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A new University of ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ – Fort Smith student will don the Miss ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ crown this month as 12 contestants participate in the university’s annual scholarship competition, which will take place at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 21, at the ArcBest Performing Arts Center in the Fort Smith Convention Center.

The contestants will compete in four events, including social impact, interview, talent, and on-stage question and answer. Institutional scholarships and prizes totaling more than $21,000 will be awarded to the overall winner of Miss ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ as well as runners-u, and category winners excelling in congeniality, grade point average and interview.

Since its inception as the Miss Westark program in 1978, hundreds of student have sought to earn scholarships and other competition honors.  The competition is a preliminary to the Miss ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ and Miss America scholarship competitions.

Contestants for Miss ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ 2020 are:

• Marisol Osorio, 22, of Van Buren, daughter of Rosa and Wilmer Chavarria of Van Buren. A junior political science major, her talent will be performing an Army cadence call, and her platform is "Lead to Serve."
   
• Jackeline Caceres, 19, of Rogers, daughter of Ruby and David Caceres of Rogers. A sophomore dental hygiene major, she will be dancing for her talent and promoting her platform “Engaging Diversity; Changing the World."
   
• Morgan Taylor, 18, of Lavaca, daughter of Penny Taylor of Fort Smith and Bill and Jennifer Taylor of Lavaca. A freshman business administration major, her talent is singing, and her platform is "Choosing a Career You’ll Enjoy."
   
• Autumn Skurdahl, 18, of Fort Smith, daughter of Brittney and Nathan Skurdahl of Fort Smith. A freshman middle school education major, she will be performing a contemporary dance, and her platform is "Foster Care Awareness in Sebastian County."
   
• Braeli Allen, 20, of Siloam Springs, daughter of Kaci and Jason Johnson of Siloam Springs and Billy and Sandy Allen of Rogers. A sophomore middle school education major, her talent will be a sign-language dance, and her platform is “Volunteerism."
   
• Callie Scherrey, 19, of Fort Smith, daughter of Mitzi and Josh Scherrey of Fort Smith. A sophomore organizational leadership major, she will be dancing for her talent, and her platform is "Advocating for the Neglected and Abused."
   
• Terra Allen, 20, of Siloam Springs, daughter of Kaci and Jason Johnson of Siloam Springs and Billy and Sandy Allen of Rogers. A sophomore biomedical major, she will be dancing for her talent, and her platform is "Working with Special Needs Children."
   
• Briana Reding, 19, of Cedarville, daughter of Alison and Brian Reding of Cedarville. A junior majoring in social work, her talent will be spoken word, and her platform is “YOUnique."
   
• Alexandria Thompson, 18, of Greenwood, daughter of Terry Stallings of Greenwood and Randy and Martina Thompson of Greenwood. A sophomore nursing major, she will be singing for her talent, and her platform is "Saving and Improving Lives Through the Gift of Organ Donation."
   
• Caroline Mikel, 20, of North Little Rock, daughter of Katherine Mikel of North Little Rock. A sophomore dental hygiene major, she will be performing a flag routine for her talent, and her platform is "Girl Scouts USA - Making a Change for All Ages."
   
• Elyse Perdue, 19, of Siloam Springs, daughter of Lori and Paul Perdue of Gentry. A sophomore biomedical professions major, her talent will be singing, and her platform is "Awareness for Neurological Conditions."
   
• Erica Carman, 18, of Fort Smith, daughter of Melanie and Gregory Carman of Fort Smith. A freshman nursing major, her talent will be spoken word, and her platform is "Dogs with Jobs: Not Just Working 9-5."

Stacey Jones, associate vice chancellor for campus and community events, is the executive director of the Miss ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ competition and a producer for the Miss ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ competition.

The candidates will be joined on stage by 19 princesses and princes participating in this year’s Princess/Prince Program, a non-competitive program allowing children ages 5-12 to participate in events related to the competition.

Tickets for the Miss ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ Scholarship Competition are $10 and available online at  or by calling the ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ Box Office at 479-788-7300.

More information on the competition or the Princess/Prince Program may also be obtained by contacting the ºÚË¿ÄÚÉäÊÓƵ Box Office. Rachel Rodemann Putman