A vocal performance/economics senior won the Miss OCU 2018 crown on her birthday, earning her full tuition for an academic year.
Maggie Bond was crowned Oct. 21, making her the 37th student to win the title.
Bond’s tuition prize is valued at more than $27,000. She also will represent OCU in the Miss Oklahoma pageant in June.
Miss OCU is part of the Miss America Scholarship Pageant System. “The four points of the crown represent style, service, success, and scholarship,” according to the Miss OCU Facebook page.
Miss OCU’s Outstanding Teen is also part of the nationally recognized pageant system. It “promotes scholarship achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living, and community involvement for America’s teens,” according to the Facebook page.
This was Bond’s third time competing for the title of Miss OCU. The pageant was on her 22nd birthday this year, and she said the crown was the most unique and hard-earned gift she ever received.
“It was a dream come true. When I was a freshman at OCU, I could only imagine growing into someone who could represent such an amazing title,” Bond said. “It’s been amazing to see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve grown, winning it as a senior. I think that’s a great indication of how much you grow here at OCU, and how amazing this campus and the people here really are.”
Bond’s platform is “The Solution to Inclusion,” which focuses on including people who live with disabilities in activities, college programs and the workforce.
During her onstage question, Bond was asked, “If you could counsel the president on any one issue, what would it be?”
She said she would educate the president on disability awareness and the inclusion of disabled people in workforce to boost the economy. She said she also would discuss the education system.
Bond placed first in the lifestyle and fitness category. She sang You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel for her talent.
Bond began competing in pageants at age 17 when she won Miss Broken Arrow’s Outstanding Teen 2013. This will be her third year as a Miss Oklahoma contestant. Previous titles include Miss Broken Arrow 2015 and Miss Tulsa 2017.
“I’ve had an incredibly unique journey with the Miss Oklahoma organization because I’ve gotten to represent home each year I have gone to compete,” Bond said. “I’m from Broken Arrow, which is in Tulsa County, so I thought if I could be Miss OCU, I’d get to represent my home away from home. Now I have the pleasure to do just that, and I plan to work hard to be the best ambassador for this university that I can possibly be.”
Ten women competed for this year’s crown, earning scores for private interview, lifestyle and fitness, evening wear, an onstage question, and talent.
Chandler Hardy, economics senior, won first runner-up and a semester of tuition.
Mackenzie McIntyre, music theater sophomore, won second runner-up and the Miss Congeniality Award. She received $500 for being second runner-up.
Ashleigh Robinson, music theater junior, won the People’s Choice Award and the Director’s Award, valued at $100 each.
Gabrielle Gore was crowned Miss OCU Outstanding Teen 2018. Gore sang Journey to the Past for her talent. Her platform is “Music for Wounded Warriors,” where she uses music to raise money for Wounded Warriors, a program that assists injured veterans. She received a full year of tuition at OCU.
Six judges made up the evaluation panel. Five were OCU alumni from the law, dance, mass communications, and music departments. The final judge was an audit manager based in Oklahoma City.
The pageant lasted about three hours and featured Miss OCU 2016 Monica Thompson as the master of ceremony.
The pageant included performances from Thompson, Miss OCU 2017 Camryn Sanders, Miss OCU Outstanding Teen Megan Gold, and the American Spirit Dance Company.
Contestant talents consisted of dances and vocal performances.
“I loved talent because that’s when you get to see what people are passionate about,” said Hannah Malinowski, dance sophomore.
The pageant also features Rising Stars, young girls paired with each contestant. The girls performed a dance during the pageant and walked with the contestants during the evening wear competition.
“Miss OCU is unique because we have the Rising Stars,” said Ashtyn Lehman, theater freshman and Miss OCU contestant. “They made the formal wear walk so much more fun and less stuffy than most pageants.”
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