This is the most challenging project we've done. No one's ever done this before.

We are making an awesome display out of this tree. This was an opportunity to save a beautiful tree, so to speak.

The bottom part fit together like a puzzle.

I came from a really musical family. I studied classical piano because my grandparents were piano teachers, but started doing musical theater at age nine in Fresno, California, and went to a performing arts high school. That was my life.

I want to encourage at least one more girl to compete because I know what I got out of the program. I won $60,000, and it's paid for my education, which lots of people aren't aware of. It's a way for women to fund their education. It's not just going out there in a swimsuit and waving at people. I really wanted to use myself as an example for what young women can accomplish.

Not anybody can just apply for it. It's a unique experience that I get to be a part of for a year.