Lauren Edwards, biology sophomore, always had plans to go to IHOP with her family and friends after participating in the Miss LSU pageant.
It was a reward for her three months of intense dieting and exercising to prepare for the competition.
Little did she know, it would turn into a celebratory dinner as Edwards was crowned Miss LSU 2008 Sunday night during Delta Zeta sorority’s Miss LSU-USA pageant.
Soon she will begin preparations for the Miss Louisiana pageant because the Miss LSU pageant is an official preliminary to the Miss Louisiana pageant in the Miss USA pageant system.
Edwards said she “cannot wait to represent this University and this state.” She said this was the greatest experience of her life.
Edwards spent a lot of time looking for the perfect dress for the pageant’s evening gown competition. She said she went to Houston to find a dress to make sure she had “something different.”
“You have to find the right dress for your body and that shows the kind of person you want to be portrayed as on stage,” she said.
All 31 participants competed in swimsuit and evening gown competitions, which helped judges select the Top 10 finalists.
During the pageant, the audience was entertained with a fashion show featuring members of Delta Zeta, two performances by the Tiger Girls and a cowboy-themed opening number performed by the contestants.
Liz Dunn, Miss LSU-USA 2007, also gave her goodbye speech and spoke about her experiences as Miss LSU.
Cynthia Noguera, executive pageant director and business administration junior, said that she thinks the pageant gets more competitive every year.
“Besides being beautiful, the girls are also intelligent and talented,” she said.
She told the audience of about 1,000 people Sunday night that she thinks this is “the best group of girls in Miss LSU history.”
She got to know the contestants well during the weeks leading up to the pageant and said, “I can’t pick out Miss LSU right now.”
Noguera said the judges were looking for “someone to represent LSU,” not just someone who will do well in the Miss Louisiana pageant.
She said different types of girls win every year.  
Noguera said most of the contestants this year were first-time pageant participants.
Ainsley Beeman, biology junior and first-time pageant contestant, said she didn’t have a lot of expectations going into the pageant. She was named first runner-up.
“I just wanted to make a good memory,” she said.
Unlike Edwards, Beeman said to prepare for the pageant she worked out a little, but her goal was to be herself.
Megan Goza, accounting sophomore and first-time pageant contestant, said she is not one to crash diet “and only eat cottage cheese.”
Merrill Bankston, mass communications sophomore, was the second runner-up.
All proceeds from the pageant go to Delta Zeta’s philanthropies, which benefit the speech and hearing impaired and those suffering from Alheizmer’s disease. On a local level, Delta Zeta supports the Baton Rouge Speech and Hearing Foundation and the Alheizmer’s Services of the Capital Area.
The Greek community is very active in supporting the pageant. Noguera said all but two sororities were represented in the pageant, and fraternity and sorority members make up about 75 percent of ticket sales.
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Contact Emmy Gill at [email protected]