Elisabeth Chramer is a 20 year old native of Trussville, Alabama. As a junior at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Elisabeth is double-majoring in Political Science and Broadcast Communications, with a minor in Digital Community Studies. After graduating in 2009 from Hewitt-Trussville High School and its music program, Elisabeth has continued her passion for performance by being a flautist for the UAB Wind Symphony and Blazer Band. Also at UAB, she is a member of the Experiential Learning Scholars Program, a UAB Honors Academy, Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and the University Programs Council. You can also find Elisabeth teaching Zumba fitness classes at the UAB Rec Center. As Miss UAB 2012, Elisabeth supports the national philanthropy of the Miss America Organization, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and promotes her personal community service platform of Passion to Action. Elisabeth will be competing for the title of Miss Alabama 2012 this June at Samford University in Birmingham.
HC: What inspired you to compete in pageants?
EC: Scholarship money! Although many people don’t think of pageants as a serious way to pay for an education, it is a great resource for young women who want to go to a university, community college, or professional program. Through my experiences with the Miss America organization on the local and state levels, I have paid for all of my expenses at UAB and am proud to say I’m debt free!
HC: How long have you been competing?
EC: I’m not one of those girls who have been in pageants since they were little kids. Actually, I decided to start competing in Miss Alabama preliminaries when I was a senior in high school. Since then, I have loved everything about my experiences and have been hooked ever since!
HC: Tell me about your platform.
EC: My personal platform of community service, a unique aspect of the Miss America Organization, is Passion to Action. It is an initiative I created to inspire service personalized to any individual’s interests. For example, I am passionate about healthy living as well as helping families have proper housing, so I promote physical fitness and proper diet as well as work with Habitat for Humanity. Other people with different passions and interests can learn how to use this to help others.
HC: What was your reaction upon winning the title of Miss UAB and how has that changed your life?
EC: I was just plain excited! This was not my first time to compete in Miss UAB, so for this to be my year made it even more special. The rest of the night after the pageant was a time of unlimited possibilities as to what could be accomplished during the upcoming year at the University. Through this experience, I have become much more of a visionary person and know that projects, ideas, and goals are very possible.
HC: Many people have a common misconception on pageants, such as saying it is just a beauty contest, etc. What do you have to say about that? What is the real meaning behind pageants?
EC: To all of the people who don’t agree with the idea of pageants or don’t think they are of any consequence, I used to be one of you! I was skeptical of what the motivation was behind pageants, but was curious about the scholarship opportunities. After entering my first Miss America preliminary, I was able to meet the volunteers and other contestants who shared their positive and friendly attitudes with me which put all of my prior stigmas to rest. I had so much fun during that day with everyone, I had to find another time to come back!
The real meaning is to help contribute to the development of better women. I have benefited in countless ways from interview experience to public speaking skills which I would not have gained otherwise. I owe not only my direct scholarships and prize winnings to the Miss America Organization, but also the indirect benefits which stemmed from these other skills.