7 women compete for Miss IU crown

As the curtains were open, seven women posed in business wear, bathing suits and formal gowns to compete in the 2009 Miss IU Pageant on Saturday.

The atmosphere was filled with excitement as audience members held signs and cheered for their contestant of choice.

The enthusiasm grew as the crowd waited for the 2009 Miss IU to be announced. As the women stood anxiously in evening gowns to hear the results, anxieties abated for one of the seven – freshman Maggie Delaney was crowned the 2009 Miss IU.

Delaney’s family drove from her home state of Kansas to watch the pageant. The Kansas City native is a political science major with hopes to have a career in Washington D.C. following graduation.

Delaney’s passion for politics made selecting her platform, Keeping the Dream Alive: Rock the Vote, an organization targeting voters 18-25 to become active and informed about politics and issues important to society, an easy decision.

“It’s important for young people to stay informed about politics,” Delaney said. “Students will be out in the real world soon, and they need to know what’s going on with economics and other issues.”

Nancy Michael, District 44 Indiana State Representative, sat on the judges’s panel.

“It’s great to see young women involved in politics,” Michael said. “I’m always happy to see women looking for opportunities in public policy.”