might be surprised that MIT–whose students have little time to acquire a tan from any source other than a Bunsen burner–has now produced Erika Ebbel, the current Miss Massachusetts, and a potential next Miss America.
For any British readers unfamiliar with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I should explain that it is the most prestigious school of science and technology in the United States. The experience of studying there involves absorbing so much information that students routinely it as “drinking from a firehose.” It is, in short, not the sort of institution you attend with the goal of a career as a swimsuit model. Nonetheless, in a recent interview, Ms. Ebbel makes a surprisingly convincing case that the Miss America pageant–unlike its shallow younger sister the Miss USA pageant– is an entirely worthy endeavor for a graduate of one of the most mentally challenging educations in the world:

“The focus of the Miss USA pageant is on professional modeling skills which is primarily how the contestants are judged,” explains Ebbel. “The Miss America pageant, however, measures a different set of criteria. Forty percent of the evaluation is based on extensive interviews with judges, who ask you an array of questions relating to your education, your public service platform, and your background. Thirty percent is based on talent, twenty percent on public speaking, and just ten percent on swimsuit. It’s a different set of criteria, and a set that appeals to me.”

Before reading the interview, I was prepared to be snarky about Ms. Ebbel’s endeavor. After reading it, I find myself genuinely impressed. As a penance for my initial snide urges, I hereby offer the following cheer, for any and all fans of the inevitable MIT Miss America Team:
Cosine! Tangent! Pi! Square root!
We look good in a bathing suit!
We use Maxwell’s equations
to make our teeth bright!
Our waist is inverse
to the square of our height!
The line of our backs
and the plane of the floor
intersect at an angle
of 90.4!
We always win!
We never lose!
We hacked the computers that the judges use!
Goooooo Tech!