Image Credits: Emily Rutz
Feb. 7, 2026. 8:52 PM. Asplundh Concert Hall. Three finalists stand center stage. The scores have been decided. The girls’ heads are downcast and eyes closed, gripping each other’s hands with such a might you can see their knuckles turn white from the audience stands. Their friends watch in the background, ready to rush at the winner with a big hug. Ashley Lyles — 2016’s Miss WCU — stands at the podium on the left side of the stage, announcing Omnia Tagouma as the second runner up. And so, she steps back after a round of applause. The last two finalists, Ariana Smith and Lily Kilgore, clutch at each other’s hands while murmuring words of encouragement as Ashley goes over all the awards given to the winner — a $2000 scholarship, a gift card from Bobbles and Lace and the title and job as president of the Miss WCU Foundation. Lily Kilgore has barely recognized that yes, it was her name announced as the winner, before Gabby places the crown on her head as the audience erupts in cheers and her friends rally around her.
Funny how everything can change so quickly, as only ten minutes earlier, Miss WCU 2025, senior Gabby Kopuczynskie, was tearfully watching her farewell message broadcast on the projector, before she did a last walk and wave around the stage. A major in Early Childhood Education, she chose RamTHON as her platform to help children at CHOP, and raised over $400 for the hospital. She is a member of Colleges Against Cancer and worked hard every day to make sure those children have brighter futures. She completed over 30 appearances over the course of her reign, including visiting her old childhood classroom and dancing at Garner Valley’s “Diva Dance Day.”
It was an experience she wouldn’t change for the world. “Every appearance and event meant so much to me, and I’m forever changed by the people I had the privilege to meet.”
As much as we love Gabby, the queen’s reign must come to an end so more brilliant women have a chance to shine. On the auspicious night, ten finalists were in the running, and they, their platforms, and extracurriculars are listed below:
Contestant #1- Kayla Shertzer, sophomore, majors in exercise science and pre-occupational therapy, is part of A Moment of Magic, the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band Color Guard and the Miss Amazing Student Organization. Her platform is the American Heart Association.
Contestant #2- Faith Flores, freshman, majors in respiratory therapy. Is an emergency medical technician and her platform is the HealthWell foundation.
Contestant #3- Omnia Tagouma, junior, majors in communications and minors in digital marketing, is part of Her Campus, Under A Rest A Capella, Campus Recreation Club, First Generation Club and West Chester Studios. Founder of a nonprofit, Next Step Initiative, which is her platform.
Contestant #4- Emelea Kiernan, junior, majors in nutrition and dietetics and has a minor in data science. Her platform is the Ronald MacDonald house.
Contestant #5- Alexa Smith, freshman, majors in psychology and is a member of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Honors Student Association. Her platform is the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County.
Contestant #6- Faith Sload, junior, majors in early grades preparation (K-4) and is a member of Delta Phi Epsilon. Her platform is the M.S. (multiple sclerosis) Society.
Contestant #7- Sam Frei, sophomore, majors in nutrition and dietetics, a member of the Student Dietetic Association, Women in Science and the Phi Epsilon Kappa Honors Fraternity. Her platform is Finding Forever, an animal shelter advocacy organization.
Contestant #8- Avery Laurens, junior, psychology major and member of Delta Phi Epsilon, and her platform is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Contestant #9- Ariana Lane, junior, double majors in media and culture and Spanish, a member of Sister to Sister, WCU studios and A Moment of Magic, which is her platform.
Contestant #10- Lily Kilgore, junior, majors in communication sciences and disorders and minors in deaf studies, is a member of the Transfer Student Organization, CARE, NSSHLA and the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band Color Guard. Her platform is “Every Mind Matters: The Importance of Accessibility in Education.”
Other awards given during the competition are also listed as follows:
Non-Finalist Interview Award: Faith Flores
Non-Finalist Talent Award and Academic Achievement Award: Sam Frei
Community Service Award and People’s Choice Award: Emalea Kiernan
Spirit Award: Alexa Smith
Women’s Empowerment Award: Avery Laurens
Congeniality Award: Kayla Shertzer
Panhellenic Award: Faith Sload
The judges for the competition were Professor Spencer Kamacho, Dr. Marla Davis, Senior Executive Associate (for President Bernotsky) Sabrina Rightmer, Diamond Edmonds, Danielle Friel Otten and Deja Rowley.
The main announcer for the competition was Miss WCU 2016 Ashley Lyles, who was also the past president of the Theta Iona Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc. She now serves as the assistant director of affinity programming at the neighboring Bryn Mawr College, and serves on the executive board of WCU’s black alumni chapter.
After months of preparation, the first component is a private interview with the judges the afternoon prior to the competition. It is the most crucial element in the ranking, as it constitutes 40% of the points. At the competition itself, after introducing themselves and participating in a dance number, all of the girls got dressed in casual wear for the casual wear portion of the competition. They showed the audience their cute outfits from Bobbles and Lace as they explained their platforms.
The most exciting part of the competition is the talent portion— the second highest contributor to points, at 25%. It was also a way for Gabby to showcase her talent one last time, as she did a wonderful tap dance to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” Kayla did a flag dance in honor of people with heart conditions to Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young.” Faith Flores did a tap/modern fusion to “You Stole the Show” and Omnia sang an English/Arabic song, “Desert Rose” by Fouzia. Emalea did a jazz dance to Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s “Valerie.” Alexa performed a monologue about a temperamental fork jealous of the other utensils — easily the funniest part of the competition — and Faith Sload did a traditional karate form. Samantha did a breathtaking modern dance to Florence and the Machine’s “Never Let Me Go,” Avery sang “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell and Ariana danced to Taylor Swift’s “Long Live” in honor of children battling cancer.
Our winner, Lily Kilgore, performed an incredibly profound monologue she wrote herself called “Chronic Acceptance,” which details her journey in accepting her chronic illness, Hashimotos. “For as long as I have Hashimotos, I will love and accept and respect my body,” she proclaims. “I will chronically accept myself. And you should too. Disability and illness; they are not weaknesses, but new perspectives on how to see the world. Your struggle may be invisible, but you are not.”
The talent portion was followed by another performance by West Chester acapella group Under A Rest, who sang the National Anthem at the beginning of the show and then previewed their competition set as the contestants prepared for Evening Wear portion, where they donned ball gowns as they answered a question onstage. The final three finalists then answered an additional question from the judges before they chose the winner.
Many former Miss WCU’s attended the event, as they chose to stay involved with the Miss WCU Foundation well after their reigns ended. Dr. Michelle Filling Brown (1999), Dr. Alexis Stewart (2012), Molly Thompson (2014), Ashley Lyles (2016), Jamie Thomas McDowell (2018) — who walked onstage by accident while Lyle’s’ name was being announced, to the amusement of everyone watching, Julie Stinson (2022), Madelyn Rowan (2023) and Stella Downey (2024) all walked the stage. The Miss WCU event was also attended by various visiting titleholders: Irene Okonkwo (Miss Black and Gold), Cassidy McNew (Miss Pretzel City), Emily Scott (Magic Maker), Neela Freeman (Miss Black), Honesty Jean (Miss Gold), Kamayah Gillis (Miss 1969) and AK Hazel (Miss Heart of Lancaster).
We are all incredibly excited to see what Lily Kilgore will achieve during and after her reign as Miss WCU, along with the rest of these brilliant young women!
Emily Rutz is a second-year English major and minors in French, Creative Writing, and Professional and Technical Writing. ER1034711@wcupa.edu