IU student will compete as Miss Indiana

In less than one week, 22 women will compete for the title of Miss Indiana. The previously reigning Miss Indiana 2003, Bryn Lawton Chapman, is also a student at IU. \nHoping to take her place is 22-year-old senior, Ashley Laine Buck.\nFrom Buckskin, Ind., Buck has competed in pageants all her life in hopes to one day be Miss America. \n"Last year, I won the local title of Miss South Central," said Buck. "I waited until I was 20 years old to compete for the title because that's when I began to feel that I was ready for it. I was very active in sports in high school, and my first two years of college, I was just trying to find my way."\nAn important aspect of the competition is the cause, or platform, each contestant has been working toward. Buck's platform is Breathe Easy Everyday. Just BEE helps raise awareness about asthma. \n"BEE is a voluntary network who wants to reduce mortality," said Buck, who had been misdiagnosed with respiratory problems until age 15.\nBuck ultimately would like to make all of Indiana smoke-free. She believes if New York City can go smoke-free, so can Bloomington and the rest of Indiana, too.\n"I would feel honored to have another IU student be crowned Miss Indiana," said junior Stephanie Eyer. "Especially one who is fighting for such a great cause. I have asthma, too, and I don't think that enough people know anything about it. If Indiana went smoke-free, that would be amazing."\nThe pageant forges through many stereotypes. But state board member, Mark Edwards, repeatedly states the focus in this competition is on scholarships.\n"It's pretty rigorous to get to Miss Indiana. You must have won at another level which is fairly grueling," Edwards said. "Most of these young women have been working at this for a very long time. I'm always surprised to see the level of commitment."\nBuck feels well-prepared for the days ahead of her. If she wins the Miss Indiana Scholarship Pageant she will need to quit her schooling at IU and focus on the full-time job as a contestant on Miss America. However, Buck would not just be leaving behind her education, but her involvement in both the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, as well as her position on the Student Athletic Board.\n"The closer the time, the more consuming it becomes," said Buck. "I try to spend quality time with my boyfriend, but it's really hard with all of the preparing."\nBuck competed all through last year without taking any titles. However, she feels confident going into the Miss Indiana Pageant. Her passion for performing and interacting with people is what she hopes will take her to the top.\n"I love going out into the community and seeing people's faces when I am the one to make a difference in their lives," said Buck.\nBuck's career goal is to design a nationally syndicated publication. But until then she hopes to inform those about Just BEE, tap dance and smile her way to the crown of Miss Indiana 2004.\n-- Contact staff writer Sarah Kanter at skanter@indiana.edu.