September 13th marked the 95th Miss America Pageant. While it may be easy to assume that the Miss America Pageant is solely concerned about girls in pretty dresses, perfect swimsuit bodies, and that unforgettable crowning moment, there is actually much more to it. The Miss America Organization is a not-for-profit organization that helps women achieve their personal and professional goals. The Miss America Organization is one of the largest scholarship providers to women in the country. The four points on Miss America’s crown stand for service, success, style, and scholarship, which is what makes Miss America such a premier organization.
Service
Every Miss America contestant on the local, state, and national level spends hours promoting her personal platform. A personal platform is an issue in which a contestant feels passionately about and wants to create awareness for. Platforms can range from STEM education to mental health to anti-bullying campaigns. Contestants spend hours educating, raising funds, and have even been known to work with government officials to pass bills that effect their platform. Miss America is also the good will ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network; contestants have raised over $10 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals since their partnership in 2007. On top of all of the work Miss America contestants put into their personal platform and the Children’s Miracle Network they also attend several community service events. These women are service oriented and are truly passionate about giving back.
Success
The Miss America Organization does an exceptional job at preparing women to be successful in all aspects of life. Contestants are able to perfect public speaking skills, network with members of their community, and conduct themselves in a professional matter. The phase of competition that audience members don’t see are the contests private interview with the judges. These interviews last 10 minutes, and contestants are asked a variety of personality, opinion, and current event questions. The Miss America Organization strives to help women develop into well-rounded, successful individuals.
Scholarship
Miss America is one of the largest scholarship providers for women in America. All local, state, and national titleholders earn scholarships as well as the runner-ups. Many women in the Miss America Organization go on to be successful doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers and the scholarships they receive play a huge role in that.
Style
Now I’m sure you’re wondering, how does style fit in with service, success, and scholarship, but Miss America truly values each contestant’s personal style. From wardrobe to personality Miss America contests are always encouraged to express themselves and stay true to who they are. The Miss America Organization values individuality in hopes of building confident, passionate women.
The Miss America pageant may seem like all glitz and glamor, but there is more than meets the eye. Women that are involved in the Miss America Organization on any level are kind, hardworking, and successful members of society. These women are role models and embody service, success, scholarship, and style.