On Saturday, January 28, the scholarship pageants for Miss University of Tennessee at Martin, Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival and Miss Tennessee Crossroads took place at 7 p.m. with a full house in the Student Life center.
Hollie Holt, Executive Director of the event, felt confident of the show’s success before it even occurred.
“We’ve got several very qualified contestants that will be competing for the title, and they all have different characteristics and platforms and talents. I feel confident that our judges will pick the best contestant to represent our university,” Holt said Friday afternoon.
When the pageant began Saturday night, contestants participated in different portions, showcasing their strengths. First, there was introduction where each contestant practiced a confident walk and introduction of themselves. After that came the introduction of the judges and then the hosts, Miss UTM 2011 Meagan Meketi and Miss Tennessee Soybean Festival 2011 Chelsea Chandler.
Then, contestants showed their fitness and skills in the swimsuit and talent competition. Finally, after a brief intermission, the winners were announced.
For Miss UTM, Victoria Abbott received second runner up, with Sally Suedo as first runner up and Bethany Meeks as Miss UTM.
For Miss Soybean and Miss Crossroads, Rebecca Easley received second runner up and Jasmine Secrest won first runner up. Ginny Hankins was crowned Miss Soybean and Tillery Throckmorton was crowned Miss Crossroads.
According to Holt, this pageant goes deeper than just looking well on stage. It’s a way for girls to gain scholarship and become well-rounded individuals.
“I want people to understand and to gain the insight that this pageant is not just about getting onstage and looking pretty. And that’s what I love about the Miss America system, it’s about a well-rounded young lady, and it’s about helping her to grow and to be successful as she gets out of college and goes into the career world. They [the girls] compete in interview; they compete in fitness wear; they must have a talent; they compete in evening gown; and they answer an on-stage question. So, not just every girl can get up there and do all of those things; it’s about many more things than just outer beauty,” Holt said.
Most importantly, this pageant helps the girls establish a bright future, giving them skills and scholarship to further their chances of success.
“They learn a lot of things that will help them once they get out in the real world. They learn about how to better themselves, as far as presentation and in meeting other people. Also, those talent skills that they already have, we continue training to make them even better at that. So, I feel like they get a lot of good experience that helps them not only to compete at the Miss Tennessee pageant in June in Jackson, but will help them throughout their lives,” Holt said.
