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Contact: Melissa Peveto
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
6/4/98
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES - Northwestern State University will be uniquely represented at this year's Miss Louisiana pageant when six of its students, including two cloggers, will compete for the state title June 18-20 at the Monroe Civic Center.
In her fifth year of competition, Farrah Reyna of Rosepine, leads the NSU delegation as a veteran competitor. In previous attempts, Reyna, Miss Central Louisiana, has been selected third and fourth runner up, chosen the non-finalist talent winner and was a double preliminary winner in swimsuit and talent last year. The senior broadcast journalism major is considered by pageant observers to be a front runner among the field of 27 contestants.
"I want to win and I am going to go until I do that or age out, " laughs the 22-year old Reyna. "It has been a goal of mine to be Miss Louisiana and that is what my sights are set on this year."
Besides hoping for a chance to represent the Bayou State as its most visible ambassador, Reyna also competes for the scholarship money. "I have competed since I was two years old and I have found that there is generally some kind of cash scholarship involved in all pageants, particularly the higher the level of pageant. By competing in preliminaries and state competitions, I have paid for all but one semester at Northwestern. That is a big incentive."
The last five years for Reyna have also given her a chance to mold and shape a platform she chose back in 1993, her first year at the state level. "It is called 'Future Leaders of the World' and it deals with the prevention of juvenile delinquency." Reyna says she chose this particular issue because she feels she was an at-risk child who was raised by her grandmother in a single parent home. "With my program, I try to build self-esteem. I speak to kids back at home and at community functions plus I work at the local Boys and Girls Club. I talk about parental involvement, teen pregnancy and getting an education.
"I want children to know that you can be successful and fulfilled even if, for instance, they come from a broken home. Coming from a disadvantage background is no reason to go astray. I have worked to overcome problems so I know anyone can."
"This year brings a new excitement for me because I feel like I am even more ready than last year. I am probably more excited about performing my new clogging routine to 'Everybody Jams' than anything else," said Reyna.
Casey Jo Crowder, Miss Bossier Parish, is also looking forward to her second year at the pageant. The Shreveport native was first runner up last year. "It was so much fun last year. It was the exact opposite of what I had heard it would be like. It was a fun-filled week that gave me the opportunity to meet some really great girls and gain some scholarship money."
Crowder is no stranger to the pageant runway. The Northwestern sophomore biology major has been competing almost all of her life. "My first title was Little Miss Potlicker from the Blanchard Poke Salad Festival", she jokingly admits.
As comical as the title may sound, that pageant actually started the process of slowly pulling Crowder out of a shell. "I was really shy when I was little and competition along the years has helped me overcome those tendencies."
Not only has Crowder come out of her shell, she can even look back on embarrassing moments during competition and laugh instead of cry. "I was in Miss Teen Louisiana in 1995. It was during the swimsuit competition. In the middle of my walk, my shoe came off. I was so embarrassed but I didn't have a choice but to keep going." She won the pageant.
This year, Crowder will not be concentrating on her shoes as much as she will her overall performance. "I am nervous about talent," said Crowder. "I don't know why I get so nervous because I have sung for so long but that has always been the most nerve-wracking portion of the competition for me." Crowder will sing "In a Very Unusual Way" from the Broadway musical "Nine."
As for her platform, Crowder has chosen one that hits close to home for her-Mental Health Awareness. "A year ago my dad was diagnosed with depression which later developed into Alzheimer's Disease. I really had no understanding of what this disease was. Choosing my platform was really a way to help me better understand mental illness." Crowder focuses her energies on volunteering with the Mental Health Association in Caddo/Bossier Parishes.
Nineteen year old Shelly Colvin of Winnfield will also be making her second appearance at this year's competition as Miss Natchitoches City of Lights. Colvin, a junior theatre major at Northwestern, was a top 10 competitor last year.
"I planned to go back right after I made the top 10 last year," said Colvin. "I always said I wanted to go for at least two years. I thought since I was living in Natchitoches and going to NSU, it made sense to compete in the Miss City of Lights pageant and luckily I won."
Colvin, unlike Crowder and Reyna, began pageant competition later in life. That has done nothing to hinder her success. "I didn't start competing until I was a senior in high school. I did the Miss Teen Louisiana and the Louisiana Junior Miss Pageant.
"Pageants are great for building self confidence. It is a lot of hard work and to compete it requires discipline. Pageants put a person to the test to find out how much of a worker someone is and how bad they desire something."
Colvin is filled with excitement over the reunion she will have with pageant friends she has come to know. "I know so many girls this year that will be there so it will be like a vacation with my friends. That helps to take the edge off the word competition when your friends are there with you."
Overall, Colvin says the pageant is heading in a wonderful direction. "It is becoming less of a pageant and more of a women of the 90's show all. It has changed a lot over the last five years I think. For the better."
Speaking of change, Colvin is hoping her switch for her vocal performance to "I Will Survive" will be a change for the better.
Ironically, Miss Northwestern Lady of the Bracelet Rebecca Dauzat of Marksville, who will head to Monroe for the first time, and Reyna share the same unique talent of clogging. It was seeing the success of Reyna that convinced Dauzat to take her eight and half years of experience in clogging and put it to use in pageants. "Watching Farrah helped me realize that my talent was good enough for competition," said Dauzat. Dauzat will perform to "Banjo Fantasy." With the exception of a few minor changes, Dauzat will keep the routine just as it was during the preliminary pageant.
Dauzat, a junior elementary education major, says being the new kid on the block will definitely not hinder her performance. In fact, she is quite used to performing to a national audience. She has clogged on the Grand Ole Opry stage with the National Glory Bound Cloggers and has been recognized on local, state and national levels in clogging competitions.
"I am looking forward to this experience. I have a lot to learn and I know this is the place to start. Whatever I walk away having learned will help me in future pageants."
Perhaps the thing that needs very little polishing is her "Working and Volunteering with the Muscular Dystrophy" platform. That's because Dauzat's brother, Brian, has a type of MD. "Working and volunteering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association is something I have done almost all of my life. MDA has always been a part of mine and my family's life. I just want to talk to others and encourage them to make it a part of theirs.
"Brian has outlived any of the doctor's predictions and I feel like part of that is because of the advancements made in medicine and research which wouldn't be possible without volunteers raising money to support this effort."
Dauzat helps MDA by organizing an annual MDA/Mardi Gras Pageant in her hometown of Marksville. This year, she and a host of volunteers helped raise $1,300. She has also participated in numerous MDA sponsored events throughout the year.
Trailing not too far behind Dauzat on her way to Monroe this month will be "half of her hometown," laughs Dauzat. "I never knew my hometown supports me the way they do. It has been wonderful."
Jamie Freeman of Plaquemine says the most frightening thing for her is the on stage judges question. "Other than that, I am cool, calm and collected." The 18-year old sophomore journalism major will be trying for the title of Miss Louisiana for the first time. "Even though I may be one of the youngest contestants, I feel I am mature enough to handle the responsibilities of the title.
"I believe I have a solid platform that can be promoted not just throughout the state but throughout the country. It has already been successful here in Plaquemine and Baton Rouge."
As Miss Baton Rouge, Freeman has formed an arts education for underprivileged children clinic called Kicks for Kids. It is a week long after school clinic for kids to learn how to dance, sing and make arts and crafts.
"Funding is being cut everyday for arts education in our public schools. Many kids can't pay for dance or singing lessons but they need to be schooled in arts education. If our schools don't provide this type of thing who will? If we didn't have performing arts, we wouldn't have radio or t.v. Think about it," said Freeman.
Freeman has been involved in performing arts almost all of her life. For the talent portion of the competition, she will perform a gymnastics and dance routine to "Stuff Like That There" by Bette Midler.
Freeman started competing in pageants almost before she could walk. She took a break for several years and then on her second try in a preliminary she won. "I had never been in the Miss America system before this year," said Freeman. "While entering another system was a big shock, it has been a fun experience. I can't wait for state."
Jana Harrod, a Northwestern State University student at Fort Polk, will also be competing in the pageant as Miss Days in the Park. The 18-year old DeRidder native is preparing for state and says although this will be her first time at the pageant she isn't nervous. "I just have to think positive," said Harrod. "I am really ready to go. I am so hyped about it. From what I hear from other girls, they are saying to go back as many times as you can because it is a wonderful experience."
Harrod, a radiology technician major, has been preparing for six months by working out, brushing up on current events, polishing interview skills and practicing her solo "Angels Standing", which she will sing.
In addition, Harrod has been shaping her platform of elderly care. "I plan to promote better care of our elderly population mainly through children. I want to organize groups of young people to be better neighbors to our elderly by visiting nursing homes and taking gifts to them. I want to see them helping the elderly who are home bound."
Harrod also believes there is a shortage of nurses aides in the state and wants to see more hired particularly in nursing homes. "Some of our nurses aids have too many patients to take care of so inevitably the aides may not be as efficient with their patients as necessary."
The finals of the Miss Louisiana Pageant will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20 in Monroe.