Mackenzie McIntyre, music theater senior, was crowned Miss OCU 2020.
The Miss OCU pageant took place on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center.
Miss OCU 2018 was her first local pageant, McIntyre said.
“Saturday night was exactly two years for me since I had started. I won talent and second runner up and Miss Congeniality at that pageant,” she said.
McIntyre said she didn’t find an interest in pageants until college. Her sorority, Alpha Phi, had some members who inspired her to start competing.
“They really encouraged me and gave me the courage to do it, and I fell in love,” she said.
Since beginning her journey, McIntyre has been crowned Miss Queen of the West 2018, Miss Bricktown 2019 and now Miss OCU 2020.
McIntyre’s platform is suicide prevention. She supports “Out of the Darkness,” an organization that hosts walks for suicide awareness and prevention.
“I travel the state and speak to people about my own personal story: a struggle with mental health and how seeking out medical attention is important and knowing that you have to keep going and life is worth it,” she said.
McIntyre works with an interview coach to help improve her performance, she said.
“I think that’s been one of the most impactful decisions I’ve made to prepare for pageants. Just working on how to effectively convey who I am, my thoughts and feelings on certain topics, and doing a lot of studying of current events,” she said.
The Miss America organization has provided McIntyre with great experiences, she said.
“Being involved in the Miss America organization has increased my confidence in a way I didn’t think was possible,” she said. “I’ve gained so many friendships and I’ve had so many professional opportunities extended to me exclusively because of the Miss America organization.”
McIntyre was awarded a full year of tuition for winning Miss OCU. She will also compete in Miss Oklahoma in June 2020 for a third time.
Taylor Stephens, music theater and vocal performance senior, said McIntyre is a giving person.
“She’s one of those people who will drop everything for you,” Stephens said. “She is a wonderful person.”
Competing in pageants has changed her life, McIntyre said.
“I look at the woman I was two years ago and the woman I am today, and there is just a world of difference,” she said.
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