Kelsey Griswold, has returned to fulfill her duties as Miss Oklahoma.
OCU administration hosted a home coming party Friday for Griswold, after she was named second runner-up at the Miss America Competition on Sept. 15.
Students hosted a watch party and several students were in Atlantic City to watch Griswold during the competition.
“I will tell you that the second I was called second runner-up, I heard God and the Holy Spirit speak to me and say this would’ve been the way of the ultimate plan,” Griswold said. “It’s not that I wasn’t qualified for the job, Nina was meant to be Miss America.”
Griswold said her favorite part of the competition was the “Show us your Shoes” Parade. The parade took place Saturday, and Miss America contestants modeled shoes.
“It was one of the most emotional experiences I ever had, because it was 200,000 people there just to see you,” she said.
During the home coming party for Griswold, President Robert Henry and Mayor Mick Cornett spoke and addressed the OCU community and Griswold.
“I am just delighted to have Kelsey back,” Henry said. “You are our Miss America.”
Mayor Cornett expressed his gratitude to Griswold for representing the state and the university.
“I am so proud of this university, its students and its faculty,” Cornett said.
Now that Griswold is back in the state, she will begin her job as Miss Oklahoma.
Griswold will not return to OCU at this time.
She will be working on her platform, ART, Artists Reaching Together.
“ART is a mentorship program I’ve put together for students with developmental disabilities,” Griswold said. “It improves their quality of life through the arts.”
Griswold hopes to create an art academy for those with developmental disabilities.
Currently the program focuses on K-12 year students.
“I would like to one day have an academy open for people of all ages,” she said.
Griswold said she is looking forward to her upcoming year as Miss Oklahoma.
“I get to be an ambassador for the greatest state in the nation,” she said.
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