Senior Alexandria Ford was named Miss Indiana University at 8 p.m. Sunday at Willkie Auditorium, winning $1,500. A newcomer to pageants, Ford said the title provides her the perfect platform to advocate for women's empowerment.
All 10 Miss Indiana University candidates must promote a social service platform, and Ford's was about women's empowerment. They made statements about their Social Impact Initiative during the competition in front of a crowd of around 170.
“As women, it’s easy to feel powerless,” Ford said for her social impact statement. “Now more than ever, we need to educate, elevate and empower the next generation of women to be confident in themselves and to take their seat at the table.”
Ford will compete in Miss Indiana this summer. Ford is a senior at IU studying economic consulting and international business, and she said she wants college-aged women to mentor young girls.
Ford also tied for Interview Winner and Talent Winner awards, two of eight awards distributed at the competition.
Miss Indiana University is awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the IU Foundation. The event is supported by the IU Funding Board, the Miss America Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of Bloomington and South Central Indiana and local businesses.
Runner-up Emily Axsom won $1,000, and 3rd place winner Vanesa Quiroga won $500. Winners in the Talent, Interview and One Can Make a Difference sections each won $250, and the People's Choice Award winner got $100. All of the scholarships awarded at the competition amount to almost $4,000.
Five of the ten candidates had never participated in a pageant. Backstage, they hung their gowns on mobile racks and sifted through makeup and hair products. Quiroga, a senior candidate studying social work, just got her nails done.
“It’s my first time having fake nails.”
“They’re really pretty! Where’d you get those?”
“Crimson Nails by Kroger. When they put them on, I was like, ‘woah.’”
“It makes you feel like a whole different person.”
Quiroga was second runner up, tied for Talent Winner and also won the One Can Make a Difference award.
Another first-time competitor, Rachel Ramos, won Miss Congeniality and People’s Choice Award. She performed a magic routine and said she was excited to use her prom dress for the competition because it was expensive.
She also said the Miss America organization is stereotyped for emphasizing physical beauty over women's personalities, and her experience disproved the stereotypes she had heard.
“There’s a lot of stereotyping with Miss America and with this organization, and it’s not like that at all,” Ramos said. “It’s about scholarships. It’s very comfortable.”
Claudia Hernandez, a third year student at the School of Optometry, won the competition last year. She said she came to the 2019 competition with two outfits on hangers and the rest in a duffel bag. She has been a baton twirler since elementary school, and used outgrown batons and a friend’s costume for the talent portion of the competition.
She said she’s sad her time in Miss America is ending, but she is ready to move on.
“It feels good to feel special, and I’m doing more than just studying 24/7,” Hernandez said. “It’s been a good break.”
Geneva Mazhandu, a sophomore studying public affairs, has participated in pageants since she was 15. This was her seventh local Miss America pageant this season.
“I think of pageantry as being the most comprehensive job interview there is,” Mazhandu said.
All candidates are interviewed by the judges before the show, answer onstage interview questions, discuss their Social Impact Initiatives in a gown and perform a talent in 90 seconds.
Candidate Kaitlyn Savage signed Carrie Underwood’s “Temporary Home.” She is a junior studying speech and hearing sciences.
Axsom, a junior studying fashion design, sang the song “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves and discussed her support for LGBTQ+ rights. She finished in second place.
Eight awards were distributed at the competition. While they were being tabulated, student a cappella group Resting Pitch Face performed covers of “Blame It On the Boogie" by The Jacksons, and “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar and H.E.R. The Hoosierettes Dance Team also performed at the event.
Hernandez gave a farewell speech, expressing gratitude for her year as Miss IU 2019, for executive director Teresa White and to other significant people in her life.
Holding hands across the stage, the women awaited the results of the competition in their evening gowns.
Axsom landed second place, and Quiroga came in third. Quiroga and Ford tied for Talent Winner, Axsom and Ford tied for Interview Winner and Ramos took home Miss Congeniality and People’s Choice Award.
Miss America candidates must be 17-25 years old. Hernandez will spend her last eligible year on rotation at ophthalmology clinics around the U.S. to finish her degree at IU, but she said she will continue to encourage women to participate in the competition.
“I’m definitely involved with Miss America forever,” Hernandez said.
