Event raises $1,130 for the UWA Student Emergency Fund
Story: Phillip Tutor | Photos: UWA
By her own admission, University of West Alabama sophomore Emily Foxhall adores beauty pageants. They’re an inseparable part of her life, though she’s not sure how many she’s entered. Her estimate: somewhere between 40 and 60, if not more.
“I compete in a lot of pageants,” she said.
Foxhall competed as a freshman last year in the Miss Paragon Pageant, an annual charity event sponsored by the university’s chapter of the national Blue Key Honor Society that raises money for the UWA Student Emergency Fund. In her first year, Foxhall didn’t finish among the first five, but the experience didn’t sap her enthusiasm for pageant-style competitions, especially UWA’s.
“I thought it was a really nice environment,” she said, “and I wanted to come back again this year, of course, to achieve the title.”
Amaya Carswell, a freshman from Thomasville, was selected as the Miss Paragon Pageant’s first runner-up. Carswell, a nursing major, is a member of several campus organizations, including the Black Student Union. She was sponsored by Equality Alliance.
Hannah Sears, a senior from West Blocton, was named the pageant’s second runner-up. Sears, also a nursing major, is vice president of the Student Government Association, her pageant sponsor, and a member of the Kappa Xi chapter of the Phi Mu sorority.
Adrianna Hubbert, a sophomore from Mobile, received the pageant’s People’s Choice award, which is based on audience donations to the Student Emergency Fund during the event. Hubbert, an elementary education major, was sponsored by the Livingston chapter of Delta Chi.
The Blue Key Honor Society is a national group that recognizes students for leadership in extracurricular and academic affairs. First organized at the University of Florida in 1924, the society’s membership includes students from universities and colleges across the United States. UWA’s Blue Key chapter organized in 1967.
This year’s pageant raised $1,130 for the UWA Student Emergency Fund, according to Leslie White, coordinator of student involvement and communications. The fund provides eligible students with financial assistance in cases such as, but not limited to, medical expenses, housing and transportation issues, and food insecurity. Student needs are vetted by a review committee.
As the 2023 winner, Foxhall, who was sponsored by the Zeta Rho chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha, will be featured in a homecoming parade float this fall and will crown next year’s Miss Paragon Pageant winner. She’ll also be busy preparing for a potential appearance in the 2024 Miss Alabama contest.
In high school, Foxhall would usually compete in at least one pageant a month, she said, but “slowed it down” and only entered between five and 10 events as a freshman at UWA. Her competition schedule has slowed even more this year, though preparing for a possible Miss Alabama entry, which would include a full complement of traditional pageant events, will ramp up her training in the coming months.
“It’s a lot of mental preparation,” Foxhall said. “It’s a lot of weight on your emotional status and mental status just to be able to compete at that level. Once I catch a break with school and work and have a moment to breathe, I plan on training at least three times a day, and then I will be in and out of heels all summer just to get my ankles back in shape.”