Locals Represent Tri-State Area in Miss USA Pageant

Locals Represent Tri-State Area in Miss USA Pageant

As I began to wind down from my weekend on Sunday evening, I chose to watch the 63rd annual Miss USA Pageant on NBC. Luckily enough I caught it right at the beginning and I, like many other women my age, was hooked and had to stay up late until the Miss USA 2014 was crowned. The competition was held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the entertainment provided by Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly added to the show. With 51 women, one representing each state and one representing the District of Columbia all participating in the event, the competition seemed extremely tense. However, what truly amazed me was how the representatives from our tri-state area were three women from nearby towns.

I believe that we live in the best area of the United States, and have always been fascinated by the fact that we can be in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio in such a short travel time. When the three candidates were announced, their hometowns were all relatively close to my hometown of Wheeling, WV, as Miss West Virginia was a Parkersburg, WV native, Miss Pennsylvania was from Pittsburgh, PA, and Miss Ohio was from Massillon, OH. Although Miss Pennsylvania was the only one to make it into the top 20 before being eliminated in the next round, it is really exciting to know that these women were representing such beautiful towns so close to my home.

All three attended local universities as well. Miss West Virginia was a 2011 graduate from West Virginia University with a bachelor of science degree in pre-med, and is currently the Development Manager for West Virginia Rx Card. Miss Pennsylvania is an alumni of the University of Pittsburgh and is currently a marketing coordinator and hopes to become an actress. Miss Ohio is a recent graduate from The Ohio State University and is currently a first year law student who plans on completing law school. All three of these women have hometowns only a short distance from Wheeling, and it's my hope that this will show local young women and girls who wish to compete in the Miss USA Pageant that anything is possible.

Knowing that women from local towns achieved their dreams is truly an inspiration, and it showed me that you don't have to be from a big city to make your dreams come true. With the support of their "small town USA" hometowns behind them and their goals set high, any woman can make her wildest dreams come true. In general, The Miss USA Pageant teaches young girls and women all over the country that being an all-around genuine individual makes you the most beautiful person in the world. After all, Miss USA is not only chosen by her beauty on the outside, but by her beauty on the inside.