Sarah Sutton: My Miss Arkansas Experience

I had a very wonderful Miss Arkansas experience! Many people say that the week is so exhausting that after you leave you don't really want to talk about going back and competing. However, I felt very differently and knew the minute I left that I wanted to come back and have another shot at the crown. Throughout the week they kept us very busy with rehearsals, luckily I had my interview on Monday so I got that over with the first full day I was there. After that, I could focus on the on stage competition portion of the pageant. I sang "Man Of La Mancha" on Wednesday night, competed in on stage question and swimsuit on Thursday night, and competed in evening gown on Friday night. It was a great experience and I couldn't have performed any better that week. On Saturday night they announced the top ten semi-finalsts and crowned a new Miss Arkansas. I did not make the top ten, but I was still so excited to have had the opportunity to compete at Miss Arkansas. I've always been told that your first year you should always go into the Miss Arkansas pageant expecting nothing and that you would be lucky to hear your name announced on the stage for one award. I won the Lanie Nail Scholarship for the Education Major that scored the highest points in private interview, which was a $500 scholarship! I think I was more excited about this award then any award I have ever won! I went into the pageant expecting nothing and came out with an interview award! I was more than blessed to have won a scholarship at this year's pageant and to be able to say I competed with 46 of the most talented women in Arkansas. After the awards were announced, Sloane Roberts was crowned as our Miss Arkansas 2012. I couldn't have been happier for such a wonderful well-rounded woman to win the title and the crown of Miss Arkansas. She is so deserving and I couldn't have asked for a better person and talented role-model to represent our state at Miss America this January! The Miss Arkansas pageant is definitely an experience that has changed my life forever and I'm forever grateful to have met and became friends with some of the best women across our state!