Contestants Preparing for Miss UAFS Pageant
By Allison Kyrouac
20 accomplished UAFS students are gearing up for the approaching Miss UAFS Pageant, a preliminary to the Miss Arkansas and Miss America scholarship programs. Contestants will compete in five events including evening gown, interview, physical fitness/swimsuit, talent, and on-stage question and answer. Scholarships will be awarded to Miss UAFS, runners-up, and other various category winners.
Understandably so, one of the most attractive things about participating in the pageant is the potential for receiving scholarships. However, according to Allyson Peek, last year’s second runner up and returning contestant, the pageant presents many other great opportunities as well:
“The pageant has given me an opportunity to be more confident in myself, and a drive to always help others even when competing against each other! The Miss UAFS pageant is such a great pageant to participate in because of the support from everyone involved… It is very comforting to have such a great support system behind you every step of the way.”
The Miss UAFS program is also very welcoming to newcomers. In fact, Nicole Bonk, a new contestant this year, considers this to be one of the program’s best qualities:
“I have never competed in any type of pageant in my life. The best part of this pageant is that it’s okay that I haven’t participated in a pageant before because the program provides me with a big sister who will help me through it.”
Though competing against nineteen other girls could seem overwhelming, Allyson Peek’s best advice to newcomers like Nicole is to have fun and learn from the experience.
“Have fun and make new friends, the pageant is a great opportunity to become friends with 20 awesome women…Take away something from this experience and after the pageant is over pick at least one thing you learned from it.”
Come show your support for contestants like Nicole and Allyson by attending the Miss UAFS Pageant on Saturday, March 14 at the ArcBest Performing Arts Center at 7pm. To purchase tickets, visit the box office located in the campus center or go to uafs.universitytickets.com.
For a full roster of the contestants follow this link - http://www.uafs.edu/news/4209