And we have a winner. The competition was fierce, but on July 21 Tasha Schuh was crowned Ms. Wheelchair USA 2012. The 31-year old went to the Ohio-based competition to represent the state of Wisconsin. Though there were many qualified candidates in the pageant, Tasha was ultimately chosen because of what she represents.
Her victory may be recent, but Tasha Schuh has been accomplishing great things for a while now.
One Wrong Step
Tasha’s life began normal enough. She was a friendly girl who liked to perform in front of people. This led her to joining the theatre program at her high school. She had a quite a talent for acting a singing, earning several lead roles. Then, during her Sophomore year, everything changed.
While helping with a set transition during a production, Tasha took a step backwards onto a trap door. Only, the trap door had been removed and Tasha fell 16 feet, landing back-first against the concrete below. Crushing her spinal cord, Tasha was left a quadriplegic, never to walk again.
Rather than giving up on her dreams, Tasha decided to live her life to the fullest. After graduating high school, she went on to get a Bachelor’s degree in both Communications and Theology as well as a minor in music.
When she’s not winning pageants, Tasha tours the Midwest, speaking at schools, events, and churches, encouraging people to overcome any obstacles that life puts in their way. She is also currently working on her first book entitled “The Last Step Backward”.
For more information visit Tasha’s website at www.tashaschuh.com.
About Ms. Wheelchair USA
Started in 2008, Ms. Wheelchair USA is open to any woman who uses a wheelchair as their main source of mobility. The focus is to find incredible women doing incredible things with their life. In you know someone who would be a great candidate for the contest, visit the official website here.