Earlier this month, Junior Bridget Rice tapped her way to first place in this year?s Miss UCA pageant and is keeping her feet warmed up in preparation for the Miss Arkansas pageant at the end of summer.
?I was so shocked that I won. Everybody was so nice, genuine, and talented. I would have been happy for any one of the other girls to win the title,? Rice said.
Rice grew up practicing ballet, jazz and tap in her mother?s dance studio as a child. ?I?ve danced since I was standing and walking. There was never a time where I wasn?t doing it,? she said.
Rice started competing in pageants as a little girl in Crossett, Ark. ?I didn?t have your typical pageant parents. They?re very supportive, but they don?t force me to do it. I get to make my own decisions about it, but they back me up. They?re great parents,? Rice said.
She got into the Miss America program two years ago when she won the Miss Ashley County. ?I knew I enjoyed it a lot and wanted to do it again,? Rice said.
The Miss America program is one of the nation?s leading achievement programs and the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Scholarships from the organization are available to more than 12,000 young women who compete in state and local Miss America sponsored competitions.
As a winner of the pageant, Rice received a $1,800 scholarship in addition to $800 worth of prizes and fitness gifts.
Rice plans to use her Miss UCA title to promote her pageant platform: Stamp Out Smoking. ?Stopping people from smoking has been a passion my whole life,? Rice said. She became aware of the dangers of smoking from her grandmother, who was unable to have surgery after years of smoking.
Rice said, ?I want to change people?s attitude towards smoking. They see it as cool and they shouldn?t.?
?Having the crown allows you to do more. As Miss UCA, I will talk to children in the Conway Public School system and various organizations like the Kiwanis club,? Rice continued.
?Since the pageant, I?m aware that I?m definitely looked at as a role model. Everyone looks for you to fall, so you have to be prepared,? she said.
Rice is anticipating the upcoming Miss Arkansas pageant and is hoping to follow in the footsteps of past Miss UCA titleholders. In the past few years, many of them have placed high in the Miss Arkansas pageant. Rice said, ?I have a lot to live up to and hope to make it into the top 10.?
-Jessica Saylor
