By: Sierra Hall
The Second Annual Miss Auburn University at Montgomery Scholarship Pageant presented by AUM SGA was hosted on Sept. 23, 2022, in the Taylor Center, just as it did the year prior. Pageant coordinator Keenan Carter was happy to speak about the growth of the pageant since its inaugural run the year prior. “Last year, we took an idea with two months as a committee to put it together with no experience. This year we had more ideas and insight with other talent so this year we were able to look at our success with the first Miss AUM and improve it.” The inaugural winner of Miss AUM beamed with pride as she took her final walk as the 2021-2022 Miss AUM. Precious Taylor, the inaugural winner, was able to sit alongside the crowd of over 125 people and take in the competition. This year, there were six female contestants: Malori Butler, Hadassah Gaddis, Justyce Jones, Bindi Patel, Tamara Stewart and Jamya Watson. The contestants were all upperclassmen who felt enchanted by the responsibilities of Miss AUM and the influence the winner would have on campus. The pageant consisted of four rounds: introductions, a talent portion, an evening gown round including the recruitment of their campus impact statement and an on-stage question and the final evening gown walk which ended in crowning. In between the rounds, the audience was introduced to the judge of the competition which included Ms. Kanesha Jordan who acted as the Alumni Judge, who received her Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from AUM, Mrs. Kennedy Smith who acted as a staff judge who also graduated from AUM with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and is currently pursuing her masters at the university and Ms. Kristina Bolden who acted as our guest judge, who received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Tuskegee University. After a performance from AUMCapella under the direction of Mark Benson, closing words before crowning were given by Miss Alabama State University 2022-23 Aleah Robinson.
Second-Runner up was Ms. Bindi Patel, a senior studying exercise science from Montgomery, AL, who was sponsored by the Indian Student Organization.
The runner-up was Ms. Malori Butler, a senior pre-veterinary/biology major from Prattville, AL, who was sponsored by the Theta Beta chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta. The 2nd Annual Miss AUM was awarded to Ms. Tamara Stewart, a junior human resource management major from Birmingham, AL, sponsored by the SWOT Team. Stewart gave an impactful opening statement, commanding the audience from start to finish with her confidence. She performed Phenomenal Woman by the late Maya Angelou for her talent. Her Campus Impact Statement focused on confidence and inclusivity, speaking from her own experience stating that she never allowed anyone’s opinion to keep her from doing what she wanted to do and that she hoped to inspire the same confidence in the students on campus if given the chance.
After a tearful crowning, Stewart spoke with me about the entire experience. She beamed with joy despite the tears that brimmed her eyes. “I am so blessed and so grateful. Everyone (backstage) was supportive, and all the contestants were great. I’m planning to host events and activities to increase inclusivity to implement my impact statement on campus.”