meet the contestants: 2012 miss virginia pageant
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Meet the 26 contestants of the 2012 Miss Virginia Pageant, which begins Thursday at the Roanoke Civic Center.TRANSCRIPT
THE ROANOKE TIMES MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2012
Meet the 26 contestantsof the 2012 Miss Virginia Pageant, which begins Thursday at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Miss Apple Blossom Festival
Kourtney Ginn
Age: 22
Platform: Speaking out for the arts
Talent: ballet
Kourtney once sang during Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica in
the Vatican.
Twitter: @kourtneyginn
Miss Arlington
Courtney Garrett
Age: 19
Platform: Defying disabilities
Talent: vocal
Courtney is fluent in American Sign Language.
Miss Blue Ridge
Wanda Christian
Age: 21
Platform: Living green
Talent: jazz dance
Wanda danced as Elmo at Busch Gardens
Williamsburg.
Miss Charlottesville
Dominique Quarles
Age: 24
Platform: SPEAK: Domestic Violence Awareness
Talent: vocal
Dominique is a licensed insurance adjuster and
certified pharmacy technician.
Miss Chesterfield
Delesia Watson
Age: 22
Platform: Communication 101: Creating a Lasting
Impression
Talent: vocal
Delesia studied international public relations in London.
Twitter: @deleesh
Miss Commonwealth
Miranda Coble
Age: 20
Platform: Teen pregnancy prevention
Talent: jazz dance
Miranda lives in a community service house at Hollins
University that requires her to do 10 hours of service a month.
Miss Dominion
Amy Bartgis
Age: 20
Platform: Youth skin cancer prevention
Talent: vocal
Amy was born 2 feet tall and was 5 feet tall by the age of 6.
Miss Greater Franklin County
Jessica Swing
Age: 18
Platform: Beautiful Flaws: Confidence from
Within
Talent: tap dance
Jessica is the first in her family to attend college.
Miss Greater Hampton Roads
Courtney Meade
Age: 23
Platform: Defining You: Empowering the Youth of
America
Talent: dance, gymnastics
Courtney had a pet duck as a child.
Miss Greater Richmond
Victoria Maiden
Age: 21
Platform: Beating the Odds: A Living Miracle
Talent: baton twirling
Victoria and her twin sister were born on Valentine’s Day.
Twitter: @victoriatwirls
Miss Greater Springfield
Blaire Borum
Age: 22
Platform: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome awareness
Talent: vocal
Blaire modeled in a Macy’s fashion show that was hosted
by a judge from “America’s Next Top Model.”
Miss Hampton-Newport News
Phyllicia Whittingham
Age: 23
Platform: Volunteer for life
Talent: piano
Phyllicia is the proud driver of a 12-year-old Volkswagen
Beetle named Frannie.
Twitter: @MissHNN2012
Miss Hanover
Autumn Struhar
Age: 19
Platform: Traumatic Brain Injury awareness
Talent: vocal
Autumn spent time at nursing homes singing,
playing Bingo and giving manicures to residents.
Miss Hill City
Maggie Lawson
Age: 21
Platform: STOP: Stand Tall Over Predators
Talent: vocal
Maggie is SCUBA certified and once swam in an aquarium with six species of sharks.
Twitter: @maggieclawson
Miss Lynchburg
Amanda Miller
Age: 23
Platform: Every Beat Counts: Heart Health
Awareness
Talent: ballet
Amanda climbed part of the Great Wall of China.
Miss Mountain Empire
Elizabeth Robinette
Age: 23
Platform: Breast cancer awareness
Talent: jazz dance
Elizabeth lives on a farm that has been in her family for more
than 100 years.
Miss Norfolk
Shelby Smith
Age: 19
Platform: Erase the Stigma: Mental Health Awareness
Talent: vocal
Shelby studies American Shotokan Karate.
Miss Norfolk State University
Ashlee White
Age: 22
Platform: Dance for love
Talent: jazz dance
Ashlee has met President Obama.
Miss Northern Virginia
Elizabeth Martin
Age: 20
Platform: Mentoring children
Talent: vocal
Elizabeth hopes to get a job as a princess in Disney
World.
Miss Peninsula
Desiree Williams
Age: 23
Platform: Fit and Fun!
Talent: piano
Desiree spent six weeks in China studying language,
health and traditional Chinese medicine.
Twitter: @MissHU2010
Miss Piedmont Region
Bridget Lundberg
Age: 22
Platform: The Big Cover Up: The Myths and Truths About
Skin Cancer
Talent: jazz dance
Bridget is paying for her education at Christopher
Newport University on her own.
Miss Portsmouth Seawall
Madeleine Raiford
Age: 21
Platform: The Safe Streets Initiative
Talent: piano, vocal
Madeleine won first place for her age group in a triathlon.
Twitter: @madeleineAR
Miss Roanoke Valley
Rosemary Willis
Age: 21
Platform: Get moving today for a healthier tomorrow
Talent: vocal
Rosemary has traveled to Ukraine three times to help in orphanages,
hospitals and children’s camps.
Twitter: @rgdubs
Miss Smith Mountain Lake
Katelyn Dockery
Age: 20
Platform: Teen and young adult suicide prevention
Talent: vocal
Katelyn is part of a prison ministry.
Miss Virginia Beach
Elissa Taylor
Age: 22
Platform: Juvenile diabetes awareness and support
Talent: vocal
Elissa was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was
10 months old.
Miss Virginia Dogwood
Ashna Sharan
Age: 21
Platform: Domestic violence awareness
Talent: Indian Bollywood dance
Ashna speaks English, Spanish and Hindi.
2012 Miss Virginia PageantWhen: Preliminary competitions at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, finale at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Where: Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
Tickets: Thursday and Friday tickets are $35 each night. Saturday tickets are $45.
Info: Buy tickets at the Roanoke Civic Center box office; 877-482-8496; www.HomeTownBankTix.com.
Watch: The finale will air live on WSET (Channel 13) at 9 p.m. Saturday. Watch all three nights of
the pageant online for free at www.missva.com.
Voting: To vote for your favorite contestant, go to www.missva.com. Voting is unlimited and costs 99 cents per vote. Voting is open until 10 p.m. Friday. Voting does not affect judges’ scores, but the contestant who receives the most votes will become a “Top 11” finalist and receive a “People’s Choice” scholarship.
Live tweeting: The Roanoke Times will be live-tweeting from Miss Virginia events later this week. Follow the Twitter feed @rketimeslive and tweet using hashtag #missva
MORE INSIDEMiss Virginia pageant continues to take cues from popular reality TV shows to make itself more appealing to younger audiences.Page 6
NBC
Gymkana, the University of Maryland acrobatic group that appeared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” will perform during the Miss Virginia Pageant.