Sunday morning, Courtney Rawls, a mass communication and international studies sophomore, felt nervous. After months of preparation, she was finally ready to compete in the Miss LSU Pageant.
But when she stepped on stage, her anxiety melted away.
She glanced into the audience and quickly spotted her parents and friends.
They looked at her and laughed, and she laughed back, confident that everything would be OK.
The Miss LSU Pageant, sponsored by Delta Zeta sorority, has caused butterflies to flutter in the stomachs of many contestants over the past six years.
This year, 34 young women competed for the title of Miss LSU.
“The number of contestants was higher this year than it has been in years past,” Delta Zeta Marketing Chair Brittany Boeneke said. “So, we added more awards this year in addition to naming the 12 finalists.”
People’s Choice, Most Congenial, Best Interview and Best Swimsuit were among the new awards added.
Boeneke said the Union Theater was a full house.
“Tickets to the pageant were sold out by Saturday afternoon,” Boeneke said.
The pageant also featured two performances by the Tiger Girls and a fashion show.
In the fashion show, members of Delta Zeta modeled clothing by Vertigo Clothing Co, Jeanne Nicole jewelry and accessories and hairstyles by Lockworks Hair and Body Salon.
“The $25,000 proceeds of pageant will go to three charities — The Baton Rouge Speech and Hearing Foundation, Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area and the Delta Zeta National Foundation,” Boeneke said.
Boeneke said the winner of Miss LSU won a $1,000 dollar scholarship, entry into the Ms. Louisiana USA pageant, a David Yurman bracelet and more than $1,000 in other prizes.
Rawls, a native of Shreveport, La. walked away with the Miss LSU crown and the opportunity to vie for the title of Miss Louisiana/USA in November.
Rawls said she decided to enter the pageant after being encouraged by her roommate, Ashley Winnings.
Winnings, a political science sophomore, said Rawls is cute and outgoing with an upbeat personality.
“Overall, she exemplifies all the characteristics a representative of LSU should have,” Winning said.
Rawls said Miss LSU was the first pageant she had ever entered.
“After talking about it with Ashley, I thought it would be a great and fun way for me to show my love for LSU and represent the modern-day pageant girl,” Rawls said.
Since January, Rawls said she has been working to balance her academic schedule and pageant obligations.
“Preparing for the pageant was more of a mental commitment than a physical one,” she said. “Because you have to find a way to get on stage and communicate to people what you want them to know about you.”
Rawls was the first African American contestant to receive the title of Miss LSU.
“I keep an optimistic approach to increasing diversity on this campus and in society,” she said. “In the LSU community, we have done a great job of overcoming cultural barriers and increasing the interaction between various racial and ethnic groups. The important thing is for us to continue progressing and moving forward so that one day we can see the only race that matters is the human race.”