Young women prepare for Second Annual Miss USU Eastern Pageant

This archived article was written by: David Osborne Jr.

It hasn’t been quite a year since the crowning of the first Miss USU Eastern but it is time for the current Miss USU Eastern Harley Earl to pass on the crown and title to the winner of the 2014-15 pageant. The winner will then represent USU Eastern at the Miss Utah Pageant.
The Miss USU Eastern scholarship program will be held on Nov. 5, 2014 at 7 p.m. in the Geary Theater. Tickets will cost $5.00 for the general public and $3.00 for individuals with a valid USU Eastern student ID.
The program will be emceed by Student Body President Ben Bjarnson and co-hosted by Earl as her last act as Miss USU Eastern.
Shala Osborne, of Ferron, Utah, directs this year’s program. Osborne has been competing in pageants since the age of three and has previously competed in the Miss Utah Pageant.
The assistant director is Sabrina Ungerman, of Huntington, Utah. Ungerman has been involved in numerous pageants serving as a director, regional director and even serving as a volunteer on the Miss Utah Organization board.
Osborne said, “ I believe that this program gives these women confidence and teaches them skills like being interviewed that will be able to help them throughout their life. It also teaches them to focus on serving others and becoming apart of a larger network.”
The scholarship program will consist of five competitions that are weighted to help determine the winner and new Miss USU Eastern. The interview portion will be held before the pageant and will be worth 25 percent of the individual’s overall score. The lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit portion of the pageant will be worth 15 percent. Talent is the most heavily weighted portion, worth 35 percent. Eveningwear is worth 20 percent and will be joined with onstage question, which is worth five percent.
At the end of the competition five finalists will be announced and one will be the next queen and will represent USU Eastern at the Miss Utah Pageant. The Queen will receive a $1,000 scholarship to USU Eastern, 1st attendant will receive a $500 scholarship, 2nd attendant will receive a $300 scholarship and the other two finalists will receive $100 scholarships. The Spirit of Miss USU Eastern, the pageant’s version of Miss Congeniality, sponsored by The Eagle newspaper will also be announced and the winner will receive $100.
For this pageant, 13 women are competing and will be vying for the crown and opportunity to represent the college in the Miss Utah Pageant. Each contestant has chosen a platform to run on to stay in line with the Miss Utah and Miss America program’s heavy focus on service.
Contestant 1 – Taylie Woodruff is from Vernal, Utah, and for her talent will be singing “Danny Boy.” For her platform she has chosen to focus on the prevention and awareness of child abuse and neglect.
Contestant 2 – Taylor Johnson is from Green River, Utah, and for her talent will be a lyrical ballet performance to “Young and Beautiful.” For her platform she has chosen to focus on the raising of awareness of depression in teens alongside suicide prevention.
Contestant 3 – Kyanna Garrison is from Riverton, Utah, and will be reciting poetry along with tying bows as a visual aid to teach us that memories are gifts. She has chosen to focus her platform on raising awareness towards Alzheimer’s disease.
Contestant 4 – Kiahna Hines is from Herriman, Utah, and for her talent will be singing “Try.” She has chosen to base her platform on raising organ and tissue donation awareness.
Contestant 5 – Danielle Parke is from West Valley City, Utah, and for her talent will be doing a vocal performance. She has chosen to focus her platform on helping families manage the stress of caregiving for aging parents.
Contestant 6 – Shanae Jensen is from Spanish Fork, Utah, and for her talent she will be performing a contemporary dance. For her platform she has chosen to focus on being genuinely interested in people to decrease depression.
Contestant 7 – Ciera Acerson is from Sandy, Utah, and for her talent will be performing scissor sculpting. She has chosen to focus her platform on helping to mainstream special needs students into regular educational classrooms.
Contestant 8 – Rachel Rose is from Kaysville, Utah, and for her talent will be playing a classical piece on the violin. For her platform she has chosen to focus on celebrating the beauty within young women.
Contestant 9 – Marissa Tanner-Dennis is from Taylorsville, Utah, and will be performing a dance for her talent. She has chosen to base her platform on children of domestic violence.
Contestant 10 – Alyssa Richard is from Lehi, Utah, and will be performing a violin piece, Concerto in A minor by Vivaldi. She has decided to focus her platform on battling bipolar disorder: destroying the stigma of mental illness.
Contestant 11 – Kaylee Denver is from Roosevelt, Utah, and for her talent will be performing a vocal piece. Her platform is focusing on animal abuse awareness.
Contestant 12 – Kira Tadehara is from Murray, Utah, and will be performing a traditional Japanese dance for her talent. She will be focusing her talent on creating positivity and open mindedness.
Contestant 13 – Mireya Molina is from Price, Utah, and for her talent will be performing a hip-hop dance routine. For her platform she has chosen to base it on being one of a kind.