Miss Montana 2012, Alexis Wineman came to C.M. Russell High School to speak to the student body about her experiences.

On Nov. 28, she talked to kids about her lilfe story. She grew up in Cut Bank, where she was diagnosed with autism when she was 11.

“My parents were relieved. Before the diagnosis, I had trouble learning,” Wineman said. “I didn’t really have any friends. Some kids were decent, but they wouldn’t claim me as a friend. That’s actually not entirely true. I had one friend in the first grade. It was a giant stuffed Winnie the Pooh doll that I got for Christmas from Santa.”

Wineman said that she took her doll to school, where the teacher gave it a desk so it could sit next to her. She talked to it the entire period.

According to Wineman, who will compte in the Miss America pageant on Jan. 12 in Las Vegas, one of the most important things for her speeches is to encourage being nice to others, as well as accepting differences.

“Being different is the greatest thing ever. If you don’t tell someone [about being bullied], it also won’t go away. You never  know when that kid in the black hoodie with the hood up in the corner will be the next Miss Montana.”

For additional information about Wineman, click on “Miss Montana” in the news section.