Seven students competed for the title of Miss MSU 2008 at Wednesday’s pageant in Lee Hall Auditorium.Junior communication major Corie Stanford of Saltillo was crowned Miss MSU.
Sophomore communication major Natalie Bullard and senior management major Brittany Childers placed as first and second alternates.
Former Miss Mississippi 2006 Taryn Foshee served as the master of ceremonies. Foshee, a senior communication major finished third runner up to Miss America 2007.
Foshee said that the Miss MSU Pageant is one of the pageants that feeds into the Miss Mississippi pageant. As Miss MSU, Stanford will travel to Vicksburg to represent the university in the upcoming Miss Mississippi pageant. This will be her third trip to the statewide pageant. She received a $1,500 scholarship for winning.
During the introduction, Foshee said the Miss MSU pageant provides women with multiple opportunities.
“It’s a chance to improve interview skills and communication skills,” she said.
Foshee said Miss MSU’s responsibilities include staying involved in the community.
Each contestant was required to raise $100 for the Children’s Miracle Network, Foshee said. In addition, each contestant had her own platform focusing on a specific interest group or philanthropy.
Stanford’s platform is youth volunteerism with an emphasis on education and involvement. Two years ago, she started a club called KARE (Kids Able Ready Eager) in her hometown, targeting children in the third through eighth grades.
“I hope to have clubs established like that throughout our state,” she said. “That’s my goal.”
Contestants had to pass the five phases of the pageant, which included an off-stage interview, lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, talent, eveningwear and onstage interview.
Before the pageant, contestants went before the judges for a nine-minute interview, which counted as 25 percent of the total score.
Foshee said judges looked for first impression, communication skills, personality and commitment to service in the off-stage interview.
After the parade of the contestants, each competed in the swimwear portion, which counted for 15 percent of the score. The judges looked for overall fitness and composure.
Bullard, who has competed in pageants since she was 7 years old, won the swimsuit portion of the pageant.
She said she likes the performing aspect of the pageants.
“I enjoyed being able to perform my talent and meeting all the great girls,” she said.
Pageants have helped her gain new friends and learn interview skills, Bullard said.
The talent portion, in which judges looked for artistic expression and skill level, counted for 35 percent of the overall score.
Six contestants performed vocal solos and one contestant gave a piano performance.
Stanford said she has been singing since around the age of 5.
Eveningwear counted 25 percent and the remaining five percent of the score was the on-stage interview.
Miss Mississippi 2007 Kimberly Morgan hosted the on-stage interview. Contestants had a short period to answer questions in front of the audience while the judges looked for communication skills, ease of answering the question and the content of the answer.
Contestants were asked questions such as what they value most in a leader, what decade they would choose to visit and what they would discuss with campus officials.
Miss MSU 2007 Danielle Smith performed a dance routine for the audience and took her final walk before Stanford was crowned.
Smith crowned Stanford after Bullard and Childers were announced as the alternates.
Pageant director Heidi Lindsey said the pageant has been in existence for almost 50 years. Lindsey, the associate director for the Colvard Student Union, has been working with the pageant since 2001.
To be eligible, a contestant must be a full-time MSU student between the ages of 18 and 24 with established residence in Mississippi, she said.
Originally there were to be eight contestants, but one contestant had to drop out the day before the pageant due to sickness, Lindsey said.

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Bud Sorey

First alternate went to sophomore communication major Natalie Bullard (left) and second alternate was senior management major Brittany Childers.