Alexis Ocampo beat 79 other contestants Oct. 14 to win the title of Miss Maroon and White.
Miss Maroon and White is State’s beauty pageant, pageant director Kelly Nesbit said. Winners were chosen based on beauty, poise, overall appearance and a pre-pageant interview.
Ocampo is a sophomore from Hattiesburg and is majoring in general business administration. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Sims and a 2003 graduate of Oak Grove High School.
Other Maroon and White Beauties were Delcinia Collins of Pine Bluff Ark., Jennifer Greer of Summit, Mo., Blair Johnson of Meridian and Taryn Foshe of Clinton. Greer was also voted Most Photogenic. Kimberly Woodward and Rebecca Kates were selected as contestants who demonstrated the spirit of the pageant.
Many of the contestants spoke of their excitement about the pageant and the fun that they had participating in it.
“I am super excited,” Greer said. “I came here not expecting anything, but the rehearsals went really well. We stayed up late, but it was great.”
The program was emceed by 2003-2004 Miss Maroon and White, Kariean Patterson of Corinth and Bryan Nesbit, associate director of enrollment services.
“This pageant was exciting because throughout the entire program, I did not know who was going to win,” Patterson said. “I felt honored being able to come back tonight.”
Besides being able to meet people, being crowned Miss Maroon and White last year has benefited Patterson in other ways, she said.
“After being Miss Maroon and White, I was able to judge a pageant,” she said. “I also got a job working with children because of the pageant.”
Nesbit said she was happy with the outcome.
“It went very smoothly, and the judges did a great job,” she said. “I just want to thank all 80 contestants. Every one of them could have been crowned Miss Maroon and White.”