Wearing sweats and sneakers in the weight room at the Student Recreation Center, University student Danielle Miller never would have expected to be recruited for a pageant while at work. But that’s exactly what happened last month when Miller was spotted by Major Joelle Goodwin, president of the Miss Lane County Scholarship Program and a military science professor at the University.
“Growing up, I did basketball, volleyball, soccer, track, gymnastics, cheerleading. I’ve always been more into sports; pageants have never been part of my daily routine,” said Miller, a 19-year-old human physiology major with junior standing who is currently taking 19 credits.
“(Goodwin) was just like, ‘You have to do this!’ I was shocked. I was like, ‘How am I going to do this on top of everything else? Second of all, a pageant? For money? OK, if I can do it for school, I guess I’ll do it!’”
A subsidiary to Miss America, MLCSP will crown four winners on April 5: Miss Lane County, Miss Willamette Valley, Miss University of Oregon and Miss Emerald City.
“This is like the first round,” explained freshman pre-business major Kelly Dorius, another of the six University students competing. “If you win this, you’ll go to Seaside, which is where the state program is, and that’s everyone who won the local titles. From there, they’ll choose one Miss Oregon and that girl goes on to compete at the national level.”
The Miss America program provides more than $45 million in scholarships to the 12,000-plus young women who compete in pageants nationwide.
“For every three contestants you have, you can crown one more,” said MLCSP Executive Director Nicole Akins, who competed in pageants for 24 years. “Every penny that gets put into the project goes right back into scholarship money for the young women. I wanted to give the opportunity for more young ladies to earn scholarship money.”
Though Akins has never won, she said competing in pageants has been an invaluable experience and not simply the beauty contest many people think.
“In Miss America, you actually have to have brains, talent and beauty. It does provide these women with a huge amount of self-confidence and interview skills they wouldn’t acquire in any other format,” she said. “It really is about a young woman who is strong in character, who can develop her communication skills and promote a strong issue that she’s really passionate about.”

Each contestant picks an issue, which becomes her platform, which she promotes and volunteers for. Miller’s platform is children’s health. In addition to volunteering in the pediatric unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center and the nursery at her church back home in Grant’s Pass, Ore., she plans to do nutrition programs at elementary schools.
“By educating them at a young age, I feel like they can develop those habits for life,” said Miller, whose platform coincides with her career goal.
“With my passion for health and helping people, especially children, I definitely see myself setting up a family practice,” she said.
Each contestant also raises money for Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children. CMN aligns with University sophomore Taylor Hines’ platform: the Children’s Cancer Association.
“My little brother actually had cancer when he was 9, so I have a really strong personal connection with this issue,” said Hines, a public relations major. “I know what all the families go through. You really can’t get through it without support and I’d love to get involved … I’m really passionate about it.”
Hines has no prior pageant experience and she wasn’t recruited at the rec center. She randomly surfed across an advertisement for MLCSP and applied on a whim.
“I thought it’d be cool to go outside my box,” she said. “It’s a chance to win a ton of money and it’s a good opportunity to get involved in volunteer work.”
Each contestant’s platform is the basis of her on-stage question, one of the pageant’s five stages. There is also a swimsuit and evening wear competition, a talent showcase and an interview with the judging panel that can include anything from current events to favorite colors.
“They’re looking for someone well-rounded, just to see if you’re active in your own community as well as knowing what’s going on globally,” said Dorius, whose talent is playing the piano.
Her platform is breast cancer awareness, to which she lost her mother three years ago. She currently does community service with the American Cancer Society and is forming a team for the upcoming Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Portland.
Dorius said pageants are a great confidence builder, as well as a way to develop skills like public speaking.
Since this is Miller’s first pageant, she doesn’t exactly know what to expect, but she said it’s been a good experience so far.
She’s just looking forward to being able to “get up in front of people and sharing my heart, and motivating them to get out there and make a difference.”
[email protected]