Smith Named Miss OCU 2023 in 41st pageant

41^st Miss OCU Scholarship Competition took place on October 22 in the Kirkpatrick Performing Arts Center where Evelyn Smith, a senior philosophy major, took home the crown after a stunning competition with 15 other OCU students.      

Miss OCU is a female pageant for students at Oklahoma City University who compete for the title, in addition to scholarship money to further their higher education. The competition is a pre-qualifier for the Miss Oklahoma and Miss America competitions which pride themselves on building young women of integrity. 

OCU has a long history with these organizations as Miss OCU has produced 26 Miss Oklahomas as a part of 40 state titles, and even 3 Miss Americas, more than any other university in the country.  All these exceptional women and the others who have won the title of Miss OCU have their photos hanging in the lobby of the Kirkpatrick affectionately called the “Hall of Queens” or “Hall of Hair.” OCU’s arguably most famous and loved alumni, Kristin Chenoweth, Miss OCU 1991, has her portrait hanging amongst this gallery. Following her farewell as Miss OCU 2022, Ava Cruchon’s photo was added to the hall to be commemorated by the next generations of OCU Stars. 

Ava’s farewell was only one part of a very busy and full competition. OCU’s Star Dancers performed 3 numbers, as did Miss OCU 2022, Ava Cruchon, and Miss OCU’s Outstanding Teen 2022, Peyton Davis, and the Mistress of Ceremonies, Mackenzie McIntyre, Miss OCU 2020-21. In addition to this entertainment, the candidates competed in several categories. Prior to the public competition, these 16 women participated in private interviews with the judging panel. Following these private interviews, the judges wrote a question to ask these women during the public ceremony. The onstage response to these questions paired with a twenty-five-second social impact pitch made up 15% of these young women’s scores. Candidate Number 1, Gabrielle Gore, won this section of the competition for her work with her program Healing Heroes’ Hearts which uses music therapy to assist veterans. 

Following the interview section, each candidate performed as a part of the talent showcase. All of the candidates chose to sing or dance, except for Candidate 4 Michaela Childs who surprised audiences with her alto saxophone performance. The overall winner of this category was Rachel Schoenecker, a music theatre major, who dazzled audiences with her vocal performance of “They Just Keep Moving the Line,” from NBC’s hit series Smash. Despite being a philosophy major, the newly crowned winner, Evelyn Smith, wowed the crowd comprised of students, faculty, family, and friends, with a lyrical dance to “I’m Here” from The Color Purple. All of these performances revitalized OCU’s legacy of producing outstanding performers.

The final category of the night was perhaps the most exciting for the audience, the eveningwear category. Each woman got to walk the stage wearing a formal evening gown of their choice to show judges their charm, composure, stage presence, confidence, and personal style. Students in the crowd had a fantastic time cheering on these women as they strutted across the stage. Their cheers were naturally the loudest for the winner of the People’s Choice Award, Alexandria Magana, who won over the audience with her personality and humor. 

In the final moments of the competition, several women were named runners-up for the crown. These women were fourth runner-up, Gabrielle Gore, third runner-up, Kat Sweeney, second runner-up, Jenna Riling, and first runner-up, Abigail Billings. Evelyn was crowned Miss OCU 2023 to add to her history of pageant excellence. Evelyn has previously held the titles of Miss Oklahoma City Outstanding Teen, Miss Edmond, and was 4^th Runner Up to Miss Oklahoma, where she will return to compete in June. In addition to winning Miss OCU last night, Evelyn also earned the Miss Congeniality award, an award chosen by the other contestants for the fellow participant they thought best embodied the character of a potential Miss OCU.

In addition to crowning a Miss OCU, a Miss OCU’s Outstanding Teen Title was presented to high school junior, Emerson Holden. Three teens competed for this title participating in rounds judging active wear, talent performances, and evening wear. Emerson will join Evelyn in competing for a state title next June. 

These two outstanding winners will receive tuition scholarships, mentorship, and countless other opportunities through their new titles. Hopefully, these two young ladies will develop a close bond just as their previous counterparts did. Ava Cruchon and Peyton Davis, the 2022 winners, both reflected on their friendship in their farewells, calling each other “the ketchup to their mustard”, an ode to the red and yellow colors of their gowns. Their relationship perfectly encapsulates what Miss OCU is truly about – friendship, empowerment, and giving back. Congratulations to this year’s winners, Evelyn Smith and Emerson Holden, and to all of the participants!