Miss USM to be crowned Saturday

This Saturday, the next representative for the University of Southern Mississippi at the 2013 Miss Mississippi pageant will be chosen at the Lake Terrace Convention Center. 

This year’s pageant will feature 14 contestants who will be judged on talent, swimsuit, private and on stage interview and evening wear. The five judges tasked with deciding the outcome of the pageant are certified through the Miss Mississippi Corporation. There will also be two Masters of Ceremony: University of South Alabama Dean of Students Michael Mitchell and Miss USM 2010 Jill Duckworth.

In addition to the title and crown, the winner will receive a $1,500 scholarship from the Miss Mississippi Corporation, and three runners up will receive other amounts. Prizes will also be awarded to the contestant with the most talent and spirit.

“It’s so much fun getting to know the other contestants and being on stage,” senior psychology major Ann Claire Reynolds said. Reynolds is a Miss USM hopeful who has been involved in pageants for the past four years.

“I missed being on stage once I got to college, and I saw this as a way to keep preforming,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds has been rehearsing for the pageant with the other contestants for two weeks. They have been working both on individual presentations and the opening performance, which was choreographed by senior dance education major Zurick Thomas.

“Things are coming together well,” SGA member and pageant codirector Brandon Baker said. “It’s crunch time, though, but the girls are handling it very well.”

Tickets for the pageant are $5 for students and $7 for guests and can be purchased in the R.C. Cook Student Union as well as on etix.com. The show will start at 7 p.m.

The winner of the pageant will advance to the Miss Mississippi pageant to be held this summer in Vicksburg. The pageant is sponsored by the Miss Mississippi Corporation, which in turn is sponsored by Miss America. 

Visit www.usm.edu/sga/miss-usm-pageant for more information about the pageant.