BUIES CREEK — Expect to hear “Campbell University” a lot during this year’s Miss North Carolina scholarship pageant.
Miss Campbell 2016 Sue Ann Forrest will compete in the event that will be held June 22-25. She’s building her platform — “Lead today. Lead tomorrow.” — around a program she started at Campbell — Women in Leadership: A Panel Program.
Held March 28, that program brought five women who hold leadership positions at the state- and university-level together on Campbell’s campus to share their experiences and offer advice. Forrest served as the moderator, and it was the first event she sponsored as Miss Campbell promoting her platform.
“I want to take that concept all across the state — into middle schools and high schools and to other colleges,” Forrest said. “Campbell will be better for having women in leadership positions. The state will, too.”
Forrest graduated from Campbell University in May 2016, earning a degree in communication studies and minor in marketing. She was the executive president of the Student Government Association for the 2014-15 academic year and the vice president this past year. Currently, she’s an intern with N.C. Independent Colleges & Universities.
“[The Miss North Carolina competition] is just a great way to engage with people about Campbell, and it’s a great platform to spread the Campbell brand and image,” Forrest said. “I hope I can represent Campbell in the most genuine and authentic way possible.”
Campbell’s Sigma Alpha Omega sorority sponsored the first Miss Campbell competition in 2015, when Forrest finished third runner-up. This is the first year that Miss Campbell will compete in the Miss North Carolina competition.
The preliminaries will be held June 22-24. The 41 contestants will compete in five categories: talent, interview, evening gown, fitness, and on-stage question and answer. In addition to Forrest, Campbell students Sami McDaniel (Miss Dunn) and Scarlett Short (Miss Moore County) are competing.
Those who finish among the Top 10 in the preliminaries advance to the final round, which will be held Saturday, June 25, beginning at 7 p.m. in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.
The contestant who gets the most likes on her video posted on the Miss North Carolina Facebook page automatically finishes in the Top 10 and advances to the final round.
Forrest spoke with Campbell.edu about the competition and her platform.
Why did you decide to compete for Miss North Carolina?
The director of the Miss North Carolina Scholarship Pageant approached me and asked me to compete in it. I thought, Why not? I hated the thought of looking back on it years down the road and thinking I missed out on an opportunity.
Tell us about your platform.
My platform is “Lead today. Lead tomorrow.” It is about promoting women in leadership. I’m tying it to the Women in Leadership program I did here at Campbell. I learned a lot from working with Dr. [Hope] Williams, the president of the N.C. Independent Colleges & Universities, and what it means to be a professional woman. She gave me a lot of good advice.
We didn’t really have anything at Campbell that promoted women in leadership, so I thought the Women in Leadership forum would be a good for peers and friends to hear some of the same advice I heard from Dr. Williams and other women leaders. I want to take that concept all across the state — into middle schools and high schools and to other colleges. Campbell will be better for having women in leadership positions. The state will, too.
What do you hope you get out of competing in the Miss North Carolina competition?
I think I have already gained more self-confidence in who I am through the experience so far. To walk across the stage, to go through the interviews, to learn how to hold your posture — all that helps you gain confidence. And to do that with 40 other contestants who are wonderful and amazing and who are helping make this state a better place — it has been rewarding.
Also, it is just a great way to engage with people about Campbell, and it’s a great platform to spread the Campbell brand and image. I hope I can represent Campbell in the most genuine and authentic way possible. As I was thinking about the evening gown to wear, as I was thinking about the platform and the interview, I asked: Is that representative of Campbell? I want to represent this university well and what it stands for.
How does Campbell University benefit from having a Miss Campbell?
As Miss Campbell, I’ve been able to reach out to alumni, and I’ve been able to introduce others to the university. During my preparations for the Miss North Carolina competition so far, I’ve met alumni who are the parents of other contestants. We’ve been exchanging our Campbell stories.
Another example: I was able to participate in the Farmville Christmas Parade. I had several girls come up to me and tell me they were thinking about going to Campbell. It’s a good conversation starter, and it’s a way to engage those who do have a connection to Campbell and those who may not have a connection.
That’s the best part of the job: engaging with alumni, introducing people to Campbell, and being a champion of Campbell. It has been a lot of fun.