Confetti flew and vuvuzellas blared as Kristin Anne Hector was crowned the 13th Miss WCU on Saturday, Feb. 5. Family and friends cheered as Hector took her first steps as Miss WCU and embarked on a year-long journey of amazing opportunities. Hector, a second year Theatre Major with a concentration in Dance, performed a complicated dance during the talent section in order to secure her place as Miss WCU. She shined in the gown and onstage portion of the program wearing a long red gown adorned with diamonds.
As Miss WCU, Hector has the opportunity to promote her platform ,”No Body Is Perfect,” which promotes awareness on eating disorders and encourages women to accept and embrace their bodies. She is passionate about her platform and when asked “what’s different here (Miss WCU pageant) than other pageants you’ve been in?” she answered, “I can pick a platform that I love and care about.” Part of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to her platform.
Miss WCU contestants are scored on their talent, onstage question, evening wear and an interview that takes place before the pageant. The interview is worth 40 percent of the total score. Talent is worth 25 percent and the contestants are judged on performance, difficulty and entertainment. Some of the talents included a jump rope routine, a monologue, dances, piano playing, singing, and even some tips on self-defense.
Other awards were given out to contestants during the evening including the Miss Congeniality award to Kelcie Rudman, a Communication Studies Major. Three-thousand dollars in scholarship money is donated to the pageant’s other awards.
The runners up were Lauren Lombardo, a Theatre Major with a concentration in Musical Theatre, Kristin Neel, a Vocal Performance Major, Kaloni Baylor, a Biology Major, and Courtney Dean, an English Education Major.
Margaret Weaver is a third-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at MW678077@wcupa.edu.