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NEWS BRIEFS
MU grad student to compete in Miss USA competition
There'll be a little bit of green and white at the 58th annual Miss USA competition in Las Vegas on April 19.
Twenty-one-year-old Marshall University graduate Jessi Pierson, daughter of Brett and Kristi Pierson of Milton, will represent the Mountain State as Miss West Virginia USA during the NBC-televised pageant which will be aired beginning at 9 p.m. Pierson leaves for Las Vegas Friday.
"Packing has been a huge thing, for sure. I've been shipping boxes out there ahead of time to have them ready for me when I get there. I can't take three weeks worth of clothes on the plane," Pierson said. "Other than that, I'm just trying to get everything ready, I'm working out a lot, watching what I eat.
"I feel like I'm really ready for this."
Pierson only competed in the Miss West Virginia pageant one time, winning in her first attempt. She had started her experience with pageants in the eighth grade with pumpkin festivals and county fairs. Overcoming her fear of being on-stage in a bathing suit led her to the decision to try for the biggest crown in the state.
"Since I was a little girl, I've always watched the Miss USA pageant on TV, and it has been a dream to do that, so I kind of feel like I've won the lottery," she explained. "The bathing suit competition did terrify me, but I decided to do a different pageant last year that had a bathing suit competition and that pageant made me realize that I could be comfortable doing it."
In addition to winning the state crown, Pierson was also named Miss Photogenic and was voted Miss Congeniality.
For the next two weeks, the Cabell Midland High School graduate will participate in preliminary pageant events, including photo shoots, charity events and on-stage preparations. She will eagerly await the arrival of about 40 supporters to Las Vegas who'll be cheering her on.
When she's home, she stays busy with involvement in Big Brothers and Big Sisters, the MS Walk, Food Pantry and modeling in fashion shows at the Huntington Mall and with the Catalyst Talent Agency in Cincinnati. She has bargain-shopped for the pageant at T.J. Maxx and through eBay. Several local businesses have sponsored her jewelry and cocktail outfits for the pageant.
Pierson's planner is notably empty after April 19, in the event she brings home a win. A win means a move to New York City and giving up her Miss West Virginia title. If she does not win, she's already making plans for the remainder of her year representing the Mountain State.
"I'm in the process of getting my certifications to go with my elementary education degree, so I would be completely ready to start substitute teaching when I get back. I want to do as much as I can as Miss West Virginia," Pierson said.
For more information about Pierson, visit www.misswestvirginiausa.com or go to www.missusa.com.
