Underneath all the glitz and glamour of the pageant lifestyle, Miss Pelican State Mariah Gewin is fascinated by the little things in life — atoms and molecules.
With multiple state and festival titles under her belt, Gewin — a chemistry senior — has been competing in pageants since she was 6 years old, but she’s more than just a beauty queen: She’s a student and a researcher.
“I find that I am a very analytical person, and that’s what chemistry is,” Gewin said. “It’s all analytical work, and we’re figuring out how things work and we’re looking at the little things.”
Gewin did her undergraduate research with chemistry professor John Pojman, who specializes in working with polymers. She helped him find a method to track frontal polymerization, the process of forming a polymer from monomer molecules through a self-reproducing reaction.
“The work ended up getting published because before that, there weren’t very many methods to actually figure out how to track something that you can’t see with the eye because it’s heat, and you can’t always see heat,” Gewin said.
While putting on an evening gown or strutting across the stage for the swimsuit round can be fun, Gewin said she also uses pageants to stand for issues she’s passionate about. In her pageant career, Gewin represents two platforms: women in science and coastal wetland conservation.
“Being a feminist, I believe that men and women should have equal opportunities, and I feel that there just aren’t enough women in science,” Gewin said.
Gewin said many women often feel having children means they have to take jobs that allow them to provide and be available to their families. However, having a family doesn’t mean a woman’s life has to come to a standstill, and a career in science is still an option.
Gewin said she has many memories of spending time on the bayou with her parents and grandparents. She is passionate about protecting the wetlands because they are a unique part of the Louisiana history and landscape and serve as a habitat to many indigenous species.
For Gewin, balancing the life of a national pageant competitor and college student is all about making it work. From the gym to class to pageant practice, she finds little ways to incorporate her pageant career into her everyday life.
After class, Gewin heads to the gym for her daily two-hour workout and brings her meals and protein shakes with her so she can keep up with her dietary regimen on the go. 
While the interview portion of the competition is intimidating, Gewin said she finds time to practice by keeping a thoughtful mindset in her everyday conversations. She also keeps up with current events to form knowledgeable opinions.
At her mother’s request, Gewin made her first pageant appearance at the age of 6. Despite winning third runner-up, Gewin said wearing the lace gowns and having big curly hair wasn’t enjoyable for her at such a young age.
Her mother decided to pull her from pageants until she was old enough to decide for herself whether or not she wanted to compete. When she was 14, Gewin won her first festival pageant in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, and said she fell in love with the experience.
“Originally, I thought that it was just walking on a stage and being pretty, but actually, I found that it really does open a lot of doors to you,” Gewin said.
She continued to compete in the festival circuit until she quit for two years at 17.
Gewin re-entered pageants and began competing at the national level at 19 when a preliminary director asked her to compete in the Miss Louisiana USA pageant. Gewin has competed in the national circuit for the last five years.
Gewin said competing in pageants has also taught her valuable life skills.
“With these five years of interview training that I’ve had, I feel like I could conquer any job interview that I have,” Gewin said. “I feel like everything that I’ve done really transfers into the real world as well.”
Pageants allowed Gewin to participate in various volunteer opportunities, such as raising money for charity and working with coastal wetland conservation projects.
When she was younger, Gewin said she considered a career in modeling, but at 5-foot-2, was too short. 
Since competing in pageants, Gewin has had the opportunity to fulfill this dream and model for various designers, including national designer Mac Duggal.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Zoe Geauthreaux

LSU chemistry senior Mariah Gewin promotes women in science while competing in pagaents such as Miss Pelican State and Miss Louisiana.